Noah is just past six-and-a-half years old now. Before his sister Melia, who just turned three, came along, I was often Noah’s primary playmate, the one who would get down on the floor with him and play with toys. I’ve been doing less of that, and at home his play is often circumscribed by this other, newer, smaller creature. Melia only seems to know how to make messes, and she can’t yet play with the sophistication that her brother, with a head start of almost four years, can bring to the table
But for the first part of this week, Melia visited Becky’s mom, and for about twenty-four hours, Noah had us to himself again, and it was like old times. It was a snapshot of what things would be like without a second child, and Noah and I both had a good day. Tuesday, January 3, 2017.
It was a dark, rainy day, all day. I woke Noah up at about 7:30. He was sleepy, although I had just had a good work session, so I was not. He initially didn’t want to wake up, so I hopped on his bed and cuddled with him for a moment. He asked me to carry him into the kitchen for breakfast, so I did. There will only be so many more days that can start like that, I thought. Chocolate Pop-Tarts for Noah, and generic Cheerios for me, with orange juice for both of us. A much quieter breakfast than when his sister is here. Noah can be a loud kid, but appreciates quiet, too.
Noah had bathed the night before, so it was left only to get dressed, and brush teeth and hair, before heading upstairs for a piano practice session. He is most of the way through the primer book after about four months of piano lessons, and he wants to do well, but he isn’t ready to practice on his own. Too many distractions, perhaps. A shower for me, and then we were off to his piano lesson–a mid-morning make-up lesson made possible by Tuesday being the last day of his Christmas break. Usually, the studios at the Fine Arts Association are filled with the sound of many students having lessons at once, but on Tuesday morning, Noah was the only student, and for a change, I was essentially able to listen to his lesson in detail through the door. He and his teacher, Rita Cyvas-Klioris, have a good rapport, and she has adapted well to his impulsive personality.
Then to the library to return the books that were due and select new ones. Home for lunch. After lunch, Noah wanted to play Legos, and I spent my afternoon with him in the basement building vehicles and acting out scenes with his minifigures. He is interested in A Christmas Carol, and he named the figures Scrooge, Marley, and Cratchit, although once we had rehearsed Dickens’ story, there were myriad other adventures. We took a break for a few hands of Uno, and then went back to Legos until dinner time. Then Noah, Becky, and I went to Cracker Barrel.
We returned home and reinstituted Noah’s bedtime routine–earlier than it had evolved to be over the holiday break, and everything simplified by Melia’s absence. Life would be simpler, I thought, with only one child, but once Melia is older and more reasonable, all of our lives will be enriched, I think. I need to find way to play with Melia the way I did with Noah; I just haven’t seen her as much as I did Noah in his first three years.
But Tuesday, that was a good day, and there aren’t so many of those.