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Journal Key:

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

11/15/07 (Thursday)

Yesterday, before we went over to PJ's house, I tried to get Cara to help me clean up. She said no. I asked her just to pick up some little round blocks. No. Just get two blocks and bring them to me. By this time, she had run to the next room, from which I heard her saying what sounded like "It's too awful!" I asked for clarification. "Cleaning up is just too awful!" Eventually, after much manipulation, she did pick up the two stupid blocks. Cheerfully.

Later, upstairs, she picked out a book to read: The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room! We agreed about how bad it was to have a messy room. Cara likes clean rooms. It's not fair to the mommy to have to always clean up. Cara likes to clean up.

At Susan's, before we left, Cara and PJ very quickly and efficiently cleaned up the pieces of a game that had been scattered on the floor.

At home, Cara slipped on some crayons she'd left lying on the floor. I explained that we needed to clean them up before we could do other things. No. I didn't want to push it, so I went to another room, figuring she'd come after me and I'd be able to blackmail her into cleaning--er, motivate her to clean up. Instead, she played on her own for at least ten minutes. Eventually she wanted my help in finding something, so I went out and brought the crayons. I put them on the floor. I held the box, and Cara cleaned up.

Steve is an awesome dad. He gets Cara up in the mornings, dresses her, feeds her, and gets her to daycare. He plays with her after dinner. He gives her a bath. He reads her to bed. All I do is pick her up, amuse her for an hour, and then dry her after the bath and put her in her pajamas. So, in a spirit of evening out the workload, I have been doing the bath for the past two nights. It's a lot of fun.

Without thinking, I gave her the idea of taking all of her washcloths into the tub. She has about 14. It has worked out nicely, considering that I am not the one who ends up wringing them out afterwards. She swishes them around and plays with her favorites, and she's doing a good job of washing herself, especially her face. I put soap on, and she wipes it off. We also drape them on her to make "dresses." The possibilities are endless.

11/17/07 (Saturday)

Cara slept over in Middletown last night, and we hear that she spent a lot of time missing Mommy and Daddy. Consequently, when Grandmama brought her here, she was very clingy with Grandmama and was not a bit interested in us. My mom said that they had a hard time figuring out what were pajamas and what were clothes. After she left, I realized that I had not in fact packed any pajamas, and so Cara had slept in comfy sweat pants!

Having had a very emotional time, Cara slept in the car this morning on the way to the zoo. Yes, we went to the zoo for the second time in two weeks. This time, Grandmom and Grandpop met us there. The most popular person today was Grandpop. Cara wanted him to carry her around and even would not let anyone else push her stroller. As for holding hands, she wanted a grandparent on each side. She would dance along in between them.

When we got to the reptile house, Cara wanted to see "my friend the snake" again. Alas, I think I reminded her this morning about the king cobra who came over to say hello to her last week. Of course, today it was just sitting in a corner of its enclosure. That was a small heartbreak. It was very small, though. We also had to see the alligators, by special request, and then Cara said hello to a tiny turtle who was trying very hard to eat some lettuce. She frequently says hi to the animals, when she feels some emotional connection. She waves. It's cute.

Lunch was good. Cara of course devoured her hot dog, which she had been requesting almost since we got through the gates, and she ate some fries, particularly the tiny ones, but then Grandmom took out her chocolate chip cookies. Well, we were able to finish eating, because Cara worked on her cookie for quite a while.

Next was the big cats. We saw the lions really well, but Cara's main priority was the movie. We sat through it twice, moving to a better angle for the second showing. Again, when the scary, violent part with the fast music came on, Cara laughed and laughed, clapping her hands. She looked around to make sure we were all enjoying it, too. We got a really good view of a black jaguar and of the pumas. Most of the animals were very active and awake today, which was nice.

In the tree house, Cara tried everything at least once. She went up the tree with Daddy, who ended up holding the door at the top for a few other girls. While he was doing that, Cara took off down the stairs by herself! He never quite caught up to her. I've always held her hand the whole way, so I'm surprised she was so independent! Excellent.

Cara emphatically did not want to go home. She wanted to see lots more animals. We went to the monkey house, and in between exuberant playing she lay down on the floor to "go to sleep." Still, onwards! We saw the spectacled bears and the polar bears, the zebras and the giraffes. We covered the small mammal house thoroughly. It was late and we were finished. We headed for the cars, with Cara still wanting more, more, more!

Of course she fell asleep in the car very soon. Waking up was particularly hard to do this time, but Grandpop had made her a DVD of Dora, Diego, and The Backyardigans, and that did help. After dinner, for which Cara ate cold leftover spinach pasta because she did not want to let me heat it up (she had two helpings), Cara got out the Play Doh. She did this while her daddy was telling her not to, and she made him play with her. First, they made rings. He showed her his wedding ring, and Cara said, "That's when you got married to Mommy!" (Or something to that effect.) When Steve made her a ring, she immediately demanded a diamond on it. He also made some Dora characters. He made Isa the iguana, Boots, and Dora. Dora and Boots interacted a lot. Their conversations consisted of Dora saying things like, "Boots, why you giant?" Then she asked Steve to make a tiny Boots. Picky, picky, picky!

