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Journal Key:

Green = Steve | George = navy | Janet = Purple | Evelyn = Black

3/30/06 (Thursday)

This afternoon, Cara and I went out for a stroll in our stroller. When we got home, we decided to play outside. I let Cara crawl around on the lawn, which was pretty cool. I think she was excited. She didn't really go far; sometimes she crawled toward me, sometimes she crawled toward the two balls I'd brought out, sometimes she just sort of crawled. She investigated things. She picked up some sticks and a nice big piece of bark, but she didn't get so attached that she got upset that I took them away when she tried to eat them. Eventually I opened the door and she crawled inside. She turned around and tried to crawl back out, but there's a bit of a step there, and she couldn't figure out how to get down. I watched her thinking about it for a little while, but then she gave up and left the doorway.

Cara played pretty independently for a while, letting me read the paper a little and fix dinner. While I was cooking, she hung around the kitchen. As usual, she got out some pots and pans. This time, she found some tiny tin pans that I don't remember how I got, and she enjoyed banging them inside other pots. She really liked one little pan in particular, and she managed to take it all the way upstairs and drop it into her bath several times this evening, hours after she started playing with it.

While I was cooking, Uncle Jim called. I was talking to him and sitting on the floor with Cara, who had been very loud throughout our conversation. She sat with me and leaned her face into my belly, something she's been doing lately. Suddenly, I yelped! She bit me, hard, twice, on my poor stomach. Now, four hours later, it's still bright red.

We all went to the gym this evening, because it worked out so well on Tuesday. Miss Jessica and Miss Rachael made Cara a birthday card! They colored it and everything, which is really sweet and touching. I know that there are a lot of kids who go through that place, and it's so great to know that they care about Cara and talk about her even when she's not there.

After the gym we went to the supermarket to pick up bananas and eggs, both of which the baby had finished and needed badly for tomorrow. Cara got to ride in a cart, but we had brought no toys. Steve gave Cara his keys. She loved them. When we got back into the car, I had to take them from her. I got them away while buckling her in, but she screamed as if her heart were broken. She yelled, off and on, all the way home. She was okay after I distracted her in the house, and she had a nice bath. After she was removed from her bath she was unhappy. While I tried to dry her, she grabbed my glasses. She has always loved playing with them, and this is the first time I've really seen her bend them out of shape. When I took them from her, she resumed her brokenhearted wailing. I attribute this in part to exhaustion, since she was up for quite a while last night, as were her parents. I just hope tonight is easier.

3/31/06 (Friday)

Cara slept nicely through the night, but woke up early, and I was changing her when George arrived in the morning. He was there just in time to give her a bottle at 7:30, one hour before usual!

Today as usual on a Friday, George took Cara to Middletown and she enjoyed a romp in the park, apparently crawling around on the ground and enjoying herself. She also had some egg and toast, and a banana earlier in the day (which she smeared enthusiastically into her hair). However, unlike usual, Cara's parents eventually followed her down to Middletown, and she was looking out the glass screen door to meet us when we arrived. It was a very happy meeting for us all--Evie and I went down to celebrate her birthday (not Cara's--not yet!). We sat around swapping stories about Cara. She wandered about the house and managed to give her jaw a few good hits by falling down and smacking her head against the coffee table. But she shook it off with great fortitude. George decided that she is going to be a tennis player, partly because of this seeming strength--a tennis player or a pool player. I prefer tennis because I don't think we have room in our house for a pool table.

While we were there, Evie was able to show off Cara's big trick, proving her knowledge of the one phrase we are positive she understands. She sat down with baby in her lap and started reading her a Curious George book, then said to Cara, "Turn the page." Cara promptly turned the page. Ha!

