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Journal Key:

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

2/8/07 (Thursday)

Cara had a really wonderful day at Susan's. Susan says she was in the best mood ever, calling "Susan, where are you?" (Yes, folks, she added the word "where"!) However, as I arrived, there was a toddler-incident of some sort, possibly involving a crash and possibly a coincidence, which left both Cara and PJ wailing. The volume went down in a few minutes, and we bundled up, took Cara's beautiful seascape, and left. Getting into the car, Cara asked, "See Daddy?" I explained that Daddy was at work, not at home. It was no good. On Tuesday, Daddy was home. Yesterday, Cara was sure Daddy would be home. Today, she talked about it for much of the ride home and then, when we got into the house, went upstairs calling, "Daddy, ahhh you?"

We finally got to go to PJ's house! When Cara opened the coat closet she noticed her little stroller, so George came, too. In the kitchen there are some tall stools. PJ climbs right up them and onto the counter, but Cara has never tried. To my surprise, I turned around to see her standing on top of the stool behind me! Later, of course, Cara tried to repeat this and failed several times. Downstairs, we played peek-a-boo with PJ in his tent. Cara thoughtfully brought him a sock he had lost. Cara's most ecstatic moment, though, was when Daddy got there.

At dinner, Cara had a good view of the whole table. She was very attentive to what everyone was doing, of course. "No, Casey! No, PJ!" She was very thorough. We try and try to talk her down, but she is just awfully strict. Em says that when the kids are teenagers, she won't have any concerns about letting them go anywhere together, but she figures that we might. PJ will be coming up with crazy ideas, and Cara will be compiling a list of things they shouldn't do.

2/9/07 (Friday)

Speaking of crazy ideas, at about ten fifteen, Cara went to the front closet and said "Coats! Coats!" It's 28 degrees outside and the breeze is blowing. Without any excuse other than "Cara, it's very cold outside," which she ignored, I put on her coat, her hat with three pompoms and her winter mittens. We were almost out the door when Cara went back inside to get George (completely naked) so she could push him around on the stroller.

We went up a few houses, mostly on the sidewalk, when Cara recognized that it was too cold for George. We left George outside, in front of the house, and then piled into the warm car for a trip to Johnson Park. "Let's go!" said Cara.

Cara was happy on the trip, playing with the pompoms on her hat. When we arrived at the park, we visited our friends the goats who seemed happy to see us (or anyone for that matter). The bunnies however were unimpressed with our arrival. Then I took Cara toward the pond and the Raritan, both beautifully frozen. At this point, the wind began to howl and Cara felt the cold so she had me pick her up and carry her toward the car. But when we got to the car, Cara didn't want to get in, saying "slide, slide." I said "But Cara, it's cold!" and she took no notice. On the walk over, a small patch of ice barred her way and I told her to walk around it, 'You might slip and fall." So of course, she walked directly across.

At the slide, Cara tried to climb one of the difficult ladders, made more difficult by her cumbersome coat, mittens and hat. I encouraged her to go to the far end of the slide where climbing isn't difficult. She followed my advice for the first time all day and proceeded to climb up to the top of the slide and then come down "Wheee!" and then do it again six more times. Her diaper, I'm sure, insulated her little bottom from the frozen metal of the slide.

Then we were back in the car. She wouldn't let me take off her mittens and she played with her hat. Back at home we retrieved the still-naked George and the stroller. No cats escaped to the frozen wild on our entry. Cara had a container of yogurt and after eleven thirty she naps, before her big trip south for the Friday sleepover.

We followed our new routine and met at the library. At this stage in her life Cara seems to like routine; more about that later. Each week George and I swap cars so he can relax at home for a little while and I can drive Cara home in his car when the library closes at 5. Occasionally she asks where he is and tries to look for him, but most of the time she is thoroughly engaged.

We visited the program room, where the cut and paste of the week was a "no-man." By now Cara is familiar with the process; I wield the scissors and she the glue stick. When we are done we proudly carry our scraps to the wastebasket and then we high-five and she gets to try on hats from the dress-up bin. We also read a smattering of books, and this time I took advantage of the computers there; she laughed at the Teletubbies peek-a-boo game.

