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Journal Key:

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

1/4/07 (Thursday)

Cara made a book at Susan's today. It's very small, and she conscientiously scribbled a little bit on each of the six pages. It's about feelings, and on the last page the child fills in how he or she feels today and draws a self-portrait. Cara felt "good" today, and looked like a smiley face. Susan says that Cara said "No," when she asked whether she was happy, but circumstances clearly made her a liar. Cara was playing happily outside when I arrived, but she got up and evinced terrible distress about being made to wear her coat. When I didn't take it off her, she ran to beg Susan!

On the way to the car, Cara started talking about the "kitty house," but I asked her whether it was okay for us to go to the store before we went home. "Yah!" she said, so we went to BJ's for diapers and whatever else we happened to find. What would I have done if she had said no? I would have gone anyway.

We had a snack and a snuggle and made dinner and ate dinner and cleaned up and went to bed. Well, there were some interesting parts. We had salmon. Cara had some ham her grandmom had left here, but Steve tried to give her some fish. First, she just gave it back to him without trying it. We recited some Green Eggs and Ham, but to no avail. The second time he put some on her plate, she picked it up and put it in her mouth. Yuck! She gave it back. Also, we've had our Blue's Clues dvd on, and Cara has learned that the man's name is Steve. (We have learned that Steve is no longer the man, but left the show some years ago. How embarrassing!) Now, when I talk to my husband, Cara thinks her show is coming on. Cara found one of the old baby headbands she never wore as a baby. I put it on her head, holding her hair back, and showed her how pretty she was. Throughout the evening, she went back to it.

I changed Cara's sheets, so all of her toys came out of her crib. I asked her to put back her little floppy pink bear, and she did. Moments later, she was pulling at his arms with Herculean effort, trying to get him back out. Her daddy helpfully maneuvered him through the bars. That bear was her new favorite. She put her headband on the bear. She tried to brush the bear's teeth. (With toothpaste!) After their reading, Cara and Daddy came out of Cara's room. He bent down on the hallway and let her pick up her bear. She had to have it with her. Tomorrow, it will probably be forgotten once more. From the top of the stairs, Daddy had Cara say goodnight to me. I blew her a kiss, and she blew me one back.

1/5/07 (Friday)

On this drizzly Friday afternoon we did something we have had in mind for quite a while: we took Cara to the Middletown Library. They have an excellent children's room and we let Cara explore at her own pace, climbing onto all the different chairs and experimenting with the stuff on the play tables. There were other children to say hi to. She also said hi to all the fishies painted on the walls, which led us to meet a friendly librarian. This nice lady showed us a dress-up area where Cara tried on a fireman's hat and wore it for the rest of her visit. Eventually we found a Blues Clues lift-the-flap book which was so good we brought it home with us and read it this morning while grandpapa cooked breakfast.

Alas, the library closes at 5 on Fridays; we could have stayed longer very happily. However, with Cara, (as my students say) it's all good. At home we did things we do customarily, only Cara has become much, much more verbal. When she got hungry she asked for a banana; offered an apple instead she agreed, "ap-pul, ap-pul." We watched her favorite "animals of the world" video, and she named most of the animals as they appeared. Choosing a book, she found Berenstains Bears and announced, "bears, bears." When that was done, she chose 101 Dalmations, saying "doggy." When we read our favorite bedtime book, she sang along with Old MacDonald - well, actually, she comes in a little behind with her "Ay-o" and "moo." And while we played with the zoo toy, on hearing the yak sound, she responded, "moo."

In the bathroom she found "Micky Mou-ou-ouse!" and his buddy "Dodald," and during the bath she made sure to wash them both. She also washed her own tummy and swiped the cloth around her mouth. Oh, and I think she's been listening to the alphabet song, because for a while she was chanting "s-o-p" over and over.

We spent a lot of time coloring together. In fact, the first word out of her mouth when she came in was "paper," which she could see on the table. That low table and the little chair are just the right size for her now. We colored together and she identified things I drew for her - cat, cow, dog. Then she began making requests: sheep, Pooh. My Pooh isn't quite like the one in the books, but Cara was delighted even so.

She might have gone on drawing all morning, so I asked if she wanted to go see Mommy and Daddy, and she happily scampered out to the garage.