We had takeout Mexican food for dinner, and Cara had a little bit of a corn chip and then some of the birthday cake (which she crumbled everywhere, naturally). She got to listen to us all sing birthday songs--now she knows what to expect next week. Cara's Great-grandma Emily was there and got to see Cara take a bath (which by this time she sorely needed!), and then we decided to forego the usual Date Night sleepover and take baby home. It would have felt like a betrayal to leave her, especially after she was so happy to see us arrive!

Baby was clearly very tired and fell asleep not long after we started our drive home. When we got home, I carefully extracted her from the car and took her blearily up to her room and struggled her into her sack and gave her her drops, and then put her on the floor of her bedroom, where she was so pitifully tired and disoriented that she simply laid her head down on the carpet and listlessly tried to look at the book I was showing her. Then her Mommy came and gave her her bottle, and now she is asleep.

4/1/06 (Saturday)

Cara said her first word today! As we've all been predicting, the first word that Cara has been able to produce that is actually linked clearly to the same thing to which other people link it is "kitty." She's said it at least five times now, because we're so excited that I at least have been tricking poor Shelby into coming near the baby in order to prompt her. I've heard that people record the first word that the baby says besides "Mama" and "Dada," but we have no such concerns; Cara hasn't gotten those words figured out yet, anyway.

Today was perhaps the most beautiful day yet this year. In the morning, I walked Cara out and down Lloyd Street to look for deer. We didn't find any, but we did get to see that nice deer statue. Cara had just had her breakfast and was holding a piece of toast in her hand. Amazingly, she carried it all the way there and all the way back. Amazingly, I carried her all the way there and all the way back.

We've mentioned Cara's propensity to hold out to people whatever object she happens to have in her hands. Thanks to this, I got to share her toast twice this morning. She didn't seem to object.

We spent much of the morning outside, doing some yard work. Cara sat in her stroller to watch for some of it, but she also got time to crawl around and explore. She seemed to decide fairly quickly that parts of dead leaves are really not something she wants to eat.

We tried putting Cara down for a nap, but she would have none of it. She wore us down, and we got her up. Next we decided to give her some applesauce. I wanted to let her work with her dipper, but she wound up just getting her hands into the bowl and smushing them around. She rubbed them all over her face and head, getting applesauce in her hair and even on her eyelashes as well as up to her elbows.

Grandma Janet and Aunt Claire came up, and Steve and Claire and I got to go out to lunch. When we got back, the house was very quiet. We heard nothing, and I realized that a miracle had occurred: my mother got the baby to go to sleep! Actually, I assumed that they were both asleep in the glider; the truth was that Cara was asleep on my mom. She fell asleep while reading a book over and over and over. We transferred her to the crib and went out.

Later, Aunt Claire and Cara and I went shopping. I needed clothes, and the other two girls got to hang around while I tried things on. This evening, Cara has had plenty to eat, fairly neatly, except for some banana in her ear. She has played with her corn popper, and Aunt Claire read her a book. We've all had a long day and a good day.

4/2/06 (Sunday)

Today Cara went to see her South Jersey grandparents and had a great time. She ate some waffle (among various other things, including graham crackers) and got some early birthday presents. One was a present which I wanted Cara to have and which I like very much: a big dinosaur thing that is full of chutes through which little balls can run. The balls are a whole separate line of toys called "Roll-Arounds," I think, and they are cool in and of themselves, but the dinosaur is a big playset for them. Cara enjoyed playing with it; she has already learned the trick of how the lights and sounds are activated (there's a little trigger at the entrance to the chutes), and will put the ball in just far enough to make the sounds start and then pull the ball out.

Cara's other toy that she got was a toy that Evie wanted her to have: a nice red wagon which she can sit in and be pulled around in. This is slightly more advanced than our laundry baskets. Cara was pulled around in the nice sunshine today (I have pictures to prove it), and enjoyed it immensely, especially when Rusty the dog ran by her. Cara also got to go to a local park and play on their varied and nice playground equipment. She discovered dirt, and didn't particularly like it. The playground area is sort of "paved," as many playgrounds are, with a kind of dry mulch (I know nothing about landscaping but that's how I'm going to describe it), and Cara would sit and sift this stuff through her hands with a kind of distaste. She did try to eat it maybe once, but we stopped her so that all she got was a dirty face (and dirty hands, and a dirty outfit, and dirty shoes and socks...). She didn't do much crawling on the ground, as she's not quite used to the new surface. But she did like the playground and she loved (as usual) watching all the other kids--no really good kid interactions though.