11/18/07 (Sunday)

I decided to give poor Steve a break after he worked so hard last week, so I dragged poor Cara out to the mall this morning. It was difficult to get her out of the house. We ran into the mall in the rain, giggling. Of course, we went in through the sporting goods store, so we were stuck in there until they opened the gates! We had several conversations in which Cara said she wanted to see a guy climb the wall and I asked whether a lady could, too. We rode up and down the escalator. We looked at bikes and bike helmets. There was a bike that was a little too big for Cara and a tricycle that was a little too small. We found the tricycle after we looked at helmets, to she very much wanted a helmet to wear while she tried it!

When we got out into the mall, the first thing Cara picked out for us to do was to go into the cooking store, which is the only store in the mall I really like to shop in for myself. They also have out pretzels to sample, which may be why Cara likes them. Our real destination, though, was Playmobil. We played for a long time with the airport set, which is the only one they have out now. Several little boys, all older than Cara, came and went while we were there; it was interesting to watch. Some of them played together, and one seemed to be directing. He let Cara play, too. She got to bring one of her guys over to ride in the plane. We wandered around, and Cara stood and watched their whole animated movie about Noah's ark. It's actually kind of cool, since it tells the whole story wordlessly in about four minutes.

We stopped by the fountain twice, and Cara very accurately counted the four spurts of water for me several times. We went back to the cooking store for more pretzels and a small present for Aunt Claire. It was time to go, but Cara was desperate to stay. She wanted to ride the carousel. We found it nearby, but it was closed. Instead, we rode the train, which has been cut back considerably and now just goes around in a little circle. We rode in the little house at the back. While we were on the train I finally spotted where everyone had been getting the balloons I'd been seeing everywhere. They're regular balloons made to look like flowers by adding a long balloon stem and leaves. We waited on a little line and the lady made a special one for us, pink and purple. We made a brief stop on the Reatrix pad, where Cara and bigger girl played soccer and then Cara and the little sister ran around and around in circles alarmingly fast. Then I led her out of the mall. She was carrying her flower. She was very unhappy to be leaving. She asked me whether we could stay longer. It was difficult to get her out of the mall.

PJ and Casey came over to play this evening! Everyone behaved beautifully and everyone had a good time. The ball pit is still popular. We had tea time. We wore silly sunglasses. (I don't think PJ had played with sunglasses much; when he got them on he looked ridiculously nerdy peering around, and he told us it was dark. I wasn't expecting that.) The best thing, though, was when we put on our Playhouse Disney CD and danced. We held hands, except Casey, and went around and around and around in circles. Some of the time it was four of us, some of the time it was three. It was funny to see PJ and Cara figuring out how to hold hands. We split up for a while, me with PJ and Steve with Cara. We held them by the hands and swung them in circles. Every time I fell down, the kids pulled me up, demanding more!

Upstairs, we made brownies. The kids had some fruit for a snack and PJ and Cara helped me mix up the batter. Cara got distracted and left, and PJ stayed and helped with everything; he even stirred really well! he wanted to break the eggs. I'll have to ask Em whether he gets to, at home. Susan let the kids do it, I know. I only had just enough eggs, though!

After dinner, we danced some more. Well, PJ and I danced. He would not hold both of my hands, because his other one was for Cara. We went around and around anyway, and eventually I realized that his feet were not touching the ground. He loved it.

We went upstairs for a diaper change (they all follow each other around), and we made a tunnel in the bedroom. More hysteria. They chased each other through the tunnel, over the bed, through the tunnel. Cara and PJ went to sleep repeatedly in our bed. They both snore. They hid under the sheets. They stood up in the tunnel and we had to "get" the bumps. They chased each other through our closet, in one side and out the other. Casey joined in part way through and did her best to follow along. When I got her up onto the bed, she lay down and snored. She also picked up the dust ruffle all along the side of the bed, looking for more tunnel. Em came along while we were in hysterical chasing mode, and she got to go into the tunnel, too.

When she came down from her nap earlier, Cara had brought Puma and Zebra with her. She had had Steve return Puma to bed, but Zebra stayed downstairs. He went into the ball pit. He participated in the tea party. He wore sunglasses. He also found an old bib that was lying around and wore that. Then Cara put him in the high chair. He really had a very eventful evening. Cara spent some time in the bib herself, and we hit a new low before bedtime when we were both in the tunnel upstairs and she told me to put it on. I told her it wouldn't fit, but I tried it and it did just reach. So I wore it.

Interesting question of the night: After playdate, we were upstairs and Shelby came out from under the bed. How long had she been there?

11/19/07 (Monday)

It was a baking day at Susan's! They made corn muffins; Susan says Cara needs to work on her arm muscles for stirring. Susan does let the kids break eggs; she holds their hands and guides them through it.

It was a dark and rainy evening and Cara amused herself while I took out the recycling and trash. She danced. She wandered around with her special invisible-ink marker. She dumped out her Littlest Pet Shop bin. Eventually, when I saw her searching through the debris, I realized she was looking for her special invisible-ink-marker activity book, which usually lives in that bin. Smart girl.

