|
| Previous Week | Back Home | Next Week | Journal Key: Green = Steve | George = navy | Janet = Purple | Evelyn = Black
8/21/08 (Thursday) Today was the best day I've ever had with all three kids being here! There were no major fights, almost no tears, and even no TV. There was plenty of cleaning up, plenty of turn-taking, and plenty of fun. For the entire morning, there was a guy working in each bathroom. There was some loud sawing and pounding, and that's partly why we went outside so early; dew was still on the grass! We basically played everywhere and with everything, but since we cleaned up as we went it wasn't overwhelming. We went around the block. Casey wanted the wagon out, so I dusted it off and she and PJ climbed in. Fortunately, since I then had to carry a distressed Cara, PJ soon got distracted and climbed out. Cara got in, and I challenged PJ to a race. We went up the street, running; he is much faster than I am, when I'm pulling a wagon containing fifty pounds of little girl. One potentially bad thing happened; we came upon a dying baby squirrel on the sidewalk. I told them it fell out of the tree and it was tired, and I made sure we walked on the other side when we came back. Poor thing! We made brownies before lunch, and I think I really timed it well. They were in the oven while we ate, so we had a good lunch before we ate our dessert! They're actually really terrible brownies from a mix Em sent over because she wanted to get rid of it and hoped that the kids would eat it all. The really bad thing is that I have two boxes of store-brand brownie mix downstairs, and now I'm scared they're as awful. Anyway, the kids had fun making them, and Casey got some batter on my shirt. They got to lick the bowl, and I made sure they were all clean afterwards. We ate lunch; I made them some mini-bagel pizzas. Cara and PJ ate theirs all up and asked for more. Like a sucker, I made more. By the time they were ready, five minutes later, they had moved on and had no interest. Casey ate only one or two, and I missed wiping her face before she left the table. I went after her to get it, and she gave me a big hug. A full-facial hug. Right in my shirt. I put the kids down for naps, even though the tile guy was still working in the upstairs bathroom. I read Cara one book. Casey went into her Pack n Play. I put PJ's mat right near her, so they'd be head-to-head. Susan says that they can see each other when they sleep at her house, so I figured it would be OK. Each child had an important stuffed animal. I snuck by almost an hour later; PJ was sitting up, and Cara's eyes were open. I pretended not to notice. Astonishingly, they all fell asleep! Casey was the first one up (diaper issues), and PJ stayed asleep after both girls were playing downstairs. I got a good two hours off. We went outside again and played bubbles, and I brought out the blueberries the kids hadn't eaten at lunch. They disappeared. I brought out our picnic blanket and lay under the tree in the front yard, looking up at the leaves and watching the birds while the kids sat and played around me. I got out the goody bags Em sent for the kids, but I held back a few items. Tomorrow we'll have gummy bears, though not if we want them to eat their brownies, and maybe we'll open the new DVDs. Each kid got a punch balloon, and I literally got a little dizzy blowing them all up! They also got animal crackers, which were a nice additional snack. We did a lot of drawing and sticking of stickers. Casey cleaned up the markers afterwards; she's really the best cleaner-up of the three of them. After dinner, which Em provided, we caught the ice cream truck. The kids got their usuals, a Spiderman for PJ, Spongebob for Cara, and Dora for Casey. When they were done, PJ and Cara went off to play. Casey took her time finishing; she ate the whole thing. Then she licked her bowl. Her face was astonishing. She came over and gave me a biiiiiig hug. All three of us went over to Juliana's for Cara's bath. Steve got the house tour, but Cara insisted that Juliana give her a bath. So, when she came back, she did. Cara let Juliana scrub her far more thoroughly than she lets us! She stood up on command and sat down on command. She remembers the toenail brush from Tuesday and insisted on using it. She ended up very clean. I had brought her yellow pajamas, but she wanted blue. We carried her home in her towel. We were able to because Juliana didn't hear her say, "I want something to eat . . . from Juliana's refrigerator." 