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Journal Key:

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

12/13/07 (Thursday)

Cara and I were together again inside today. I made one small attempt to get us outside in the morning, so that we could maybe throw some Christmas lights on the bushes. But Cara said she didn't want to, and it started snowing, so that put a stop to that.

Mommy made us bread pudding! We both enjoyed it and had a nice breakfast. The morning was TV-free for a while but then Cara wanted to watch her old Baby Einstein videos. We put a few in. Some of them got switched off partway through because Cara realized they were very boring. Some of them had to be watched more than once. For lunch I showed Cara a silly frozen kids' meal that I'd bought at the supermarket. The feature which really caught Cara's eye was the brownie. She wanted it. She got into her chair and was very impatient through the whole microwaving process. I made a feeble attempt to tell her that the brownie was a dessert and should be saved for last. Of course she ate it first. But then she did eat most of the spaghetti and meatballs main course. Then it was off for nap time.

The only detail I can think of from our day together before the nap was when we got out Cara's alphabet blocks. As normally happens she had to spell her name (she has no idea how to spell it but gathers a lot of pink blocks and puts them together). Then she decided she would spell my name: "Daddy Genzano!"

While Cara was still napping, Evie got home! School closed early today due to the weather. We had a fine evening together but we laid off one dose of purple stuff and Cara did a lot of coughing. She still is not going back to Susan's tomorrow but I have to get back to work, so Cara will be spending the day with her Grandma.

12/14/07 (Friday)

Grandma braved the ugly weather and nasty traffic up from South Jersey to be with her little girl today. Like a good Grandma she brought chocolate, cookies, a light-up holiday card, a new DVD with Diego (yay), and left our toys in a very impressive parade stretching across the game room (of which Evie took pictures).

We optimistically thought Cara was doing better yesterday, but she woke up several times in the middle of the night and was quite hot and unhappy. She slept late today and didn't eat a whole lot. There was a lot of time this evening when she was basically herself (albeit with a very runny nose), but clearly this cold is going to hold onto her for a while, poor girl.

She watched a lot of TV but we also did some playing tonight. She bravely dug in to some Indian food for dinner, though once again she didn't eat a lot of it. She decided that she wanted her "big box," which is a box full of arts and crafts things that sits in the coat closet. It is supposed to be hidden but she knows exactly where it is and frequently wants it out. The result was that Mommy and I ended up cutting snowflakes out of paper using safety scissors. But before the box came out Ev told Cara that all of her other toys needed to be cleaned up--with this motivation, Cara did a very good job helping us to put to things away.

After the bath Cara declared that Mommy had to read to her, but she was willing to have me read her a story while Mommy was draining out the tub. After that it was okay that I read to her until it was time for her to get into bed.

12/15/07 (Saturday)

For me, the most interesting part of today was that when I was changing her diaper in the morning, Cara pulled up her pants. I suggested that she could use a new diaper, but she didn't want one. I talked her into wearing underpants and reminded her that people who don't wear diapers have to use the potty.

Then I went out, leaving Cara and Steve sitting on a towel on the couch. Cara had no accidents, mainly because she's pretty dehydrated from her cold. She sat on the potty several times, once squeezing out a little bit of pee. We got out stickers to use as prizes, and Steve made a nice chart that says "Yay, Cara!" on it. It has lots of circles to be filled in with stickers. Unfortunately, Cara got hold of the stickers and has already filled in half of them.

For her nap, Steve got Cara to wear a diaper with underpants on top. When I woke her up, her grandparents and Aunt Claire were here for a late Hanukkah celebration. Cara took a long time to get over having been asleep, but she gradually warmed up to the crowd. She was still more clingy with us than usual. She did like her to presents. One is another magnetic girl; this one is a ballerina. She has many truly ugly costumes and is sure to be greatly beloved. The other is a set of real insects in little clear blocks, with a magnifying glass to study them with. Cara instantly took them all out of the little holes they were set in, which were labeled with their names. It was exciting trying to put them back. There's a book, but I liked guessing.

We had donuts in the living room, watching Curious George. Now, that's the life. Cara ate the icing off of one of the pink donuts before everyone left. While we were downstairs saying good-bye, I heard her calling me. I came up. She had gotten her second donut and put it onto her plate; she was waving the butter knife in the air and asking me to come and cut her donut in half.

12/16/07 (Sunday)

We had a very quiet day. None of us went anywhere or did anything. Cara made it through the day without Tylenol, we aim to take her to Susan's tomorrow. She's not feverish, but she's still definitely got a cold with a big cough.