It was just a quiet night at home. Cara enjoyed finding some old toys that are usually buried and running around with them. She found a lot of her old Mardi Gras necklaces and decided, among other things, to put them into the hat of her baby doll. I did not see the final outcome of that one.

11/20/07 (Tuesday)

It was cold, wet, and dark when Cara and I got home. We'd had a long day, so we had some hot chocolate. While we were drinking it, we had a long argument about which chair was mine and which was Daddy's. I think it was a draw. Then we discussed whose house this was. I definitely lost that one. It is not "our house." Cara is sometimes willing to admit that we all live here, but she insists that it is "my house!" "Mommy you just have to stop saying that right now!" She even held her hand out, emphatically, to signal me to stop. It sounds like we were fighting the whole time, but we did enjoy ourselves. Cara mainly used her spoon, but she also picked up her mug. Unfortunately, she is still fascinated by what happens when things spill, so she poured out some hot chocolate onto her place mat. We discussed why that might not be a good thing to do. She is generally very neat and loves wiping things up with napkins.

Downstairs, Cara told me she was going to school. Buster lay on the couch. "Buster, you go to school, too, and I learn draw your name!" Buster was somewhat less than thrilled, particularly because Cara, wearing several dangling bead necklaces, had climbed up onto the couch, too, almost on top of her.

We did get out our markers and draw. Cara drew big crescents and told me it was the moon. Then she drew many circle-type things, one inside another. I wrote her name for her, and she tried to copy some of the letters. She can really recognize an A, I think.

We do a lot of talking about Daddy while we wait for him. Today, Cara slyly told me that when Daddy comes home he will open the door and yell, "Surprise!" She thought that that was pretty funny.

Steve gave Cara her bath this evening, as usual. When I went up to get her out, her George bath toy was playing some sort of soccer with a shark or two, using the cap from a shampoo bottle as a ball. It looked like a rousing game.

11/21/07 (Wednesday)

When I picked Cara up, I helped her into her coat. She started to go get her shoes, but instead she turned around in a circle once or twice and then took her coat off. Susan laid it out on the floor for her, Cara stood by the top, bent down and put her hands into the arm holes, then straightened and flipped her coat over her head! I've never seen her do that before. She started messing with the zipper, and I looked at Susan to ask whether she was, possibly . . . ? "No," said Susan, "she can't zip herself." When I looked back down, the zipper was three inches up! It was a day of firsts.

Cara and I had a very late morning this morning. She firmly refused to watch the Higglies (I had turned on the TV as a rare morning treat), so I put on Diego and, per Mommy's suggestion as a way to get Cara to be excited about going to Susan's, gave her some temporary tattoo bats on each hand.

When Mommy and Cara came home it was time to start getting dinner ready for playdate night! The Loefflers were pretty much all sick or injured in some way, but since Cara had been with the kids all day anyway, a little more germ exposure couldn't really hurt. They had a good time playing, with the inevitable ownership issues over various objects and toys. Cara has developed the idea that I need to "cover" or hide the toys that she leaves in one place, "So that PJ can't get them." Oy. With a little Daddy diplomacy and evening out, there weren't any fights. PJ very carefully took out all the alphabet blocks and arranged them in a long line, or "train." Everyone had markers and most people drew with them--mostly on paper. Toys got strewn all over, as usual.

Cara and Mommy went to the grocery store and found gummy vitamins that are shaped like princesses. This is, of course, the best invention ever, and Cara was ready to consume the entire bottle as soon as she got home. We tried to explain that they were one-a-day vitamins, but in the end I forced Mommy to allow me to get out her secret stash of Gummi Bears. This did not really solve the problem, because then Cara wanted to carry around and consume the entire bag of Gummi Bears, and PJ had to have some too. In the end all things of a gummy nature were safely put away--so we could eat brownies.

For the first time in a while Cara got a colored bath. The time between made the experience very novel for Cara, who was so excited that she just had to get in the tub while the water was still running. This was also a bit novel for her, and she absolutely loved it. She played with the spraying water, cupping it in her hands and splashing it into her hair. It occurred to me that next summer she may be willing to play at a water park.

Two funny things: Em took PJ upstairs to give him a new diaper. I went with them, and Em and I were chatting. Suddenly she said, "I don't know, honey, why don't you ask her." She stood aside, and PJ, who had just gotten onto the table, asked Diane to change his biaper. Popularity is a curse. I changed him, and Em read Cara a story. Strangely, Cara, sho has insisted on sitting next to us in the story chair for weeks, perched happily on Em's knees.

Downstairs, Cara was running around with a snack trap. She knocked it against something and the lid came off; all of the crackers spilled. Cara crouched down among them. "Uh-oh! PJ, help me c'ean up my c'ackers!" Pj was busy in the ball pit. She looked around. We were all sitting there. "Ron, help me c'ean up my c'ackers!" Eventually she came over to get his attention, and he did go help her clean them up.

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