It's no secret that Staley has always moved slowly.
She is constantly talking and thinking and singing and daydreaming and getting
distracted so completing normal, everyday activities takes so much
longer. I had hoped that this would improve with age, but I haven't
observed that miraculous shift yet. Going to the bathroom is a 5 minute
endeavor. When I send her upstairs to brush her teeth before school, I
always have to add "and don't forget to come back down." The
hot water running out is how Staley determines that it's time to be done with
her shower. When Staley played baseball this summer, she never got to
warm up in the on deck circle because it would take her so long to take off her
visor, put on her helmet, and find a bat that she never had any time to warm up
before it was her turn to bat. Trying to get the girls up, ready, and out
of the house for school is generally my least favorite hour of the day because
of the constant reminders to "keep moving" and "hurry
up." It's just exhausting.
The other morning as we were trying to get out of the house for
school, Staley and I started putting on our tennis shoes at the exact same
time. I got both my shoes on and tied and was reaching for my coat when I
looked down to check on Staley's progress. She had just finished
adjusting her sock and was starting to put on her first shoe. This
morning I asked the girls to get dressed for school while I took a quick
shower. When I came in, Adelie was fully dressed and was getting her doll
dressed for the day. Staley had one arm out of her nightgown and was just
sitting on her bed, talking to Adelie. And heaven help us if Staley
forgot to pick out her outfit the night before and we have to add that into the
morning routine.
There are so many things that Staley is good at. She is very
smart and thoughtful and creative and responsible. But quick?? Not
yet. But I'll keep waiting for it to happen.
I'm getting really used to waiting.
