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Journal Key:

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

3/6/08 (Thursday)

The kids played football at Susan's today; I got to see. Cara picked the football up off the ground and asked the others whether they wanted to play football. They did. Cara ran over to the driveway, everyone else (PJ and Johanna) running after her. There, they stood in a circle and kind of tossed the ball towards each other. Susan says that the ball has been a basketball and a baseball, also today.

Cara and I had to leave, though, because we had to go to the library; our books were due. A mystery was solved! Last time we went to the library from Susan's, Cara pointed out, to my astonishment and confusion, a "really cool lamp." I figured she really likes the lights mounted on the side of the building, which we approach from the other side when we come from home. It turns out, though, that we drove down a really cool ramp. That makes a lot more sense.

We didn't ask about the computer this time, and we were not interested in coloring or even in puzzles. We wanted to read books. I knew there was no way we would have the same good luck we had last time, and I was right. We found a lot of books that were just no good for us. Poor Cara insists on choosing them, which she does at random, and then she insists on my trying to read them to her. Many have way too much text for us right now. She also managed to find several semi-scary books, which were not helpful. We looked at a lot of books, and we ended up taking out six, some of which I thought looked pretty good.

We finally left the library around six thirty, to my surprise. I hadn't planned on spending an hour and a half there! Daddy was home when we got here, and we quickly threw dinner together. Cara insisted, as she has been doing at breakfast, on sitting in her high chair. I think she's doing some baby things lately as security blankets because she's also doing to many new, grown-up things. I'm fine with her using a sippy cup for a while longer, but the high chair is getting to be a bit much.

3/7/08 (Friday)

I picked Cara up early, around four, and brought her back here because the twins were coming over! Cara was a little disappointed because she didn't get to go to their house, but we talked on the way home about what toys she would want to play with with them. She was excited about playing with her girls with them, and she very much wanted them all to jump in the ball pit together. Cara ended up dancing around the house singing "the twins are my best friend!" There was much squeaking with joy when they arrived.

Like Cara at their house, the twins find it easy to become absorbed in all of the novel toys. They were not, at first, interested in the ball pit. Cara repeatedly went and got in herself and then began laughing uproariously to show how much fun it was. She almost seemed, actually, as excited to see Shannon as to see Lina and Sarah. She got out at least three library books and brought them to her to read, though Cara did not stay to really hear them. I thought she was going to ask Shannon to take her on the potty, but I was allowed to do that.

The girls all had fun. There was a lot of up-and-down-stairs running, and of course all of us had to go see Cara's big-girl bed. Lina and Sarah really loved the mural on the wall; they recognized all of the fairy tale references on the beanstalk wall, and they even recognized the Alice in Wonderland characters behind the door! Cara excitedly showed off how she could get water in her Jacuzzi, so then both other girls had to, too, repeatedly. It was a bit of a damp evening. Lina, also, likes to wash her hands, which she does very thoroughly and independently. She did it four times that we know of.

Cara ended up upstairs alone. Shannon and I noticed her calling, "Twins! Twins!" I suggested that she try calling "Lina and Sarah!" That worked better. She really isn't sure which is which, which I admit is particularly difficult now that they seem to have abandoned any system. (Lina used to be the one wearing pink, if anyone was, or at least the lighter color.) Often, Cara does just try calling them "twin."

Steve got home a little after six, and we all sat down for dinner, which consisted mainly of plain pasta. We also had some chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs, which led to an argument in which Cara insisted that dinosaurs do not say "meow," in which she was backed up by Sarah. The adults point out that there is no scientific evidence against the meow theory. Lina abstained from voting, as she had gone off to play.

My favorite thing is how the kids can play together; they can be in another room, laughing and laughing, and we have no idea what they're doing. I love it that Cara has friends she can hang out with away from us--not that we can let it last too long without making sure nothing terrible is happening!

Steve and Cara put on hand puppets to play, and he had a great idea. We have a plastic, squeaky hammer sitting around, and he taught Cara to hit the dog puppet, which would then (Daddy was wearing him) react humorously. This was hysterically funny for well over five minutes, for much longer than Daddy really wanted to be beaten.

It was very sad when the girls left, but the fun did continue. Lately, after Cara's bath, while she's sitting on my lap in a towel, I've been making my hands into little puppets who say things like, "we're gonna get those feet!" and then tickle her feet. Cara came into the kitchen today and started making her own hands into puppets and tickling her own feet. Then she asked me to do it. That was fun. They're terribly conniving, those bad hands!