At home she consumed a whole can of mandarin orange slices and quite a few blackberries, and we played with her zoo for a while. George thought it would be fun to go out to the MHoP for supper. Here's where we learned the value of routine. Cara definitely did not want to be put back into the car! I think it created anxiety for her - perhaps her visit was to be cut short. She enjoyed her grilled cheese sandwich well enough, and loved drinking through a straw, but was too restless to stay for dessert this time. Next week we'll stick with supper at home.

I have left out a moment that will warm the hearts of those who hope to potty train this child. Before we left for dinner, Cara told us she needed a "new diaper." We proceeded to change her diaper, which was wet but clean. A few minutes later, she pooped! If we had put her on a potty seat (if we had one) when she asked for the new diaper, she would have pooped on the potty!

The Blues Clues DVD of the week featured rhythm, and Cara participated by clapping, although she didÊnot duplicate the pattern. We had some wagon rides and then it was bathtime. Cara remembered that her toothbrush is in the medicine cabinet, and reached for it so she could brush her teeth while the water ran. Then I removed her slippers and socks, counting, and we did "this little piggie" with each foot. Once again she helped remove her own diaper, and then, completely nude, she made a break for freedom. I redirected her attention to the full-length mirror; she was delighted with herself and began to dance around on the rug!

Bedtime, once again, was remarkably easy. Dressed and brushed, she settled down for her bedtime book. Before we quite finished, she began talking about the toys in her bed. We fetched Mickey, Minnie and Donald and I kissed each one good night. Then I kissed Cara goodnight, placed her in the bed, and left her happily talking to her doggie in the dark.

2/10/07 (Saturday)

Cara was up early this morning, by about 6:30, and a little unhappy. I think her cold is making her uncomfortable. She cheered up, but remained sleepy and cuddly the whole time she was here. We released the Schmutz from the basement and Cara immediately said, "Shelby. Need food." So, together, we fed him. She also wanted the fish to be fed, and eventually, cold notwithstanding, inhaled her omelet and even ate a little toast. We looked out the window for a while, but did not spot the Schmutz, and read a lot of Winnie the Pooh together until it was time to go home. And, for once, she cheerfully waved good-bye to me before she left, instead of getting upset.

It was wonderful to see our little girl at home again this morning; she was charming even with a runny nose. She's been sneezing a little bit, but really the nose is her main cold symptom. Cara was happy to get back to playing downstairs, but I brought her upstairs with me to get us ready to go. She demonstrated several times how good she is at getting onto the bed, and she even got to pet Buster Keaton! Buster had been on the bed for quite a while, preventing me from making it. Eventually, for reasons of her own and not because of any toddler interference, she left. Cara got to help me make the bed! She stood across from me and I showed her where to grasp the sheet. I showed her what I was doing on my side. "Puu-u-u-u-lllllll!!!!" Cara certainly did not lack effort or enthusiasm.

Today, Steve went into Philadelphia with his brother and father to see the Auto Show and Cara and I went to Grandma's house! Cara had a good nap in the car, so she was a little bit woozy when we arrived. Excited to be there, she practically climbed out of the car herself and walked into the house. Rusty is very excited, too, when we first arrive, and he did scare her a little. Soon, though, she was happily playing with her toys. We both love the matchbox car set.

We spent a relaxing afternoon playing with Legos, cars, and little people. Rusty got a couple of treats from Cara's lunch. Cara tried to throw his ball for him, but he didn't notice. For Valentine's Day, Cara got two presents. One is a cute little Clifford doll who has magnets in his feet. He'll go well with one of her favorite books. The other is a little Doodle Pro, a plastic screen for drawing on magnetically. I'm very excited about this one, because I've played with them at the twins' house and like them very much. Cara likes to draw on it with the special pen, and I've shown her the lever that you move to wipe the screen.

