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Journal Key:

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

8/2/07 (Thursday)

Putting Cara down early last night did not work. She was so overexcited that she was awake and unhappy until after nine thirty. I let her sleep late, though; she woke a little after eight. We had a very pleasant morning. First, Cara picked out her own clothes: pink. Cara helped me make eggs. She stood on her chair at the counter and watched me break them, and then she got to break the yolks and stir them up with a fork. She was at Susan's by quarter to nine.

It was a wonderful day at daycare. Cara had a great time in the pool, and for her project she made a shirt on a clothesline. It's a cutout shirt that she drew on, attached with clothespins to a long "string." Susan says none of the kids reported ever seeing clothes on a line, but I know Em hangs things out. I told Susan about Cara's pony ride, and Susan says that Cara surprises her sometimes by being the bravest one around.

At home, we played a wonderful game. You lie on the couch on your tummy and hang your arms down off the edge, then you walk yourself out on your hands until your feet come down. Cara is like a little monkey. I can do it, too, when no one is sitting on my back.

PJ and his family came for dinner, but first I gave him some strawberries. As soon as he had one, Cara needed one. Between them, they went through a whole bowl! PJ likes to carefully take the biggest ones he can find, and then he tells us, "biiiig!"

8/3/07 (Friday)

I was cleaning up in the kitchen when Cara called me from downstairs to tell me she was pooping. Upstairs we went and got onto the potty. We read Grumpy Bird. Cara's girls, who had come along, slid down the book and talked to the characters. Around the time I was giving up hope, Cara actually pooped! I decided to reward this behavior with some dollar-store toys I'd been saving for the purpose, so I told Cara what a good thing it was that she had done and we started looking for her "special present." It took a while to locate them, but when we did I reached into the bag and pulled out a Winnie the Pooh figurine. Cara was delighted, of course. Soon, though, she started asking for Tigger! I really didn't think I had him, but it turned out that I did. I wimped out and let her have him, too. Then, she wanted Darby! Darby is the human character in the new Disney show about Pooh. The show is not as awful as we though it might be, but it's still an abomination. I do not have a Darby toy. I got out Eeyore. The end result: Cara has three new toys. I have no more potty prizes. It's okay. I wasn't really excited about the idea of using prizes, anyway.

We determined that Pooh and Tigger (I get to be Eeyore) cannot wear the girls' clothes. They do like to slide in Weebalot. We took them with us to the park, and they got to ride in the swing with Cara. It was really hot out, and I ended up carrying Cara, Tigger, and Pooh across the park and back. Cara did not get tired out. Mommy did. We went to the Highland Park farmer's market with my friend Rich, and at the end Cara was willing to smile at him. A little. She kind of waved good-bye.

I made a good lunch, which Cara picked at. It was very out-of-character; she just didn't eat. She pretended to eat a banana she made me open. She chewed on a cheese stick still in its wrapper, but she didn't want me to open it. Her girls danced on the grilled cheese. Around one, I gave up and put her down. Around three, she gave up and went to sleep.

We made a late start on Friday afternoon, as Cara's nap ran late. When I arrived to pick her up, we gently woke her and I held her quietly in the rocker while she slowly came to consciousness. It was a sweet interlude.

On the way home I stopped at Aunt Theresa's house where we could swim in a gorgeous in-ground pool. Cara wore her swim vest and enjoyed sitting in a floatie device as well. She liked walking down the steps into the water, and she enjoyed dropping her Pooh and Tigger to the bottom so that I would rescue them for her. "Help! Help!" she would call from her floatie, "I floating away!" when we were about ready to leave Aunt Theresa came along with her friends Jackie and Gen, and Cara was suddenly stricken mute. She recovered, however.

At home we had some supper - Cara ate, but not a lot: half a hot dog, half a container of yogurt, a piece of cucumber and a piece of red pepper. However, she happily ran into the park to go to the playground, which we had to ourselves. People may have been discouraged by the heat, but it was actually quite pleasant there in the evening. We had a great time running and climbing, and making a road through the sand. She didn't want to leave, but I tricked her into balancing on the wooden rails that edge to playground, which of course led us towards the parking lot and home.