Later we took a tiny ball upstairs; Cara wanted "those ladies" to kick it. It turned out that those ladies were my hands (not my bad hands) who could kick the ball on Cara's bed, which is also a baseball field. They were taking turns nicely when Cara told one she'd get a ball for it and then ran off to do that. She did return swiftly with another ball. When Steve came along it wasn't my turn anymore; it was his. He's much funnier than I am! Next it was Cara's turn, and then Cara and I played a miniature game of catch.

3/8/08 (Saturday)

We slept late today, until a quarter to eight, and when I went into Cara's room she was wide awake and still cuddled up in her bed. I put her on her changing table to give her a new diaper, and I worked her feet out from inside her footie pajamas, which she has not been wearing much lately.

Cara: Mommy, I forgot to say good morning to my feet!

Mommy: Well, okay.

Cara: Good morning, feet!

Mommy: Good morning, feet! Cara, do you think they say good morning back?

Cara: (in what is clearly a very serious foot voice) Good morning, Cawa!

Daddy took Cara to gymnastics today, where she had a wonderful time. She bounced home and showed me her two hand stamps, which were fairly clear this time. She told me what they were anyway, which was helpful.

After Cara's nap, we headed down to Middletown: it's Grandpapa's birthday! Happy birthday, Grandpapa! Cara was very happy to be allowed to decorate a cake for him. Grandmama asked what color cake he would like, and Cara wasn't sure. Pink, he answered! Grandmama made pink icing, and Cara helped spread it on. She did a far better job than many of us expected. An astonishing amount of sprinkles ended up on the cake, but it was not because of Cara. The lid came off while Grandmama was demonstrating how child-friendly the shaker was! Grandmama had also purchased some wonderful little princess-oriented sugar decorations to put on, so the pink cake with sprinkles had several little castles or crown on it. I'm not sure I was ever clear on exactly what they were. Cara also put almost twenty candles on it, which she got to help blow out.

While we sang "Happy Birthday" and "How Old Are You Now," Cara listened quietly, with big eyes. By the time we got to "Sto Lot," (sp? hmmmmm) everyone's favorite Polish birthday song, she had her hands over her ears. She puffed away when Grandpapa asked for help with his candles, but she was entirely ineffective until the last one, which Grandpapa decided was hers; then I moved the cake over and she blew it out. She was very excited to get her piece of cake. Predictably, she ate all of the icing. I didn't see it, but I hear that she ate some while decorating the cake, too. Having eaten the icing, she was ready for another slice.

Cara had a bath at Grandmama's, and then we dragged her away and took her home! She sat very quietly in the car but did not fall asleep. At one point she told us that she wanted to say sorry to Susan. She was not able to explain about what. "And then Susan will say, 'it's okay!'" Back at home Cara was ready to hear books and snuggle up with Daddy.

3/9/08 (Sunday)

I told Steve last might that I had a plan for getting the high chair out of the kitchen and thereby out of Cara's life. Either he didn't believe me, or he was asleep when I told him, because he was not excited. Anyway, I put my plan into action today. Cara and I went shopping and got some plastic plates, bowls, and cups for her. Of each we got two in pink, two in purple, and two in dark blue. I'm not really sure whether I'm crazy about the plates, which are the most distinctive of the things we got. They are rectangular and are divided into sections, all of which have pictures of funny animals in them. I'm wondering whether this will lead to a food-can't-touch issue or something. On the other hand, it might help because we could encourage her to eat something from each section.

We also bought a new set of shelves. We moved the little wooden bookcase back into the kitchen, and the new shelves will take its place in the basement. The bookcase has been banished to the basement for the past few years, as a part of babyproofing! Now, we needed it back because Cara needed a place to keep her special plates and things. She has all of her things on the middle shelf, and (guess what!) there's no room in the kitchen for the high chair anymore. She hasn't mentioned it.

We baby-sat PJ and Casey this evening, and we all ate dinner off of Cara's plates. It was nice; I set everyone's plate up before they came into the kitchen, with the same things in the same sections. I'm not sure I really want to eat off of one of these every night, but once in a while is kind of fun!

PJ's current desire is for everything to be big. Actually, he wants everything to be bigger. Earlier in the day, he rejected strawberries because they were not big enough. The largest one, which Ron describes as the size of four strawberries, was also not big enough. His parents got him out the door this evening by suggesting that they go see the moon. Of course, it turned out not to be big enough.