1/6/07 (Saturday)

Cara arrived happily at around 9 or so. It wasn't long before her other grandparents were there as well, and she had a happy meeting with them outside. Not long after, Mommy quietly left for her special Lady Day (which she somewhat ironically spent with her own Mommy). Cara was down in the basement for a while messing around with all the dangerous tools and having a blast. Then her Grandma set her up with a nice lunch and Daddy went off to get the grown-up lunch. When he came back, it was time for Cara's nap. I then went off with my Dad on an extended shopping expedition to two Home Depots, and we didn't get back until around 3. Cara was overjoyed to see us, but we had to leave again almost immediately to return a rented truck. Then we came back the second time and Grandpa got a chance to do a little bonding. He read the nice Richard Scarry story collection that we got for Christmas while Cara turned the pages and identified various animals.

All too soon it was time for the grandparents to go. Cara and I spent a short amount of time outside with her stroller (it was just so nice out today, frighteningly so), but the sun was setting so we went back inside. We played some monkeys (she really loves to watch that video game), and did some light reading, and then I decided we should go out to Walmart to pick up some prints I'd ordered (mostly pictures of the little girl herself). Cara had no interest in being put into a shopping cart, so I had to carry her through the whole store. She immediately directed me to the rides near the entrance, and had to sit in a sort of steam shovel and a car with Mickey Mouse before we could continue on our errand.

Back at home, I put on the Blue's Clues DVD again and heated up some dinner for us. Cara had not had a huge lunch, but she ate a pretty good dinner. She had requested a pair of fig newtons before our outing, and had many fishie crackers before dinner. Then she had some nice cheesy broccoli and ham and most of a container of yogurt. Then it was time to watch the big finale of Blue's Clues and get in the tub. We had to read a Babar story before we could get to the teeth brushing stage (I believe she actually said "Babar"), and while Cara was brushing her Mommy came home! Yay! Then Mommy read her another Babar story, and now she is in bed.

One nice addition to the Cara lexicon: she went out with her Mommy early in the day to meet Julianna, whom she had not seen for a while. Later, she referred to Julianna as "Nanna." This was confirmed by Cara's Grandma, who heard her use the word again in the afternoon.

1/7/07 (Sunday)

Cara is 21 months old today!

Steve has pointed out a relatively new language development. If I step away, Cara can say "Where Mommy go?" This, of course, is a three-word sentence. The average two-year-old makes two-word sentences. I'm pleased. I'm also very, very happy that she now says yes or "yah!" consistently. It makes life a lot easier!

We've mentioned before how much she likes to play chase around the papasan downstairs. Either the chaser or the chasee pushes Curious George in his little stroller, and we run around and around. In the past couple of days, Cara has moved things to a new level. She insists that her parent (she's done this with both of us) must push George. Then she sits down in her little armchair and wants to watch whichever of us she's caught run around and around, pushing George, while she laughs at us. I guess she's discovered that she can get all the fun of playing chase without all the effort. I'm not sure how we're going to get ourselves out of this.

Because we're irresponsible people who are willing to let our household chores slide a little, we went to the zoo today! Poor Cara stayed awake in the car until we were about half an hour from the place, so she was sound asleep when we had to take her out of the car. It was hard for her to wake up, but by the time we got into the zoo and into the first building, she was ready to go. We put her down, and off she went! She marched purposefully along and finally stopped in front of the only empty exhibit in the place. Actually, things went really well. We didn't bring the stroller; it was just me and Steve and Cara and a backpack that mainly contained sweaters. Cara was happy to be carried by either of us and to walk sometimes.

We got through a lot before lunch. We saw the endangered species exhibit, where Cara got her picture taken as a monkey; the reptile house, where Cara found the crocodiles somewhat disturbing; and the big cat exhibit, where the lions were sleeping right on the other side of the glass from us! We had to eat outside, because, while the zoo wasn't crowded, those who were there were mainly eating lunch. Cara ate her whole hot dog and lots of fries, dipped in ketchup, without incident. She got to chase peacocks. She got her diaper changed and gave Mommy a kiss, possibly in thanks for a great rendition of "Old McDonald" in the ladies' room.

