Black Family Update

This blog is meant to be about the family as a whole, so I will try to make an update on each of us.  I guess this will replace the Christmas letter that was never written or sent out!

SHAYLAH
Shaylah seems to be growing up so quickly these days and has taken on the roll of teacher and helper with her 2 younger siblings.  She enjoys holding their hands down the stairs (when they let her), catching them when they try to run away from me (an apparently very fun game) and playing games with them before bedtime (especially if it involves hide-and-seek or jumping on the bed).  She continues to attend pre-school 2 days per week, as well as gymnastics and ballet classes.  I was told today that gymnastics is very hard and that she would prefer to just take swimming and ballet.  I wish I had known that before I signed her up and paid for another 18 classes!  I guess this will just be a lesson on not giving up when things get tough.  She is a master at the forward roll, but walking on the balance beam seems to be a very scary feat for her.  Shaylah has also recently decided that pink and purple are the only colors worth wearing and that if the dress isn't "fancy" (ie have a big poofy skirt), then it might as well stay in the closet.  f it matches Ashlyn, however; she will loves it all.  She loves Tinkerbell and Thumbelina and anything Princess, but will still tolerate Dora and Handy Manny for the sake of her brother and sister.  She is addicted to board games and insists on playing 3 or 4 with mom and dad after the babies go to bed each night, often pushing bedtime way later than we would like.  Night-time is no longer a dream (pun intended!).  She has decided that monsters and Swiper the Fox all live in her closet and it has made night-time a very scary thing for her.  The light stays on all night and she wakes up scared every 2-3 hours, asking for someone to sleep with her.  This is a stage that I hope passes quickly!  She has also become an extremely picky eater, wishing to survive solely on candy and chocolate.  I remember living on melted-cheese on toast as a child for many years though, so I am not stressing about it.  She is continuing to learn Spanish, can write her own name, makes friends easily, loves to bake and is becoming much more creative in her play.

CAELAN
This little guy seems to have his mother's looks with his father's personality.  He is definitely a Vallance in his facial features, but loves to make people laugh like his father.  Everything is a joke to him, except when one of his sisters steals his toys.  He even laughs when he is scolded for doing something wrong.  He has discovered a new love of cars trains and will often be found just happily playing on his own with his bucket of vehicles.  He is also very particular about what he wears.  He has to choose the clothes of the day, otherwise they will not stay on his body.  He prefers anything with Diego, firetrucks or cars, but will also settle for animals once in a while.  Ever since his surgery in September, his speech has really taken off.  He loves to name his family members (Shaylah is definitely his favorite) and he is putting 2-3 words together consistently.  His favorite game is "where's Caelan?", where he will cover his eyes with his hands and hide in a corner with a big smile on his face.  he has recently decided that he will no longer drink from a sippy cup and that a high-chair is not for big boys.  Because of him, we all sit at a regular table in regular seats like a regular family.  I thought it would make life more difficult not having the kids strapped in, but they actually behave so much better now that they have their own independence.  I was amazed!  We have even recently been complimented in a fancy restaurant (The Cannery - awesome place!) about how well they sit in their seats.  While he still loves his mom and dad, it appears that Grampy is his most favorite in the world!

ASHLYN
Ashlyn is the quiet and sweet one.  She is happiest by her mother's side and will just sit with me no matter what I am doing (including type this).  She continues to be very little for her age (5th percentile), which just adds to her sweetness.  She loves music and can often be heard singing songs to herself, favorites being "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "Jingle Bells".  She is a bit of a tattle-tale and often runs to me yelling "Shay-ah take it" or "Cae-nan push me".  She loves to be tickled and exclaims "more tickle again!" if I stop.  She is developing beyond expectations, in light of her earlier complications, but there are still signs of difficulty on her left side.  Most notable is her poor balance.  She gets knocked down very easily and has fallen down the stairs a few times; one fall in December needing quick attention at the ER for a large gash at the back of her head....her hair will be in a ponytail for the next 2 years to cover up the glue as is grows out!  Ashlyn aims to please and loves to help in any way she can, especially giving Jackpot food in his dish, helping to put toys away, sharing with her brother and sister.  She enjoys reading and coloring, loves anything Dora and her favorite color is pink.  She has given up her afternoon nap (and because of that, so has Caelan), which makes scheduling my day so much easier now.  She has no interest in sitting on the potty, but will tell me when her diaper needs changing, she loves to cuddle and her favorite night-time ritual is to play "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!".
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MARSALIE
I am continuing to love staying home as much as possible with the little ones and am finding life getting so much busier as they get involved in more things.  I am working 2 part-time jobs at the moment.  Thursdays and Fridays are at Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children on the Acute Rehab Team.  Occasional Saturdays and Sundays doing developmental assessments for a research study comparing stress in pre-term infants vs. term babies (a study of which my own babies were part of before I got involved).  I also still take the odd shift at Children's Hospital when they need the extra coverage.  I sometimes wish for a clean house, but then remember the reason why it is so messy and feel so blessed that I am continually picking up toys.  I wish my mom was here to share my children with me, but I am thankful for in-laws who love my children and spoil them like grandparents should.

JOHNNY
Johnny is continally busy at work, spending most of each week in Victoria and away from home.  He is always wishing for more time with the family and he loves to play with the kids, especially being beat by Shaylah at board games.  He has temporarily given up basketball and golf and replaced them with Tonka Toys and My Little Pony, but he wouldn't have it any other way.  He managed to still squeeze in a half marathon this summer and hopes to enter more races once his current project is complete.