We could tell that Cara was tired, but we couldn't get her to go to sleep. We both snuggled with her and we put the TV on, to no avail. By the time Daddy and Grandpa got back, Cara was exhausted! She was still very happy to see them. Steve and I went out to pick up dinner, letting Grandpa spend some time with his girl. We indulged ourselves with Wendy's, and Cara had fun dipping her nuggets and a few fries, but was not truly happy until Daddy gave her his cup (filled with water) and straw to play with. We had to head for home, so Cara blew kisses and said good-bye to everyone, including the chairs and possibly some cheese.

Remarkably, after sleeping soundly in the car, Cara was not horribly cranky when we got out. She was playful and snuggly, and we went through our normal bedtime routine.

2/11/07 (Sunday)

I had a weird experience last night. I woke up around 3:40, hearing Cara intermittently crying. I went to the bathroom, and she kept going, so I poured out her medicine. I had brought my afghan, so I went into her room with the medicine and my blanket, and she was asleep. She still cried out sometimes and she shifted herself around, sticking her little tushie up in the air, so I settled down in the glider to wait and be there when she awoke. She didn't. I rubbed her back a little to try to help her settle, and I felt to make sure she wasn't feverish, and I put a blanket over her. I think that that was what did it. The problem was probably the fierce snoring that was going on, because Cara was so congested. She didn't seem to like the blanket, and she sort of rolled over a little to get rid of it. In her new position, she was able to sleep more easily. I put the cup of medicine in the bathroom to wait for morning and went back to bed. It did mean I lost forty minutes of sleep, but it was also kind of nice.

I slept until almost eight, and Cara slept until almost nine! She woke up with a dirty diaper and a happy disposition. Her nose hasn't been runny today, and she's been her usual wonderful self. While Steve was in the shower, I got out the vacuum. I wasn't sure how Cara would react to it; I had her get out her vacuum to help me clean, hoping it would make the noise scare her less. When I turned around, Cara was gone. Had she run away crying? I went upstairs and found her cheerfully chasing Shelby out of her bedroom. I went out to get groceries, and when I got back Cara saw her favorite item, the white bread. She happily ate the end piece and then helpfully moved each of the bags of groceries slightly.

We put Cara down around one, but in forty-five minutes we let her out again. Heather was here, and Cara was a little shy, but she bravely bumped down the stairs while drinking her medicine from her special cup. After a snack, we put on Winnie the Pooh and the grown-ups played a board game in the kitchen. Cara watched happily, checking on us every few minutes. Heather explained that when Cara calls "Hi Mommy, hi Daddy" from the living room, she's using her parental sonar to ascertain our positions. She's pinging us. Cara also several times walked into the kitchen, went around me, and climbed onto Daddy's lap. There she would have a snack or steal a game piece or try to roll the dice. Unfortunately, putting them down hard doesn't really count. Soon, we'd ask her how Pooh was doing, and she'd climb down the other side of Daddy and head back to the living room.

Downstairs, Cara and Heather played with the big four-square ball. Mainly, Cara rolled it around, announcing "I rolling!" We also showed Heather Weebalot; all of the toys had fun. George got a good workout in his stroller today; he went around and around, and he also got to go upstairs for a little while. Heather tried tickling him, but Cara took him back and emphatically said "Mine!" How rude! It was okay for Heather to touch other toys, but not George.

Later we put on the new Curious George DVD that Grandpa Jim recorded for Cara. It was all shows we had seen before, but it's much nicer to have them in this format! Cara hadn't seen that show in weeks and weeks, and she was very, very happy to see it again. She beamed and danced in her seat when the theme came on.

Much later, getting ready for the bath, Cara ran off naked. She hadn't gotten to play on our bed, because it was covered with clean laundry. "No, Cara!" I heard Steve cry. I hurried down the hall to find her nude, on the bed, busily throwing clean clothes on to the floor. She doesn't understand clean laundry yet, but she definitely knows what to do with dirty laundry. If we'd given her more time, we'd have had a full hamper!

