Evelia Circes' Room

[Amyla Edana]

I wonder if anyone could understand how avoiding a tearful toddler with a giant hardcover book can be such a challenge. I did my sketches at home today, since I wasn't needed at the office, and Evie trailed after me all day. She was holding onto Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone and begging me to teach her how to read so she could read on her own. I felt terrible to keep telling her 'no', but I had to get work done, not to mention the fact that once we got started, she wouldn't want to stop.

I finally got finished around mid-afternoon, and true to form, Evie kept asking for more and more until dinner came around. She is starting to distinguish between the sounds now and seems to get that a letter represents a sound. When she can start matching letters and sounds with words she already knows will be up to her. It'll click at some point. Until then, we'll just keep plugging away.

Evie seems to be keeping herself busy in the meantime, though. She likes playing upstairs with some of her aunts and uncles (though, really, they're more like siblings to her), and Yana patiently played some imaginary version of Harry Potter with her the other day. Evie was ecstatic.

My dearest darling also has taken to bringing things back to me, specifically live things. She caught a mouse the other day and asked me if she could keep it. Of course, by the time she realized that she had loosened her grip on it, the mouse had escaped back outside. Smart mouse. Flee, little mouse! Flee! Anyway, I suppose I'll have to get her a pet of some kind. She asked if it was possible to get an owl. I don't think I should have laughed as hard as I did, but it's difficult to fix that now. Honestly.... an owl?! Gods above, that's all I need: a magic-loving child who collects animals as a side hobby.

~Kari

 

[Amyla Edana]

I almost cried today. We were about halfway through our daily 'letter lesson' when Evie suddenly sat up straight and announced that she'd "be righ' backuh!" She came back hauling Harry Potter and hopped back up onto her chair with it and opened up the book to the first page. She started picking out some of the shorter words on the page and identifying them, chanting the letters out loud and slowly fitting the sounds together. I had to explain to her that 't' and 'h' make the 'th' sound together, and after that, she seemed to be on a roll. Granted, she couldn't read the whole page, but she picked out enough words and sounded them out to make me proud. Gods, my baby is growing up fast.

She is walking a lot steadier now. The clumsiness is still present, but she is crashing and breaking things less often. Her movements are marginally more coordinated, and she's starting to move less like a baby. Now I know she could be in preschool. She's old enough and mature enough, really, even if she does have the energy of twenty kids on a sugar binge. But I'm almost afraid to send her. She inherited all of my less-human traits, minus telekinecy, and I don't know how she'd respond if she felt threatened by the other kids. I want to be really sure first.

It's been awhile since I updated, so I guess I haven't made any record of Whitman yet. I met him a few days ago. Evie seems to like him. He gave me circus tickets to take Evie soon and is quite flattering toward me. It's really strange. I'm not sure why he's being so nice. The last time a male was this nice, it was that vampiric b*****d from work. If he'd had his way, Evie would be half his offspring, and not wholly mine. Whitman seems well-intentioned, but I know next to nothing about him.

And he's gods-awful clueless when it comes to me. I think he tries, but flowers are just... why flowers? And the touching? No way. Not without my permission, thank you! I caught his hand in my teeth as a warning not to touch. I know he is nice and he means well, but it is just difficult. I'm not into dating, and his overtures, while flattering, are mildly annoying. He might know much about women, but I am not a woman, technically speaking. I've got enough beast in me to get aggressive if he pushes, though I do hope he learns to adapt his strategy. Evie likes him, and he can't be all that bad, despite his ignorance...

~Kari

 

[Amyla Edana]

It looks like I'll have to revise my opinion of Whitman. Oh, I found out his name is Jonas, so I don't have to refer to him by his last name anymore. That's a relief. We spent awhile talking, and he isn't quite as bad as I thought. We're alike in many ways. I still can't believe he finds me that interesting, or beautiful for that matter. We're not even remotely alike as far as species go, and I thought humans had a different sort of standard for beauty. I set ground rules for touching, and he pushed the limit, of course. I found it rather amusing that he pushed it, though, and I liked it too. He was willing to toe the line to gain something. I'm not used to all of this touching, and it made me want to move away. I suppose I'll have to get used to it, though. At least he agreed not to touch my face again.

Evie is completely enamored with him. She finds him just fascinating and wants to talk to him all the time, in between asking for reading lessons, running around like crazy, and snuggling in my lap. She has been getting more snuggly lately too, I might add. It's strange, but it's a welcome sort of strange. She just hopped up into my lap and asked when Whitman was going to come over to the house. Perfect. I'm just beginning to find him tolerable, and Evie suddenly wants him over at our home. Why me?

And before I close, I want to add that Evie is getting far too clever for her own good. She's learning to eavesdrop on conversations to pick up interesting tidbits. She asked me about sex today. What next?!

~Kari

 

[Amyla Edana]

I no my leters mama teesh me. i lik to reed. its fun. i lik flufees to. Mama ses we go to the surcus soon i wana see witmen. i wana go to scool to.

