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Journal Key:

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

2/5/09 (Thursday)

The most exciting news of the day is probably that renovation is about to start in Susan's kitchen. I think that demolition begins on Monday. She got the upstairs redone a couple of years ago, and the kids all slept through it every day. We'll see how this crew does!

Cara announced as we drove home that she was very hungry. She needed a snack when we got home. She needed a hot dog. I tried to distract her with goldfish crackers. Yes! She wanted some! . . . with her hot dog. It took me a lot of maneuvering to keep the snack small and low-key.

Before dinner, Juliana came over. She brought Cara a new baby doll, who came in a little carrier; she also knitted a hat for the new doll and one for Cara's big baby doll. They're both really cute. She and Cara petted Buster for a while before she went home. Buster was very tolerant.

The new doll has a pacifier. We got to explain to Cara that we used to call it a popper and why. "Yeah, that was fun!" she said, when we told her how she used to pop the things out.

I read to Cara and got her settled in bed. She asked me to bring her her new baby doll, the one Juliana gave her. They are all tucked in together. When I left, I heard her saying, "Puma, you can make a new friend . . ."

2/7/09 (Saturday)

Cara went to Grandmama's house last night, where the two of them made Valentines. Cara's very, very ready for it to be Valentine's day. She continued to make cards when she got home, using a set of stationery she found in amongst her art supplies. She drew pictures on the cards--she's very good at drawing people.

She is also quite good at writing people's names. Grandmama reports that she was making a card for me and, without prompting of any kind, wrote "DDY." Grandmama suggested adding letters to the beginning. Today she decided to make a Valentine for Puma. I told her which letters to write and she wrote them--she didn't need to be told how! It was nice.

Aunt Claire came today! She was a fantastic Cara-sitter all day. Cara had been wanting me to make paper bears for her, and I was a little guilty but also very relieved at being able to say, "Ask Aunt Claire when she gets here." Aunt Claire made paper bears, tigers, cats, and birds. Princes and princesses were also cut from paper today. There was much coloring of said paper creatures.

Cara had a predictable non-nap: a lot of noises culminating in repeated cries of "I'm ready to wake up!" In the afternoon Claire, the child and I all went out to Barnes and Noble. Claire and the child ensconced themselves on the floor in the kid section and read many books while I went searching for a grown-up one. When I finally returned triumphant Cara was looking absolutely exhausted. She wordlessly asked Claire to carry her out of the store.

This was not the end, however, because after dinner she was once again energized. She was exceptionally good at cleaning up this evening. Having systematically removed all of the many stuffed animals from the giant basket in her bedroom (then bringing the basket downstairs and referring to it as a "pool"), Cara had a lot of cleaning up to do. But she did it, and then Mommy suggested that she go downstairs and clean up her girls. Cara then went downstairs and--here's the amazing part--cleaned up her girls. All without supervision!

Cara also washed herself without supervision. She decided she wanted to sit in the bath with the shower curtain pulled across so that I couldn't see her, so I verbally directed her to put soap on her puff and scrub herself. Judging by the sounds she did an excellent job. A surreal farce was then enacted in which Claire and Evelyn were to stay away and "be surprised" that Cara had brushed her teeth. In the end, Aunt Claire had to come and help Cara brush her teeth, which is very hard to do when little girls jump up and down. Eventually Mommy appeared and aptly asked, "Did you brush your nose?"

2/8/09 (Sunday)

This morning Cara and I decided to go to Grandmom and Grandpop's house. Cara enthusiastically made valentines for them with her special blank cards that have a "C" on the front, and with Mommy's direction she wrote "Grandmom" and "Grandpop" on the envelopes. She chose her outfit, a predictably eclectic one which got topped off by a pair of kitty rainboots. It was so impressive that I had to take some pictures. Then we got in the car and had a fine time down in South Jersey. Cara got a big giant book full of Tinker Bell coloring pages, which she colored just a little bit before handing the task over to the grown-ups. She subjected us to yet another viewing of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which is quickly becoming a traditional part of every visit. Grandmom found some old read-along records that my brother and I used to listen to when we were little, and Cara got to hear some stories on those. She also took a nice walk with Grandmom. We actually didn't get out a whole lot of different toys this visit.