By the time we got home, it was time for a bath, which Cara took willingly and got washed thoroughly. In her kitty-cat form she was also very agreebale about having her namas put on and her teeth brushed. She couldn't really settle down for story time though. We had had no indoor playtime, and she was drawn to her toys. I finally tucked her in under protest, and she did make some brief crying sounds after I had left her. And then silence. She slept the whole night through and woke up happy.

8/4/07 (Saturday)

Saturday morning was also passed cheerfully and agreeably, with the sole exception that she still had little appetite. Breakfast consisted of some buttered toast - she didn't finish a whole slice, and she ate not a bite of the eggs her grandpapa had fixed for her.

She has picked up from us the thought that her mommy and daddy must be saying, "Where's our little girl?" and tells it to us herself, so she needs no persuasion to climb into the car and return to their loving arms.

Cara was a happy little girl when she came home, but it was a strange day. Cara swung like a pendulum between wonderful and terrible. We had a fabulous time playing inside with, of course, the girls. Outside, Cara insisted on being in her stroller. She just wanted to be pushed around, holding her girls. It was in the 90s today, so we opted for the mall rather than the park. Some highlights: Cara got to see two people ascend to the top of the rock-climbing wall at the sports store. She must now believe that we'll always get a show, whenever we walk through! Cara was happy to direct us by pointing regally from her stroller. We ended up in a store selling evening wear; Cara wanted to see a sparkly purple ensemble and then stared when a young woman came out of a dressing room in a white gown. Lunch, at Wendy's, was good. Cara actually ate. When the food came, she handed me her girls and instructed me to put them in my pocket. The only other time she got out of her stroller was on the way out, when we saw the Reatrix pad. On that, she spent a few wonderful minutes running and running and jumping and jumping. She wandered off towards the candy machines, and Daddy put in a quarter and got her some kind of horrible-looking hard candy shaped like fishies. We didn't get her down until 1:30, but she was happy to nap.

The afternoon was the same, alternating between great and awful. We went out to Sears, and Cara brought her two girls. I offered to hold them or their shoes and suggested that we leave their shoes in the car or my pocket, but that was too upsetting. The girls came. Cara and I played on and around some patio furniture, going in and out of a gazebo. After we were reunited with Daddy, we took a walk around the store. Cara hopped from one treadmill to another, then all the way back down the row. We looked at vacuum cleaners, which are surprisingly colorful. We rode down the escalator. As we walked away from it, we discovered that the girl was missing a yellow shoe! Well, we scoured the store, to no avail. The shoe was lost. A lesson may have been learned. At the grocery store, where we went next, I was allowed to hold the three remaining shoes in my pocket. I have just selected a nice pair of red shoes from the Forbidden Polly Pocket bag. I don't know what we would do if there weren't enough shoes for all of the girls. Besides, I think they'll go really well with my favorite pants.

Cara was not interested in eating dinner. She had some yogurt, of a brand I would not have chosen, which she insisted on getting because the container was purple. She picked at other things and then went out into the living room and wailed and wailed. I held her and she picked some more and then she nibbled at a plum for a long time with George Curious Monkey.

I took her out with me to see Juliana. When we saw her, she asked, "Do you see them?" We turned around, and there was a deer in the empty lot! As soon as Cara saw it, a shock ran through her body. She stalked down the street, fascinated. We saw a daddy, a baby, and two others. It was wonderful, partly just because Cara was so excited.

Back inside, we had a bath with purple water. We slept on the big bed. Eventually, the whole family was there. Cara got up. She ran off, saying something about "story." There was a pause and then a crash. Cara came back, bringing Daddy the "biig book." We were delighted.