EVIE

That was about all she could manage that was legible. Her handwriting definitely needs a bit of work. I took her in for a check-up, and they gave me a few things to look out for. Her hands do need to be exercised more. Because she's like me and has only three digits on each hand, I had to get her special crayons and pencils to make them easier for her to grasp. She wasn't real enthusiastic at first about working with her hands to draw and such, so I made a shopping trip early this morning while Nieva kept an eye on her. I found some easy-to-read books about a little witch and her pet cat. They're incredibly cheesy, of course, and written for school-age kids, but I figure I can help her puzzle through them. Maybe it'll keep her away from Harry Potter for awhile.

I also got her a coloring and lesson book that will encourage her to work on her letters and phonics. We sat down and did 'A' this morning. Let's just say that it'll be a long time before her handwriting even remotely resembles something close to legibility.

Oh, now she's dictating to me that I have to write that she is excited to go see the circus. She wants to see all the animals, and, of course, she wants to see Whitman. I feel badly for him; Evie has a tendency to cling.

~Kari

 

[Amyla Edana]

Our life has gone from mildly structured to completely chaotic in a matter of days!

Evie and I had a wonderful time at the circus. I think Whitman did too. He smiled quite a bit. Unfortunately (fortunately?) I got a little too bold and invited him over for dinner. He stayed the night, and I woke up with him in my bed. It was mildly disconcerting, to say the least. Evie was amused by it, but I was just a bit disturbed that I had let my control slip and let him stay the night. I also accidentally put puncture wounds in his leg with my claws. Evie thought that was quite amusing too. He stayed for breakfast and then left. I was sorry to see him go, but I was also relieved. I need to think. This whole situation is... complicated.

That is only part of my problems right now, though. Evie has herself a new friend... pet... companion-thing. We were out walking the trail at the wildlife park near the mountains, and she found a torn-apart nest in the midst of a bunch of rocks. All of the eggs were broken but one, and she insisted upon taking it home. I figured it was dead already, so I let her, after I cleared it with the park ranger in charge of the lands. We had it home about six hours, in a little bed of old towels that Evie and I made, when the thing hatched!

It turns out the thing is a hippogriff, and it's tiny. It'll grow to be bigger than a large horse, eventually, but it's only about kitten-sized right now. It's silvery gray in color, and I had to do a lot of research to figure out how to care for the blasted thing. It's a she, and it's cute, but it's already squawking an awful lot and wobbling all around. Evie immediately dubbed her 'Hedwig', so now Hedwig follows Evie everywhere she can. The good news is that Evie is completely occupied with taking care of and playing with Hedwig, so she is much more easily entertained. Between reading and begging me to go to school and busying herself with Hedwig, she has no more time to run around and be crazy. It's quieter in the house now, and it's strange. I rather like it, though.

~Kari

 

[Amyla Edana]

Since Evie is occupied with reading her 'little witch' books to Hedwig, I can snag some time to write. Gods, I'm going to go nuts soon. My life used to be so predictable, or as much as it could be with a hyper toddler in the house. Now it isn't. Evie keeps asking me if we can 'keep' Whitman, and it's getting harder to tell her 'no.' I don't know how he managed to become such a fixture in my life, but suddenly, I'm thinking about him and worrying about him. My heart nearly stopped a few times at the circus when he was flipping between those trapezes.

Oh, and did I mention the dinner fiasco?

I guess 'fiasco' may not be the best word, but it was certainly an unexpected series of events. I made a hamburger stroganoff for dinner, and I think he liked it. He didn't make any negative comments about it. Evie was happy; it's one of her favorites. We sat and talked for awhile, and I enjoyed it. He is very intelligent, if a little strange. I suppose I'm not one to talk about strange, though.

Then it all went to hell.

I'm not sure exactly how we started kissing and all, but somehow, we ended up in my bed, 'all snuggled up and such' as Nieva put it. It was incredibly embarrassing, not to mention awkward! My bed is my space, and to have him stay the night like that was... entirely unexpected. I wasn't as mad as I thought I'd be. It was kind of nice, in a strange way. It was warm, and he didn't push it. I felt bad about the claw punctures I put in his leg the next morning, but it was his fault, to a point! I can't help it if he triggers my claws! That's weird, though. Normally it is only anger or conscious concentration that causes it.

Oh, he also mentioned that he doesn't know how to read very well. I was floored. How can you not learn to read?! I suppose I've just been raised differently. I should teach him. Evie has been begging me for him to read to her, though she now understands that he really can't. She still wants him to. Poor girl. Poor Whitman too! She'll never let up until he learns, I'm afraid.

Gods, I want him to stop by again. His kisses feel really, really good.

~Kari

 

[Amyla Edana]

Gods... when did I abandon logic for pure feeling? Whitman came over yesterday, and we.... investigated our feelings.

All right, all right, so I slept with him. Or... we slept together. Either way, the result was the same, and I haven't felt sore like this in ages, not since I delivered Evie. It was hard to get up this morning. I sort of wish he would have stayed overnight again, but I think he might have felt a bit awkward about it. I suppose I should feel more awkward too, but it felt... natural, even though now I'm wondering why I'm so comfortable with this. I shouldn't be. Really, I shouldn't!

