Today

This is how the day began - well, after we all got dressed and made it downstairs. Eliot invited Chris to "tea" and then Chris invited Eliot to breakfast.

Then we went to the town hall and got our Belgiand drivers' licenses. Odd not to use my Illinois one.

Chris took the car to work and Eliot and I took the tram to playgroup. Eliot was content to sit on my lap and watch the world go by as the tram shuttled towards our destination. The changes in our time at playgroup are amazing since we came. Playgroup is at a facility called Imagine that the group I belong to, Brussels Childbirth Trust (BCT), rents space in. They have play equipment like a slide, trampoline, and teeter totter. They have ride-on toys, a play kitchen, and so on. There is free play for about an hour with a craft that kids can do or not. If I think Eliot would sit still for it, I show him the craft and see if he wants to do it. Today's craft was using Qtips dipped in food coloring-imbibed water to paint a rainbow on absorbent paper. Eliot did well but he decided after a few minutes that the smock was not for him. Since we have no pictures/photos on our walls, we are taping up Eliot's artwork with painter's tape all over the house. (Well, I do have a picture of the kitties taped to the wall in the family room.) Eliot and I sometimes read from the selection of kids books at Imagine. There is also a parenting library that lends to members. After the free hour the kids snack and then sing. I like the singing part. I have learned new songs - a lot of them British since most of the members of this group for English-speaking families are British. Almost every time I ask where someone bought a particular toy or baby contraption the answer is "in England." It is a relief, though, to meet other parents and talk freely without first translating from English to French in my head and hoping my verb conjugation is right when I start talking. Or just hoping a Dutch-speaking parent doesn't mind speaking English because my Dutch vocabulary is limited to a mere 10 words or so. At playgroup this summer, I followed close behind Eliot because he would often fall or need help climbing up the slide but now he is so independent I actually drank almost all my tea and glanced away from him enough times to read a few pages of a book before he needed me today. He gets excited about certain songs, including the BCT cult favorite, "Sleeping Bunnies." He is also so much better about sharing. Today he wanted a toy someone else had but was easily convinced to wait his turn!

In the afternoon, Eliot and I played with blocks and looked at photos on the computer. For his evening bath, Eliot insisted that all his farm animals, African animals, foam fish, and kitchen accessories (measuring cups, funnel, plastic bowl) accompany him in the tub. He wanted two stories and then snuggled down with his blankies, pacis, kitty, and Pooh Bear. Today was a blissful day to be a mommy of such a great kid.