Cara's babbling has reached a whole new level. There are various word-sounding things that she says, and certain inflections of syllables which she repeats. She seems to have developed her own short vocabulary, though what any of the words mean perhaps not even she knows. She seemed to have "kitty" locked in yesterday, but today we heard words that sort of sounded like kitty but weren't quite it, and more often than not seemed to be slipping back towards "da-da." I think this is her kind of all-purpose way of identifying objects: "Da-da!"

Also today Cara was holding out things to people. Her Grandpa Jim had some toy or other held out to him, and he took it, which didn't bother Cara. Then he gave it back to her. The process was repeated. Cara and Evie also did this back-and-forth exchange several times this evening. I'm not sure if Cara really originally wanted to give away her things, but this is good groundwork for the introduction of "sharing." Cara also took some steps today, but nothing you could really call walking.

On this day last year, we decided, we were having the baby shower for Evie. Less than a week before Cara's birthday! For those of you who may have been curious, I am going to make a separate page on the web site with just pictures from her birthday party.

Today we "sprung" forwards with the clocks. I'm hoping against hope that this will not screw up Cara's sleep pattern. Evie just had a long bottle battle with her. But it sounds as if she may be down--for now.

4/3/06 (Monday)

This was a hectic afternoon and evening! We got the carpets cleaned today (my birthday gift from my parents), and they really are dramatically improved. Amazingly, they were done when I got home from school around 4:20. Cara was in her high chair eating a banana. She was, as usual, quite happy to see me and wanted to be picked up. Her hands were covered in banana, so I don't think I can be blamed for hesitating a little! I wiped her off and lifted her out. I didn't really want Cara on the carpets, so we went out for the rest of the afternoon.

First we went to rent a movie for me to show in school tomorrow. Near the video place was a new shop I'd noticed before that seemed to have something to do with chocolate fondue. I had time to kill, so I thought we'd check it out. It turned out to be a candy store run by a friendly Indian woman, who offered us samples. I tried a bite of a truffle and offered a little to Cara. She did not want me to put it in her mouth; she wanted to put it in herself. After a couple of samples, my shirt was in extreme danger from Cara's dark brown hand. She was very happy. I was very happy when the woman gave us a damp napkin to clean up with. I bought Steve a slice of chocolate-covered pineapple and myself a small box of assorted chocolates, and the woman gave Cara a big chocolate-covered pretzel stick of her very own!

After we rented a couple of movies, we drove down to the bank to deposit a few checks, including the tax refund check we got, thanks to our little deduction. I had to put Cara down in the foyer of the bank while I used the ATM, and of course she made a beeline for the potted plant. She got potting soil all over her shirt, her hands, her face, and the floor. It seems that it was a freshly potted plant. She had quite a good time. Strangely, when she tried eating dead leaves last week, she didn't really like them. I'm not saying that she necessarily enjoyed eating potting soil, but she certainly made no objections and in fact seemed to think that whatever she was doing was funny. Gevalt! I dug it out of her mouth, brushed off her shirt, and wiped her hands off as best I could. It was raining out, so I used some rain water.