After that was all over, we went to the treehouse. For the first minute or so, Cara clung to her daddy. It was a big place with lots of kids running all over and lots of strange big things. Very soon, she wanted down. There were things to do. For the first time, I think, she tried to climb the honeycomb. She crawled through several little tunnels in them. There is a giant hollow log, and Cara took off, crawling down it. She seemed to believe it was a slide, because she scooted down the last six or seven feet on her tushie, saying "whee!" She did that one several times. Finally we got over towards the actual tree. We did some great running around amongst the roots, and then Cara discovered the beaver dam slide. The first couple of times she climbed up the ladder, I kept my hand underneath her seat and gave her a boost. After that, she didn't need me. She must have done that twenty times! Eventually we got her to go on the other slide, but it was much harder for her to find her way to stairs to go back up, and Steve and I had to split up so that there was someone at the top and someone at the bottom. Cara also visited the giant caterpillar, who has been her favorite since her first visit. She got to ride on him. We stayed in the treehouse for a long time and did almost everything there was to do. Cara has not yet, though, decided that the duckbilled dinosaur is okay to play with. In a couple of years, she'll be sliding down his tail.

Cara was tired after the treehouse, but we saw lots more animals and she still said "hi" to them. We did some running and chasing and had a snack near the bears. Somehow, Cara knew I had goldfish crackers in the backpack. (This may have been a coincidence, I admit.) We saw three cheetahs looking alert, powerful, and kind of scary. We saw two bald eagles fly across their enclosure. We petted one fiberglass cow in the children's zoo. That's also where we saw some bunnies living in a town. It wasn't exactly how I picture a town built by bunnies. We couldn't pass up opportunities to take Cara's picture while she stuck her head through things. The best one was when she walked out from behind the cheese, came to the front, and experimentally stuck her head through the hole the other way.

We got home around four and Cara was tired and upset about having to wake up and get out of the car. We had a mainly quiet evening at home, except for a quick trip out to get groceries. We were all tired. I'm ready to go to sleep now, but Cara is still babbling in her crib, as usual. Here's an extra story from Steve:

When I put Cara down in her crib tonight, I asked her to roll on her side so that I could put the blanket over her. She didn't exactly comply, but I put it on her anyway. "Thank you, Daddy," she said, and then flopped over and started pretending to sleep, making snoring noises.

1/8/07 (Monday)

Our morning began with conversation.

Q: Did you see lions yesterday at the zoo?

A: No.

Q: Did you see a bear at the zoo?

A: Yes, a bear.

Q: Did you see a ... penguin?

A: Yes, a guin.

It's a warm rainy January day. We read books, play around and then it's time to go to the mall. I decide to be brave just like mommy and daddy at the zoo yesterday and don't take the stroller. We have to exchange slippers at Sears which is at the far end of the mall from Fortunoff. Cara plays joyfully in the playground area and then it's time to head for Sears. I start out holding her tiny right hand but soon she almost trips me and I end up carrying her to Sears, through the entire transaction, and then back through the mall, back to the car. Wheew!

We're back home at noon, which is very late. She eats a banana and then almost begs for her crib. I take her upstairs and she's one exhausted little pumpkin when I slip her under her blanket.

Cara told me yesterday that she did not see a lion, but she is definitely lying. She did see a bear, but she did not see a penguin. She had a strange day today, staying awake in her crib for about two hours before going to sleep this afternoon. She woke up a little bit before five and had a nice conversation with the sheep in her crib.

We did a lot of coloring and Weebling and chasing, and Curious George and Cara shared a drink of water. Cara ate a good dinner, played some more, and went to bed. While we were running water for her bath, Cara was all the way downstairs. Steve went to find out what trouble she was getting into and discovered her sitting nicely and reading The Color Kittens.

1/9/07 (Tuesday)

When I went to pick up Cara today, there were some other little girls leaving (they're new). PJ was playing nearby, and Susan was helping with the shoes. She reported that Cara was very happy in the living room with Casey, having a wonderful time. I made my way back, and Cara was happy to see me after all. She sat in my lap and began talking; she ran on and on, babbling on the theme of shoes. Susan has the kids take theirs off when they come in and leave them in the kitchen. Cara was anxious to know where hers were. We went in search of them. We found them. I sat down on the floor. Cara sat in my lap. I got ready to put her shoes on, and she was suddenly up and running! She decided to go to the table and have a drink and see whether anyone would give her s snack. PJ was willing to sit in my lap, so I did consider bringing him home instead. Mentioning the kitties did not entice Cara, nor did mentioning the Weebles. I finally got her with the words "goldfish crackers." Susan says Cara had a good lunch and a big snack; I sometimes get the feeling she's bottomless.