8/5/07 (Sunday)

This morning Cara awoke unusually early because she had done something in her diaper. She clearly has been a bit off lately with food and her digestion. We watched some Disney and Cara surprisingly requested pancakes, of which she ate little. Then she had a pretty good bowel movement (which I'm sure you're all glad to hear about) and seemed better. So we packed ourselves into the car and headed down to South Jersey. Cara understood that she was going to see her Grandma, Grandpa, and Rusty, who was a good doggie. She fell asleep on the way there and awoke to see her Grandpa smiling at her from the garage: she smiled and kicked her feet in happiness.

We had a wonderful time and Cara seemed like her usual perky self. She still did not eat a huge meal but enjoyed her macaroni and cheese enough to ask for more later (not having had a lot of the stuff in her life, she referred to it as "Cheese!" and, separately, "Pasta!"). She played with all kinds of toys over the course of her visit, pretty much everything the house had to offer. First it was a lovely Playmobil spaceship playset that my brother and I had had when we were little. This combined quite naturally with a bucket full of rubbery bugs, monsters and dinosaurs, who had also just come down out of the attic. Cara led her Grandpa and Daddy outside for a short trip wherein she commanded us to blow bubbles but insisted on collecting nearly all of the bubble wands. Then she sat in the swing for a while, and then decided it was time to go back inside, where she quickly found the Mr. Potato Head dolls. The day pretty much went on that way, bouncing from toy to toy, and every one of her whims was instantly gratified.

Later in the afternoon Cara's Uncle Jim and Aunt Sarah arrived! Back from a trip, they had come to pick up their greyhound Floyd, who was also at the house. Cara probably liked Floyd better than Rusty on this trip (actually she seems to enjoy the idea of seeing Rusty better than the actual experience), since he remained pretty afraid of her the whole time we were there. Rusty she screamed at several times when he tried to sniff her.

Cara was shy with her aunt and uncle; she was just starting to open up and get back to normal when we decided it was time to leave (fortunately we'll see everyone again next weekend!). Cara had certainly enjoyed her stay but was asking "We go home?" as we packed up to leave. In the car, she decided it was necessary to direct us (yes, a backseat driver already!), and aided navigation by repeatedly commenting, "This way!"

Back home, our pretty miserable evening began. Cara awoke (as she normally does) unhappy from her drive-home nap, and we quickly applied George. She sort of felt better after a little while of this, but was still very clingy and not particularly interested in eating the things we heated up for dinner. All too soon we herded her upstairs, but not before she had gotten hold of a couple of her "girls." This proved a major trouble point. Evie decided and I agreed that Cara should not have the girls in bed with her while they were wearing their tiny, choke-hazard, easily-loseable shoes. Cara did not agree and quickly upgraded to Hysterical Mode. It was with great difficulty, after giving her a dose of Advil, changing her into pajamas, brushing her teeth, and cruelly taking the tiny shoes off of her girls and placing them in a box, that I was able to establish that she did indeed still want to read stories. After rejecting several propositions, I found what she really wanted: The Big Book. An obvious choice in retrospect. A few minutes into beginning the book, her hysterics were gone and she was making intelligent comments and answering all my questions about the stories.

After a little while of this, however, she asked me again whether the girls couldn't have their shoes back on. I told her they could, as long as she realized that the girls could not go in the crib with her. She agreed and we put the shoes back on. After a few more minutes of reading, I decided it was time for sleep and we put the girls down. Hysterical Mode! There was nothing for it but to leave her desolate in her crib with her eight stuffed animals and her blanket. Now all is quiet upstairs. We hope for a better tomorrow.

8/6/07 (Monday)

While I do not think that Cara is quite herself, we did manage to have a really good day. In the morning, we took all the pillows off of both couches and jumped around. The girls had fun hiding between the cushions, apparently. To my surprise, we left them there when we went out for the morning!

Today was not a hot day, but it was very, very humid and gross. I was sure it was going to storm. We went to the mall. Cara walked with me from the parking lot, and on the way in she discovered a big circle in the concrete walk. We had to stop and run around and around.

I hadn't realized until Steve wrote about it how funny it is that she is always directing us. She continued this in the mall.