3/10/08 (Monday)

Cara and I played hide-and-seek this afternoon. I offered to count first. I covered my eyes and began; I heard Cara run to the next room. Next, I heard her begin counting. When I said "ready or not," she jumped out at me, giggling. Finally, I decided to hide. I stood in her closet with the door closed. I heard her triumphantly announce the commencement of her search, and then she was just puzzled. I had to call her several times and tell her I was in her room before she came and found me.

Cara: That's a good hiding place, Mommy.

Me: Thank you.

Cara: I'll hide there.

Me: Okay, I'll go count.

Cara: Mommy, you forgot to close the door.

I closed the door for her, went into the bathroom, and counted. As soon as I was done, she gleefully burst out of the closet.

Cara ate dinner on her pink plate, charmed when she could see a character's eyes peeking through her food. She did not object to the fact that Daddy and I ate on regular plates. She's also getting good practice drinking from a regular glass by using her new cups. Now, a few months ago I gave up on getting Cara hot dogs because I never got buns and she didn't like eating the hot dogs cut up. Lately, I bought buns and hot dogs, so I made her one this evening. She has eaten a couple like this lately. This evening, she made me take it out of the bun and cut it up.

The little girl was very patient tonight while Daddy and I got some household stuff done. She did a good job keeping herself amused. For a lot of the time she was near us and I was half-playing with her. The rest of the time, I think she was mostly playing with water. She got some in the coffee carafe from her toy kitchen and poured it into little cups on her table, which has always been a favorite activity but has never been a solo activity. Eventually she did get some on herself, which helped us get her to come upstairs.

We got my lipstick out. I have three colors, and I carefully put one on Cara. A lot gets near but not on her mouth, and then she licks and scrapes off most of what's on her lips. I let her put more on herself, looking in a little mirror. She put all three colors. Then she put some on me, carefully under and above my lips. Then some more. "Hold vewy stiw." We went downstairs to show Daddy how beautiful we were. He was, needless to say, shocked; he thought some horrible accident had happened to us.

3/11/08 (Tuesday)

Cara's great interest right now is playing with water. She loves to go into the bathroom and fill something with it, then carry it out to the playroom and pour it. Today, while I was putting away groceries, she filled the coffee carafe from her toy kitchen and got out several little cups. She really likes to pour water into the cups, then back into the pitcher, then into the cups, and so on.

She got me to move her table into the middle of the room, and then when I moved the chairs, too, we had to sit down and have a party, with water. Each of us had an assigned cup, and she had found matching spoons. Her big bear came to sit at one chair, but then we had to move to the floor and have a picnic on a blanket. A water picnic. We got out several more cups, and by the end each had one or two spoons in it.

When we got to show Daddy later, he found that his assigned cup had almost no water in it. I personally would have thought that this was a good thing, but he poured some from the red cup into his. "No, Daddy! That's for the red person!" Cara poured it back. Then she kept pouring and pouring things back and forth until she spilled. She was already in her second pair of pants. I'm working on teaching her to wipe up spills.

I'm of two minds on the water fixation. On one hand, it sounds kind of crazy to let an almost-three-year-old play with open containers of water inside. The potential for disaster is very great. On the other hand, the more she does it, the more she'll learn and the less likely spills will become. I hope. Also, if I forbid it somehow, that will only make it more alluring. I think we're stuck.

Cara and I played while Daddy cleaned up from dinner. She found a long ribbon, and we took turns "pulling" each other up the basement stairs. Next, we let the ribbon lie on the stairs and "slid" down it. Cara also played with two of the cats' mice. Buster tried to go after the ribbon, and Cara scared her off and then crooned, "Buster, there's nothing to be afraid of! It's all right. There's nothing to be scared of," as Buster ran away.

3/12/08 (Wednesday)

Many new and exciting developments. Yesterday, Cara asked me to dry her hair. For a long, long time, this has been a fight. Now, apparently, she concedes that it is worthwhile. Today, I gave her her bath. We played mermaids, of course, and then I got out the water-dumping container. We started doing waterfalls, filling it and then pouring all of the water out. Cara liked to have it poured on her back. She started pouring it on herself, on her tummy, then slowly moving up until she was dumping it over her own head and laughing!

Steve has also managed to make the getting-out part of the bath easier lately by "forklifting" Cara out. The name makes it fun, I think. She wore her footie pajamas this evening, and all I had to do was to help her get one arm into a sleeve. She is, overall, fabulous.

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