8/22/08 (Friday) We survived our second day all together, too, with almost no fights. Our best game was ice cream truck. We have a toy Volkswagen Beetle which is white with red and yellow flowers and smiley faces on it, and yesterday PJ pointed out that it was like an ice cream truck. Ice cream trucks are also white, with colorful pictures. Today, the ice cream truck came around a lot. Everyone got some. I know that Cinderella really enjoyed it. The first few times, PJ, the driver, was eating the ice cream. I explained to him that he was selling it, and he embraced the role. No money changed hands, but everyone was encouraged to buy. We only had red and yellow ice cream, but it was good. This lasted all day. I've been learning interesting things about the girls. Yesterday, for instance, Batman was looking for his mother, and it turned out to be Cinderella. Steve points out that this cuts down on his crime-fighting motivation. Today, Sleeping Beauty spent several minutes gazing at an oblivious Casey, crooning, "My darling Casey. Casey, my little darling . . . " Strange. This was after Casey carried around about six naked girls in a frying pan. Yesterday, we made it through without TV, but today we were all tired. In the morning, I took out the Barbie Nutcracker, which Em had sent along. The kids were all really excited about having a Barbie movie. I was not. I sat on the loveseat with my back to the window, and PJ ended up kind of nestled in behind me, with a fine view of the screen. Cara came and got into my lap. They both stayed there for at least half an hour, to my surprise. It was nice. They were definitely tired! Casey, of course, ignored the TV completely and kept on playing. She wanted me to participate, but I was pretty tied up! The kids were mesmerized by the movie, but I think it was a little scary for them. I mean, I thought it kind of was, and PJ told me it was. There were several battle scenes with mean mice, of course. That movie went home with Casey and PJ. The one we have left is The Princess and the Pauper. Naps were short. First, while PJ lay nicely on his mat, Casey stayed wide awake and bouncy in her pack n play. I had to remind her several times that it was time to sleep. She finally dropped off. A little bit later, as I was eating my lunch in the kitchen, PJ provided an enthusiastic rendition of the alphabet--now he knows his ABCs, next time, won't we sing with him? I stuck my head up there and told him it was time to be quiet. The thought hadn't occurred to him apparently, but it sure made sense! He lay right down. I don't think he slept. Eventually I released him and Casey, and I forgot to tell him not to go into Cara's room. Soon she was awake, too. In the afternoon, I made a tent. I put four chairs in the middle of the playroom and draped a couple of old sheets over them. PJ and Cara camped out. They brought in all the play food and dishes and dumped them; I'm not sure what they cooked, but it sounded like fun. Steve got home pretty early and we took the kids outside, where he chased them all around, played freeze tag, and swung them. They took turns coming up to the top of the lawn and running down to him, to be lifted high into the air. All seven of us went out to Baja Fresh, where PJ and Cara stood on the bench after they were done and danced enthusiastically. Afterwards, the three of us went towel shopping. Cara gleefully ran among the displays. "I love towel shopping!" she had told us in the car. Apparently she does. We were at the Brunswick Square Mall, so I suggested that we get some tiny gelatinous ursines. "Gummy bears?!" cried Cara. I'm hoping it was a fluke. She really enjoyed them. She shared, too; Steve and I each got one. One orange one. She managed not to eat any that had fallen on the floor, and she had fun on the escalators. We got towels. It was a good trip. 8/23/08 (Saturday) Cara had a sleepover on Saturday. First we had my parents up, went out to lunch, and went to the Home Depot, which is always a fun time. Not long after Grandma and Grandpa left, we packed ourselves up and were off to Grandmama and Grandpapa's house. Evie and I went to visit GiGi, recovering in the hospital from surgery (which went well). Cara got to sign the card, and Ev discovered she writes it much better when given a line to write it on. We also discovered that the days of the diaper bag are effectively over! Cara's things were easily packed into a small backpack, which she had on her own back--for a few seconds. She also found her kitty rain galoshes in the closet and just had to put them on before we got in the car. Once in the car, I had to help her pry them off her feet. At 3, Cara does abstract art. She is in love with color and the flow of the paint on the paper. With crayons she asks us to create images, but with paints she is happy to experiment and play. We had our usual pleasant evening - we went to the mini-park for the swings and ran joyfully in the backyard with soap bubbles. She proudly helped me husk corn for dinner. We discovered that her new tiny paint roller is an excellent bath toy; it provides a novel way for a kid to wash herslef, and she could even use it to wash her own back! Cara woke in the night to use the potty. I woke to the sound of her crying, ran to her room and led her to the bathroom, where she gratefully peed. Then of course she had to have a drink of water and hear another story or two and we both went back to sleep. I left her bedroom door open and the bathroom light on for her. (She does have a nightlight in the bedroom.) Miraculously, she had kept her pull-ups dry. 8/24/08 (Sunday) George: for me the high point of the visit was at the very end, as Grandmama was gathering up various objects which travel