Afterward, we both got cleaned up and got rid of the evidence. Nieva and Evie got home a bit later with Hedwig, and Nieva knew right away what happened. She just gave me a 'we'll talk later' look, and after we all had some dinner and Evie pestered him for awhile, he left. I wanted him to stay. I should have told him that. The whole experience really got to me, and it took me a bit to process it.

It occurred to me later that we didn't use protection, but I don't think our races are compatible anyway. That won't be a worry. It did hurt, but it felt.... comforting and wonderful at the same time. I can't explain it. Nieva dragged me aside later to ask how it happened and why and all. She felt a better about it afterward. I think she'd have gone after Jonas if she thought he forced himself on me. Ha. As if he could. I'd blow him straight across the room if he tried.

Poor Evie. I feel terrible. She isn't quite sure how this all relates to her. She doesn't really know what happened, but she knows that the odds of her getting to 'keep' Whitman around are getting better. She really does adore him, though I don't know exactly how she thinks of him. She asked me the other night what a 'daddy' was and then asked where hers was. I explained that she didn't really have one, and she was quiet for awhile. She told me this morning that Whitman was 'hers'. Does that mean 'brother' or 'pet' or 'uncle' or what? I'm just confused, and I'm sure she is too. Gods, I need to sort this out!

~Kari

 

[Amyla Edana]

Evie has herself a new 'daddy', or 'papa' as she now calls him. Jonas is now permanently a part of the family, from an emotional standpoint now at least. The legalities can come later. I still can't believe I'm going to get married. It's almost like a dream, and I really don't want to wake up, if it is. It is so nice to go to bed knowing that he is right there with me. I really do need to teach him to read so he can update this journal too. Right now I feel like crawling back into bed with him and just cuddling. When did I get this needy?!

Oh, and I found out that we may actually be... compatible too, which means I'm going to have to be really careful. An unplanned pregnancy is not high on my wanted list right now. I'm too busy with work, and after carrying Evie, the idea of another one so soon makes me shiver. Don't get me wrong; Evie was worth every bit of it. But I think I need a break from pregnancy and infants.

Mum says it's schooltime blues that has me thinking negatively about the whole 'child' issue. Evie starts up school in a couple of days, and I'm nervous. She isn't, of course. Why would she be? She is a little bummed that Hedwig can't go with her, but Hedwig seems to be perfectly content to stay around the apartment, eat, and sleep. It's been weird, watching her and Evie together. They'll sit together with their heads close, almost like they're talking, and Evie will giggle. I really do wonder if they're communicating somehow. I did a bit more research, but I couldn't find much else about her kind, besides that they grow pretty quickly but mature slowly. I estimate she'll be at her full size when Evie is hitting preteen stage or so, but she won't be fully mature for a bit after that. I'm going to have to figure out where to put her, because a Clydesdale-sized hippogriff just can't fit in this apartment. No way.

~Kari

 

[Amyla Edana]

I feel like a walking good new-bad news joke. Mum says this is normal. Pregnancy hormones tend to screw with the brain. I'm pregnant again. Did I forget to mention it? One small lapse was all it took. I'm terrified and thrilled at the same time, which is an interesting contradiction. I think Jonas is happy, but he seems very nervous too. Gods, I didn't want this to happen like this. I want another child; I just did not expect it to happen this soon.

On another dramatic note, Evie has grown up and started school. She and Hedwig are wrestling around like crazy. She seems to be completely bored with school in many ways. She was grumpy about having to sit down all day and having to deal with individual letters instead of reading full words and little books like she is used to at home. On a high note, she has finally learned that drawing isn't all that bad. She brought me home a picture she drew of Hedwig, and it is hanging on the fridge now. Drawing is obviously not her specialty, but the picture is adorable nonetheless. I think I'll keep it up there for awhile.

She is working on some math too, which she is not all that fond of. She is sitting here next to me at the table, and I keep stopping to help her out. She is skilled enough at word problems, but the simple numbers give her a little more trouble. We're working on it.

I'm starting to get an ache down in my lower back. Gods, I hope the baby is not starting to grow that much yet.

~Kari

 

[Amyla Edana]

I think Evie is starting to forgive us for making her go to school. She is starting to settle down a bit. Don't get me wrong; she's still the most active child I've ever known, and considering how many kids I've seen in and out of the family, that's saying something. She is doing well in school. I had a conference with her teacher the other day, and she said that Evie is doing very well overall. She isn't getting along with many of her classmates, though. Most of her classmates went to preschool or daycare before, so they're amused with playing with each other. Evie has only interacted with her aunts and uncles that are her age, so she's a bit behind on socializing. I feel terrible for holding her back like that. I should've sent her to preschool.

Her little sibling is giving me fits, though. My back is killing me. I've been careful to keep my exercise levels up, and I've been eating right, and the little one likes it far too much. I'm putting on weight, and I've had to switch to my maternity clothes already. I'm not huge yet, but I'm getting there. I need to bug Jonas for a massage. Sleeping is a challenge. I can't sleep straight through the night with my back and belly feeling like this.

Gods, I just felt something move.

Kari