Cara used many delaying tactics to avoid getting out of her bath. She was a froggie, hopping around and ribbiting. She played a game with me, which involved her saying "me" and me answering "you," though she sometimes switched around and said "you." I am proud to say that I did not get tripped up by her.

When we finally got her out, Cara didn't want to put on her pajamas. In her diaper, she got her old musical butterfly, the thing she loved when she was an infant. It lights up and plays "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" when you pull on it. Cara has just rediscovered it and is infatuated. She keeps saying "baby!" to it. The two of them hid in the closet, making sure I knew where they were. Distracted, Cara pulled the last package of wipes from the box in the closet. She brought it to me. She got out the two swimmie diapers that had found their way there. She got out the box. At this point I grabbed and dressed her, but when she was loose she wanted to play in the box. It's really too small. She sat down and stuck her legs in and sat there. She saw Daddy brushing his teeth. "My turn!" she said. She got out of the box. "My turn!" She righted the box, she found the wipes and put them back, she dropped in the diapers, and she put the box in the closet. Then she picked up her butterfly, got distracted, and ran off to the bedroom.

2/12/07 (Monday)

When I got home today, I saw ample proof that being penned up all day with a toddler can drive someone bananas. My father spent his day noting down the words Cara said, including "violins," "castle," and "slippers." The list totals 153 words. Most of these words were spontaneously produced; the six that were prompted were clearly marked. It's interesting to read the list, because it makes it possible to recreate scenes from the day:

"Pluto!''

"Come on, Pluto!"

"Stay"

"Poor Pluto!"

Also, Cara said "gummies," which she probably pronounced "nummies," to remind Grandpapa to give her her vitamin.

While she was drawing on the pad, Cara also drew on my thumb. She tried to wipe it off, to no avail. "We'd better go wash our hands," I said. Cara was off and running! "Put down the pen!" I called. She dropped it instantly, without breaking stride. She got her stool, brought it into the bathroom, and was sticking her arms into the sink. I took her sweater off her, and she helped roll up her sleeves. I filled the sink with nice, warm water, and we both had fun splashing around. We got sudsed up and clean. I emptied the sink. "More!" said Cara. We refilled the sink and Cara played some more. She even requested soap. Eventually things got too splashy and I put my foot down, but she had a wonderful time and her hands couldn't have been cleaner.

We spent some time with Cara's cardboard kitchen this evening. Eventually it was on the floor and Cara was saying "slide." I had her lie down on her back, grabbed her feet, and slid her around and around on the cardboard. She loved it! Whenever I stopped, she said "again" or "more."

It was recycling night, so Daddy was taking out the trash. Shelby, of course, got out. "Bad kitty!" said Cara. While Daddy was getting Shelby, Buster went to the door. I convinced Cara to go over to her to get her away, so that we wouldn't get one in just to lose another. We helped Daddy! Poor Daddy was tired and lay down on the floor, which was just an invitation for Cara to come and have a ride. Soon Daddy fled upstairs to run the bath. Cara wasn't going up, though. She had her stroller. She was paying attention to anything but the task at hand, which was to go upstairs. She went off looking for her catnip mouse. I went upstairs, figuring that I would soon be followed.

Soon, Daddy and I heard noises, the sounds of a struggle. Daddy went to rescue Cara, who was trying very hard to bring her stroller upstairs with her catnip mouse riding in it. She ran around the kitchen for a few minutes, and then Daddy was smart enough to throw the mouse upstairs. Cara went after it. She was going to bring it back down ("Mouse downstairs!"), but I told her the mouse wanted to play on the bed.

I saw Shelby's tail vanishing under the bed, just ahead of Cara's grabbing hand. Cara crawled all around the bed, peering under the dust ruffle, calling the kitty. There is not a lot of room under there for a poor kitty to cower! Just imagine the stress.