with Cara--I was seated on our couch reading the comics. Usually we have to wave and remind Cara to say goodbye, but this time, without attracting my attention, she climbed up on the couch next to me and planted a kiss on my cheek and said 'Goodbye, Grandpapa." I gave her a big hug and then she was gone. Cara came back to the house late in the morning. I belatedly jumped outside to mow the lawn, and Cara and Evie went off to the store for some final shopping in preparation for the twins' birthday party! After lunch and a short nap, I woke Cara up. She was sweaty and irritable, but the idea of the party quickly perked her up, and she happily waved goodbye to me when she and her mommy walked out the door. Similar to the most recent birthday party Cara was at, which was held at a playground equipment store, this one was at a little gym! Cara was fortunately already accustomed to seeing uneven bars and balance beams, and got right into things. They played with a parachute, and got to sit on the bouncy trampoline-substitute while it inflated, and roll on it at the end to help it deflate. She did lots of somersaults and had some cake--presumably not in quick succession. Lately Cara has been showing both of us the back of the packaging that came with one of her princess toys. It was a birthday present with Cinderella-related objects in it, and there's an ad on the back for a similar Beauty and the Beast-themed playset. Cara was quite taken with it. Evie remembered that one of her prospective potty prizes was Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and now that we are seemingly done with potty prizes, there seemed to good reason to continue withholding it, so she got it today. She was suitably thrilled--even though it wasn't exactly the same as the pictured toy she'd been showing us, she seemed to think it was, and Belle got to go in the bath with her tonight. Yes, the bath! Cara had her first bath in the new tub tonight. It had a break in the middle when she got out and went on the potty. It was a pretty typical bath. The nice thing was that we don't need to put in our non-slip mat anymore, because the bottom of the tub has a non-slip surface on it. Today Cara was playing with two toys, and she had them say "Damn it!" I was aghast. Unfortunately it was entirely my fault: Evie and I both remember my having used the phrase in her presence just recently (I had spilled something and made a small mess). I explained to her that there are some words that are not nice to say. Then later today one of her girls used a word which she pronounced "Est," but which, through context and later questioning of her, we decided was meant to be "Ass." ("It's inside my butt," said Sleeping Beauty.) We really don't know where that one came from. Stay tuned! 8/25/08 (Monday) Today was a day of adventure for me and Cara. In the morning we put a lot of boxes of books into my car and headed down to Linwood to drop them off. We also brought my stool, and Cara got to climb up onto it and back off of it a few times. Our next stop was the mall, where we got Cara's hair cut! Cara sat in a taxi seat, holding the wheel at ten and two, as we had about an inch taken off. Her bangs are growing out nicely and are a lot less shorter than the rest of her hair now! As always, the woman blew Cara's hair dry, curling the ends up, and it was awfully cute. She looks much neater. It's the end of the summer, so I needed a treat. We went to the other mall to hit the food court for lunch. My idea had been to get takeout, but Cara, strangely enough, wanted to eat out. I got sushi, and she got soup. I got some ice cubes for her soup, and she ate her banana first. Then she ripped up her bread and put some into her soup. Then she tried it and put in more ice cubes. By now, of course, it was dangerously full by now. She finished her banana. She fiddled with things and fidgeted and was very good but didn't actually eat any soup. Oh well. I had sneakily managed to get Cara out of the first mall without doing anything but getting her hair cut and taking a brief walk, but I was not so lucky at the second. We passed some little quarter machines on the way in, like they have in grocery stores, and she noticed some plastic Care Bears. She, wanted one. Her enthusiasm was not dampened when I explained to her that they were toys, not food. (She'd been asking for gummy bears for hours.) On our way out, we stopped at the machine. Cara wanted pink. I explained a few times that you don't get to pick the color. The one that came out: green. It was Wish Bear! I was a little apprehensive, but it turned out that that one was Cara's favorite! He was going to live with her girls. Cara just needed two more: red and yellow and pink and purple. This one seems to be Cinderella's bear. She gets to hold him a lot. He came with us everywhere we went today, including our half-hour stop at the park in the afternoon. I'm sure he enjoyed it, and Cara let me hold him during the more strenuous climbing as long as I gave him back when she got to the top. She held him while I was putting her down for her nap. "I just need ninety more," she