Steve was there when we got home, and the three of us went out for dinner. We went to our old Indian place, which I was a bit apprehensive about. It tends to be kind of quiet, and I wasn't sure Cara could handle it. However, she continued to be, as she had all day, very friendly and continually interested in people. She kept twisting around to watch everyone, and lots of people were friendly and played with her. She talked to people and waved at them. We also sat near a big fish tank, which she enjoyed. When I stood up with her to look, she talked to the fish and reached out to touch them. During dinner Cara kept looking over to her left, past me and the fish, and talking and smiling. I looked around and found a little old man there, waving and playing with her! Cara tried new foods. We fed her a tomato soup with Indian spices from a grown-up spoon, and she slurped it up neatly and with gusto. She had great fun eating (and crumbing and dropping) bits of papadum, and I fed her some potato with a fork. Cara had a wonderful time, made lots of friends, and was an excellent baby. I'm proud of her.

4/4/06 (Tuesday)

Cara's Mommy had her birthday today! I got dinner and brought it home, and Cara (who had been good in the afternoon) sat pretty nicely in her high chair while we ate. She had half a banana but dropped the second half on the ground where, after having taken a look at it, I decided it had had its day. She emptied her snack trap cup into her lap, and I spent several minutes picking out all the puffs. I gave her one or two french fries, which she liked, and then I gave her the chocolate-covered pretzel stick she got at the fondue place yesterday. This she gnawed and munched on for some time. The chocolate quickly became smeared around her mouth, and at some point she snapped it into two big pieces. Before the stick was eaten, it became clear that Cara wanted to come out of the chair. Evie and I helped by eating the pretzel, and then Cara was cleaned.

After this Cara was a tad crabby, so we took her out on the town: a trip to the library, where Cara was well-behaved and did some crawling and exploring, and then a trip to Sears where she got to ride in a shopping cart and smiled at the checkout lady. By the time we left there it was getting late and when we returned there was a long, drawn-out undressing and dressing process which eventually culminated in baby's bottle.

Cara is really babbling like anything. We try to make her say "kitty," but she wants to say "da-dotty," or something like that. But anyway she understands about words and is trying to make them. One thing she does a lot lately is purse her lips and make an "ooohhhh" sound. This may have significance to her. Cara also took more steps today, though I don't think she'll be running around at her party.

4/5/06 (Wednesday)

Of all the things I did yesterday, there is one of which I am the most proud. Cara has a "touch and feel" book of animal pictures. In fact, it was the first book she ever really looked at, but she's never really touched the textured parts very much. The pictures are bright and colorful, so we look at it sometimes anyway. Yesterday, I was very proud because I did not laugh out loud at Cara as she enthusiastically touched the red fluff of the "downy macaw" through the hole in the cover of the book with her mouth. This was a great exercise in self-control for me and in dexterity for her.

My dad had a long day today; I didn't get home from the doctor until almost 5:30! Cara and I played for a while and made dinner. Cara's appetite is not always as gargantuan as it has been in the past. This is something about which I have been warned by the literature I have read, so I'm not surprised or concerned when she sometimes doesn't eat much. I hope I'm right! After we ate, it was off to PJ's!

PJ and Cara really fought tonight. He was tired and pretty cranky, and he pushed her down, shoved her, and poked her. It was a little bit rough, but it wasn't really a problem. Cara stuck her finger in his mouth. Really, whichever baby is at home seems to be upset whenever the other touches his or her toys. We were worried that Cara might push PJ while he was standing on the seat of his little ride-on toy, but she didn't and he dismounted safely. They wound up pushing his walker together a few times, although once PJ tried to climb up and take it from Cara but unfortunately got his arm between her legs as he was reaching out for balance. That wasn't pretty.

PJ's kitty is declawed and is more tolerant than our cats. He hardly runs away at all! He knows that if he gets on top of the armchair he will be safe, so he doesn't mind if babies try to get him. In fact, he seemed to be playing with Cara!

In the end, everyone got a cookie (a very good cookie) or two and had a good time. The scariest moment for me was when I was slower than the others in eating my second cookie, and the babies mobbed me! They had already had pieces of other people's cookies, though, so I don't feel at all guilty about having finished mine in front of them. In a way, it was really self-defense.

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