2/13/07 (Tuesday)

We are all ready for Valentine's Day. Cara is going to the party at Susan's tomorrow, and Grandpapa will be up on Thursday. Susan asked us to provide heart-shaped cookies for the party, so I got a package of little sugar cookies with pink sugar on top. I also got a cute little kit that includes big heart-shaped marshmallows, like Peeps, and writing icing to draw on them with. Em mentioned last week that she had bought Valentines to send, so I bought some for Cara to take. For three dollars I got a kit with 32 cards, a dum-dum lollipop for each, and fifty stickers! I've assembled the six that Cara needs to take to daycare, and I plan on taking the rest to school. Middle school teachers need affection and confections, too.

Here is a parenting problem for discussion: When Cara finishes eating, she starts wildly swiping the food off of her tray with both hands. This happens fairly often at dinner, and it's pretty messy. We generally stop her quickly, but we'd like to break the cycle and not have to stop her at all. Steve posits that she believes that she is cleaning her tray. What should we try?

I have a cold. Cara has been clingy. For the first time in weeks, she didn't want to be put down. I have to go put myself down now.

2/14/07 (Wednesday)

First, the weather: We got a snow day, though it looked barely worth it. The grass still showed through the snow! However, the whole world was covered in ice. Driving was very difficult, but Steve took Cara to Susan's this morning for her Valentine's Day celebration. (I could have kept Cara home, but I wanted her to get to the party and also I had to go to the doctor in the afternoon, so I couldn't really have kept her.)

For breakfast, Steve made Cara waffles. She refused to eat them and requested an egg instead. I scrambled one for her, and it swiftly disappeared. Cara's daddy got her a card! Steve surprised me and Cara by picking out the sweetest, sappiest, sugariest little-girl card there is! It's pink and glittery and there's a pixie on a flower and a lot of pixies and hearts and glitter flying around and it rhymes the words "blossom" and "awesome." When it came out of the envelope, Cara's eyes got big and she said, "wow!"

Cara took her Valentines to daycare, and she came home with a goodie bag that included cards from Susan, PJ, and Casey. The other kids were out because of the weather, so PJ and Cara basically had a day-long playdate! Susan said that they had fun with the marshmallow-decorating kit I got, but the first thing they did was to start to suck the icing out of the tubes. Of course! They know an art project from a food project. In Cara's goodie bag, we found some tiny little notepads, a small watercolor kit, and some stamps. Clearly Cara has already used the paints, because the notebooks show evidence, but I don't know that I have the nerve to use them with her. Even the stamps are a stretch. The other item in the bag was a fan. When we unfolded it, it was heart-shaped and had hearts on it. It has now been shredded and thrown away. It was a lot of fun while it lasted.

When Cara and I got home, Daddy was here! (This will, of course, only confuse her further on all the days when he isn't here.) Soon, for a special treat, Julianna came over! It's playdate night at our house, and I planned a special Valentine's dinner. We got to show Weebalot to Julianna, and she and Cara had fun stamping things together. When PJ and Casey and Ron and Em got here, we got food on the table and got down to business.

Julianna and I made up nice plates for the kids, but, as I predicted, Cara ignored the chicken and ate only tortellini. More and more and more. Julianna thinks she's a good eater. After they were both sick of sitting at the table, Cara and PJ went to play downstairs. Steve, who was with them, reports that he tried very hard to teach them about sharing. I'm sure it helped. They got out Cara's foam blocks, and PJ demonstrated his far superior building capabilities, while Cara demonstrated that she can bite whole chunks out of them! She's never gone that far before. We ladies stayed upstairs and cleaned the kitchen, and PJ occasionally came up to visit us, having hauled things up the stairs that Cara could not have handled, like her stroller and her corn popper. At the end, Cara was pushing her stroller and PJ was riding her car, and they were both happy.

One nice interval was dessert. Julianna brought a wonderful apple-cheesecake-crumbcake, and I bought strawberries and made heart-shaped Jell-O. "Come on, we have red!" Ron herded the kids upstairs. Both of them were excited about Jell-O, a novelty. Cara sat in her booster seat and let Julianna feed her for a long time--she never lets us feed her anymore! Julianna does a nice train routine. They had a good time.

Now, better late than never, the little girl is in bed.

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