Cara: This way, Mommy! (points to the left)

Mommy: Do you want to go to Tiny Town and slide?

Cara: This way, Mommy! (points to the left)

(Repeat preceding exchange.)

Mommy: Tiny Town is this way, Cara. (points to the right)

Cara: This way, Mommy! (points to the right)

Tiny Town was crowded but great. Cara is kind of shy, but she's holding her own. She ran around and went down slides and climbed into and out of vehicles. I shadowed her a little, and she wanted me to, but sometimes I held back. I stood by the exit while she climbed into the ambulance. I saw her saying, "Mommy? Mommy?" She looked around, but she never quite spotted me. After a moment, she put up her hands to make binoculars to help with the search. She keeps her fingers spread nice and wide so as to not block her vision. It worked.

We made our way across the mall to the Playmobil store and the carousel, and she had a great time there, too. She got a sticker at Playmobil, and she happily stuck it sideways across her chest. We were hungry, so we stopped for pizza. True to her form of late, Cara ate part of half a piece. In the car on the way home, though, she gnawed on the crust.

After Cara's nap, we took her girls out for a brief walk in the pink stroller. My girls were grudgingly allowed to ride along with Cara's. While we were out, we decided to get the real stroller and walk to the park. Cara helped me find the park, though she was open to some suggestions. She swung and swung and swung, and when she finally got out, she wanted to get right back in. I made her go over to the slides. She whimpered all the way and then told me she was happy. We chased each other around and around and around, up the stairs and down the slide.

While we played girls, I started a revolution. I put some blue pants on one of my girls. "No, no," said Cara, "take pants off!" She insisted and insisted, and eventually I tried to tell her that when she wants people to play with her, she has to let them do what they want. I'm sure it won't cause any huge change in her behavior, but I think it's good to assert oneself once in a while. My girl got to wear her burgundy capris. One of Cara's girls has one outfit that she always seems to wear: the shirt is pink with baby blue sleeves, the pants are yellow with blue swirls, and the shoes are burgundy (I really want them for my girl, because they go with the pants). It's eye-catching.

After dinner, we went over to PJ's house, where Em and I put together a really good layout on the train table. The kids were mainly not bad. I had words with PJ and Cara for jumping on the couch. None of the words sunk in. PJ leaned over the back of the couch and discovered the poor cat, so he and Cara leaned over and screamed at the poor creature. I got Cara to say sorry. Then they screamed some more.

Casey has a pink stuffed animal she really likes, and PJ made it start singing (it sings) and gave it to her. I praised him, and Cara, not to be outdone, brought over the see-n-say, which I had explained was Casey's. "Here you go Casey. Here's you nice toy," she said, putting it down. Casey is one now, of course, and she's not quite walking and sort of talking. It's exciting how responsive and communicative she has become. It's interesting, and will continue to be interesting, refereeing between her and the big kids. They do get upset when she breaks their toys, and she really wants to be doing what they're doing.

Cara got to have an orange bath. I have noticed the simple truth that, when something more exciting comes along, she is happy to relinquish her girls. At the park, I had to hold them in my pocket. At PJ's house, I held them again. When she got into her bath and started wailing, we tossed in some color and she was distracted. Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do about the separation when she goes to bed!

8/7/07 (Tuesday)

Cara babbled for a while before I went in to get her, but the first thing she told me was that she was pooping. I put her on the potty, and she peed! She may not know which of her bodily functions is trying to function, but I think she's gaining some control. Daddy heated up some leftover pancakes, and we had a very pleasant morning. One thing I am very grateful for is the fact that Cara likes to have pigtails in her hair. When I ask whether she wants them, it's always a yes. When I'm done with one, she asks for another. I'm awfully glad I don't have to wrestle her.

Cara went to Susan's without any protest, though she did ask whether we could go to the zoo. She had a good day and made an ant, a drawing on a popsicle stick. He has a purple pipecleaner coming out of his head to represent either antennae or ears, depending upon whom you ask.