She is also still wearing underpants. Unfortunately, she's not much interested in the potty. We got her on it a few times, and we've established a sticker/rewards system of which I'm hoping Cara will see the point when she earns a prize. In the meantime, stickers are good. She did wet herself, though, four times today. It upsets her very much when this happens; she just wails. I'm not sure whether she thought she'd be potty trained when she started going without her diaper, but she certainly seems unpleasantly surprised when accidents happen. They sometimes happen a few minutes after we ask her whether she wants to go on the potty, so I think we just have to start putting her on there. We'll try that next weekend.

12/17/07 (Monday)

Cara had a tough day. She had a messy day. She started off with a very dirty diaper, which helped make her morning difficult. She went to Susan's, where she actually had a pretty okay day. Several other children are also sick, so Susan went through a lot of tissues. Cara did perk up in the afternoon and had a fine time playing, and she came home with a nice project.

I picked Cara up early, but I didn't feel like coming here, so we went shopping in Highland Park. Of course, Cara remembers going to the park by going that way, she she wanted to go there. We didn't. We did a little grownup shopping in a store where I carried Cara, to prevent her from freely exploring the merchandise. Next we went into a toy store, where Cara found a dollhouse. It had minimal furniture and a few little animal dolls with clothes. She loved it--I'm very glad we got her a dollhouse for Christmas! One thing she really liked was the little blankets for the beds; I'm sure we can find something like those.

When we had another dirty diaper, we came home. Cara tried wearing underpants again, and I got her onto the potty about four times. No success, but also no accidents. Cara didn't eat much dinner, and then, while we were cuddling afterwards, she coughed so hard that she threw up. On me. Well, I took Cara's socks off. I took my pants off. I went and found new pants. Cara wanted her shirt off. She wanted her pants off. She wanted her underwear off, but I convinced her it was okay. "Mommy," she asked me, "why you wearing clothes?"

She spent the rest of the night hanging out in her underpants. It was a day of travail mixed with moments of normalcy or even joy. Tomorrow I think we'll have the pediatrician check out that cough, though! I hadn't been able to make up my mind whether to take her back or not, and I think that the evening decided me.

12/18/07 (Tuesday)

With Susan's enthusiastic approval, we went back to the doctor today. We read the same Dora book about going to the dentist, but we only got through half before we were called back. Cara explored the examining room fairly thoroughly. She found a model of an ear on the desk, and I explained about the ear drum. Cara caught on quickly. You drum, and the sound comes out, and you hear it. She spent a lot of time drumming on the desk.

The doctor diagnosed a sinus infection and prescribed an antibiotic. He actually sent the prescription to the pharmacy right there, with his little palm pilot thingie! I've never seen that done before, and I think I go to a fair number of doctors. The health insurance company actually set them up with this system, in order to avoid errors. Very cool. On the way out, while I paid, Cara saw a poster of an ear and started drumming again.

She wanted a lollipop. I am pretty sure she's never gotten one there, but she saw a little girl with one last week.

We picked up her prescription, which is nice pink medicine. Cara wanted it. I had discussed it with her on our way to the pharmacy, and she in turn explained to me that her pink medicine would make her "happy again!" We got it and headed for home, although I think Cara wanted me to stop and give her pink medicine right then. I asked her what she wanted for dinner. "Pink medicine!" When we got home, I stopped to plug in the outdoor lights Steve put up last night, which Cara had not seen. Given her fascination with Christmas lights, I expected a reaction. No, she really just wanted to go get her pink medicine. Fortunately, even after all that build-up, she did like it.

Dinner, for Cara, was a little bit of Jello and some crackers. I'm taking no risks! She does have very little appetite, and I'm not going to push her. I'd like her to drink more, but the doctor said I can call back in a couple of days if that hasn't improved.

Cara really perked up and we had an almost normal evening. We spent an hour downstairs playing, coloring, and dancing. Cara is really getting good at coloring things in. I praised her heartily, which she liked. Then she set me to coloring something in. "Mommy, I'm really, really proud of you!" I put on music and we had to listen to the Little Neinsteins song at least three times, jumping and dancing around in circles. It was nice to get back to basics. Unfortunately, the evening ended badly with hysteria and melting down. It's hard to be patient, but I'm sure she'll be feeling better soon, and we'll all be happier.

12/19/07 (Wednesday)

Cara is coming back to herself! Susan says that the spring is back in her step. She's started drinking again, and we had a very successful playdate. I was worried that she would want to stay here on the couch, cuddled up with me, but Cara eagerly jumped up when I asked whether she wanted to go to PJ's.

The kids played together great, with only the usual minor squabbles. We had pizza, and Cara ate like her normal self. After dinner, she and PJ got out the giant roll of drawing paper and unrolled it across the room. When Em went down to check, they were running along it, back and forth. Em inquired whether they were getting married. "I getting married to PJ," said Cara.

Cara did NOT want to come home. It is possible that she has a little bit of cabin fever. Even in the bath, she was asking to go back to PJ's house.

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