I spent some time at home (after we found some goldfish, of course) putting photos into an album, and Cara helped. She likes pointing people out, and I think I sort of got her to say her own name. It's coming out more like "Tara" than it ought, but it's a start. Cara helped me a lot, fairly unsuccessfully.

Steve got home around six, and soon after that we got a call from Em; we were conscripted as emergency baby-sitters while she and Ron cleaned up a major mess. Casey was wonderful in the saucer for a while. She got enthusiastic hellos from Cara when she came in. PJ and Cara are playing very much in tandem. She didn't take things away from him this time, the way she did right after the holidays. They did tend to gravitate toward the same things, though. Each of them had a turn playing with the big pink ball. They both played with the ball popper and the spiral ramp. PJ sat down to color, so Cara sat across from him. They really shared nicely.

Cara had her sippy cup of juice, so I got one and put milk in it for PJ. I brought it down and asked him whether he wanted it, and Cara responded that she certainly did! Eventually I washed out another cup and put milk in it for him. I really don't think that she drinks milk, unless it will inconvenience someone else. I guess we could try it once in a while. PJ, on the other hand, was very generous. When he got up from the art table he brought Cara a drink, and later he gave her crackers from a snack trap he found.

We put on Blue's Clues and set the kids up in their chairs in front of the TV, because we know that PJ can be difficult about eating. I don't think that either of them ate very much, but they weren't unhappy. Around seven thirty their parents came to retrieve the refugees, which was good because Casey was hungry. We rested and recuperated for a little while. Poor Cara managed to somehow trip herself up while crawling and bang her chin pretty hard on the floor. She ought to have a nice bruise to go with the scrape that's healing up!

When she gets out of the bath Cara is very desperate and shivery. She remains unhappy while I dry her off, diaper her, and take her over to the glider to sit for a moment while I grab her sleeper. While I get it out, she grabs Babar and starts looking through it, happy as a clam. I think it's currently her favorite book.

1/10/07 (Wednesday)

An unusual day. Steve goes to wake Cara up at 7:35. When they come downstairs she's upset and cries until Steve reads One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish to her. Then he has to leave. Cara doesn't touch any of her toast or eggs and barely has a sip of orange juice before she's crying again. The Little Einsteins cheers her a bit but then Mickey Mouse (the episode where Donald trades in BooBoo Chicken for some magic beans) is far too upsetting as Cara goes to run and hide when the giant comes onscreen. I attempt to soothe her but it's no good.

We read for a while and play some but then at about ten Cara makes unmistakable napping gestures and at 10:15, extremely early, the tired little girl is up in her crib.

Before 2 PM she's up and she's cranky. I try to give her some food but she just drinks a little orange juice. She's barely eaten anything today.

We go to the A&P and have an interesting contretemps. It's cold out (for the first time) and Cara is uncomfortable as I put her into the shopping cart, only she won't sit down! She insists that she wants me to carry her through the supermarket, after all, I carry her every other place. I put her into the body of the cart and she doesn't like that either. Finally, I manage to get her seated and we make our selections. She quiets down and starts to feel better as we're leaving.

At home we watch Blue's Clues, which is very charming; afterwards, Cara has a container of yogurt, her first real food of the day.

I had to work late and got home around a quarter to six. Cara threw herself into my arms and didn't want to come out; sometimes you just need your mommy. I found out that she had had two impressive diapers today in addition to the one she had last night, and when I took her temperature she was feverish. She hadn't really been eating, either, so she's definitely got something.

We basically snuggled on the couch with the Muppets for a long time. It's awful, but I really enjoy snuggling with her when she's sick. I lie on my back, and she lies on her tummy on me, with her head on my shoulder. She never stays still very long, when she's feeling okay. Steve got home around seven, we gave Cara some Advil, and Steve and I took turns eating dinner. Cara started to perk up and wanted water and fishies, both of which we could supply. She has now been walking around with her goldfish for over an hour. She had a quick bath, and she's in her pajamas. It's too bad that now, when she's really feeling better, she really should be going to bed.

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