For all these days of Cara not eating right, why did I not think to make refried beans? She ran to dinner and ate half the can! I'll have to remember that.

8/8/07 (Wednesday)

I am relieved to report that Cara's appetite is back. For breakfast she devoured not only a snowman but two other pancakes as well. There was a midmorning snack. Lunch went on and on. After nap, she had half a cookie, a banana, and some canned oranges. She looked for more. She had some puffs and was desperate for dinner, which she wolfed down.

It was a good day for the girls. Both of Cara's girls now have regular outfits. The blond wears green pants and a green shirt which do not quite match. She adds green shoes, though she also has dibs on the white ones, and no one else is really allowed to wear those. I suggested that perhaps it was a girl's birthday. Yes. It was both of Cara's girls' birthdays. We had a party. Everyone came. We included all the girls, Dora, and the My Little Ponies. We'd gotten cupcakes from the Dora set and the cookies and ice cream from the ponies. We had to invite them. Everyone brought presents. We sang "Happy Birthday." Then everyone stripped and went swimming in the moat. Later, I suggested that the girls play Hide n Seek. They did. Cara's girls hid on opposite sides of the armchair and then cried "Here I am!" to each other. It was over before I figured out who was supposed to be counting.

Our main activity of the day was very exciting; we got Cara's hair cut. It's been getting a little shaggy! I asked whether she wanted to go get it cut, and she said yes. She was very invested in the idea and very interested in it. I told her she'd get a lollipop afterwards, and that was even more motivating. We were, after a pair of women left with an infant and a screaming preschooler, the only ones in the place. Cara got to choose her seat, a yellow taxi. She got to choose her DVD, Dora. She gave me her toys to hold and sat nicely with the cape covering her up. She was perfect for her hair cut. At the end, of course, she looked wonderful with a new barrette and her hair blown dry so that it curled at the ends.

We hung around in the mall for a while with that lollipop, but Cara was hungry! I could tell because when we went into the cooking store, my favorite, she was very very excited about the free pretzels and cubes of bread they put out to sample their dips with. We went home.

After about two hours of naptime, I heard Cara start to cry. It went on, so I went in. Her eyes were closed, mostly, though they blinked open once in a while. I figured I was in there already, so I picked her up. She kept crying; I don't think she was awake at all. She cried on me in the glider and then on my bed, but after a long time, maybe ten minutes, she started to come to. I think it was one of those Night Terrors you read about (if you read about little-kid stuff). I know she was really not hearing me, because I even suggested that we go play girls. When she seemed conscious again and the crying was slowing down, I applied Curious George. Soon she headed down to play girls, but I didn't follow quickly enough. More crying. I tried George and chocolate together. That helped. I got to finish her cookie, though. She was kind of delicate for the rest of the day, though perhaps she was back to normal after dinner.

PJ, Casey, and Em came over for dinner. We got takeout. While Em picked up the food, Steve and I grew a little overwhelmed by the three kids. We ended up thus: Steve sat on the couch with Casey on his lap. Cara sat next to him, and PJ was on the end. Curious George was on. I stood in front of the couch, handing out the puffs. Everyone was hungry. PJ was interested. Cara was insistent. Casey was flapping with excitement. Any time the flow of puffs into her hands stopped, she started bouncing up and down and flapping, loudly informing us that she was hungry. Like that, we survived until real food arrived.

Casey hurt herself and got a chilled teething ring from the fridge. It was purple. Cara wanted a pick one. She and PJ came into the kitchen, ready for their treats. I took them upstairs for stickers. Cara got a tiny Pooh and Piglet, who are still, I think, on her legs. PJ got two identical rockets, which he carefully stuck to my counter. He was very ready to continue decorating, too! The other exciting event of the evening, for me, was that Cara discovered that she can make marks on the couch by touching it with her wet, open mouth. Delightful. She made a nice pattern down the arm, then a few spots on a cushion. It's drying fine, but if you look you can probably make out the toothmarks.

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