told me. 8/26/08 (Tuesday) Yesterday, in the car, I put on Annie. I had thought that Cara might like it, but the amount of explaining that I would have to do hadn't crossed my mind. Annie is about a little girl who needs a new Daddy. And Mommy. She doesn't have the old ones. While there are some alien and possibly scary concepts there, it resonates with the constant quest to find Mommy that so many of Cara's toys are on. She can relate to it. Then I had to explain a little bit, vaguely, about the great depression. There is a song in which people express the idea that the president has not done a good job. "I always tell people, 'good job!'" said Cara. Even Herbert Hoover? This morning we had it on again, and I got to explain what an overture is. Cara likes to look at the books that come in CDs, so she's been holding the one for Annie and looking at the pictures. We went raspberry picking with Grandmama and Aunt Claire! Grandmama explained what color of berry we were looking for, and Cara got her own bucket to pick into. That didn't last long. She ran around, "helping" each of us in turn. Then we showed her that she could eat berries, and she ran around doing that. She lasted a long time, and when Aunt Claire expressed surprise that Cara hadn't asked for a donut break, I explained that it was because she didn't know that that was an option. Claire volunteered to take Cara into Delicious Orchards for donuts; it was a prefect trip. Cara got to ride in a cart and help pick out lemons and limes, and they got donuts for all of us to snack on and take home. Cara ate a couple right there. We brought home all of our berries to Grandmama's house, and after lunch we tried putting Cara down for a nap. Claire read her a story; she selected Ferdinand, which is quite long. Oops. I read to her next, and she wanted her sippy. I let her have it and read her a short story. I brought her cup back down, and it was Grandmama's turn to read. She read, and then she had to get the sippy and Cara's girls. I made sure she reminded the girls that they were supposed to help Cara sleep. Unfortunately, they were not very effective in that regard. Cara got up and got to play for the rest of the afternoon. Later she got to go to the park with Grandmama while I went to see GiGi. She admitted fatigue on the walk home from the park. Cara fell very very soundly asleep on the ride home. I was able to unbuckle her and take her out of the car, still out. She was of course very needy and was limp on Daddy's lap watching George. We were hungry, but we had no dinner fixed because we'd all been out all day. At Cara's suggestion, we went to the I-HOP. She seemed to be freaked out by the waiter, because she was unable to speak when he was around at first. That is why we gave up and ordered her apple juice because she wouldn't say what she wanted. When he came back, we had to order lemonade, too. She got the silver dollar pancakes with scrambled eggs and bacon, and that kid ate almost the whole thing! She asked nicely when she needed Daddy to cut up her pancakes, and she put the syrup on herself. She was perky and cheerful; she danced the whole way out of the restaurant. It was much better than her usual nap-in-the-car wake-ups! 8/27/08 (Wednesday) Cara was very happy to get back to Susan's today. With PJ on vacation, though, Susan found the prospect of her day a little daunting: all girls! They had a great day, though. The project was another thingie to hang on Cara's door knob, and, now that I think about it, I had better cut off the curly ribbon that's taped to it before Shelby cuts it off for me. We played hard today. First, for no reason that I can imagine, Cara swept all of the furniture out of the dollhouse. We got out the foam blocks and built houses for the three girls (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Belle) and the bear, and then we furnished them. My favorite part was when I put the toilet into the bear's house and had him say, "Now you can all use the potty at my house!" They were thrilled. They'd just been having some pasta at Cinderella's house, to which the bear was not invited, but they came right over and all took turns using the potty. Cara made sound effects for each and had each get some toilet paper, and then she bent their little arms to make them use it. Next, of course, Cara smashed all of those houses and scattered blocks and furniture. Juliana came over and sat with us for quite a while. I got Sleeping Beauty; Juliana got Cinderella, who's been demoted since Belle turned up; and Cara naturally got Belle. She managed to entertain herself fairly well, largely by dancing around and squeaking. It's been occurring to me that many of the noises she makes, which are very expressive, are modeled on the noises that Curious George makes in the cartoon. I got to give Cara her bath this evening. It turns out that Belle is Bottle Cap's mother. She got him some cheese and some pizza. His nickname is Bottles. Belle is also the mommy of all the frogs, the mermaids, the little girl, and the daddy. She's a very busy woman. | Previous Week | Back Home | Next Week | |