Cara fell asleep early in the car ride home and was out until I parked in front of the house. Then she needed her time to recover. Then she ate two hot dogs and was back to normal. In addition to her hot dogs she snacked frequently today, and also drank an incredible amount of punch juice this evening. We are hoping she has made a suitable amount of trips to the potty.

2/9/09 (Monday)

Today was a very beautiful day. After naptime, Susan got all the kids ready to go out. Just as Cara was about to go out to play in the fresh air with her friends, I showed up. Cara and I got into the car and set off for the long drive down to Lawrenceville so that I could see my doctor and get a shot.

"It won't hurt," Cara told me. "None of my shots hurt. . . . Except the one in the leg. That hurt."

Her logic, I told her, is truly dizzying. As far as I can tell, at least 90% of her shots have been in the leg.

We made it in fairly good time, and, like last time, Cara was delighted by the handicapped ramp leading to the door. I took the stairs. She was also delighted by the long set of stairs inside leading down to the office.

Yesterday at Grandmom's house, Cara tried Peppermint Patties. She did not like them. She and Steve brought some home. "It's good that you like those," she said. "I don't." Today, the doctor asked whether he could give Cara something. It was a little Peppermint Patty. She was very excited. I mentioned the fact that she didn't like them at all. No one listened. Guess what: today, she likes them! "I'm much bigger today," she explained. She ate up the whole thing and put the wrapper in the trash.

Anticipating leaving Cara in a chair in the hallway while I got my shot, I had picked up something new for her. It was a little Dora coloring book with a "magic" marker that made the colors appear on the pages. When I was done and ready to go, Cara was not. It took some convincing to get her to come with me. I suggested that she could color in the car. No. I told her it was time to go. No. I said, OK, I'm leaving. I'll see you tomorrow. "Mommy, I can color in the car."

We had some quiet time back at home. Then Cara became industrious. On her own. She put on three very colorful band aids. Somehow this must be stopped before she develops a one-box-a-week habit! Then, she got out one of the large coloring pages Grandmom gave her yesterday. She got the tape and taped it to the wall. She sat there coloring it, and then she started singing, "I love you, Grandmom, it was nice of you to give me this," and so on. I suggested that we could call Grandmom to say that. It turns out that that's what she was writing on the picture. It's spelled "C-A-R-A T-P-I-O-Y"

2/10/09 (Tuesday)

After daycare today, Cara and I went out to buy dance clothes. We found a nice store with two very well-informed teenage girls to help us. They explained all about how to select a leotard and what all of our various options were. We elected to look at short-sleeved leotards, in pink, of course. Cara tried on a couple, both of which were pretty good. The first skirt she picked out had a big bow and flowers on it, and I was relieved that she wanted a different one to try with her second leotard. The second one was much more subdued. We went with that. The tights that the girl gave us were also pink. I started to become alarmed. Was that too much pink, I asked. The girl looked at me very seriously. "I like pink tights," she said. OK!

Now I am putting together a "dance bag" where I can keep all of Cara's things. Tomorrow I'll try getting her changed at Susan's and see how that goes!

I made what was really an elementary parenting mistake this evening. I saw a band aid wrapper on a chair, and I asked Cara whether it was from this evening or this morning. Well, it wasn't from this evening. She hadn't gotten any out this evening! Now, she had to! Soon enough, we were on the couch with a neat pile of band aid wrappers and three of Cara's fingers were bedecked. She's been going through them about two or three at a time, at least once a day, more likely twice. Soon, we'll run out. When we restock, we'll be keeping them in a far more secret location.

2/11/09 (Wednesday)

Today Cara had dance class again! She was excited and happy to have her dance clothes. I hear she is concerned about being able to learn the songs that she has to dance to. Evie reports that the princess song is really quite awful.

It was also playdate night! PJ steadfastly denied any interest in a hot dog, while Cara happily downed at least two and also wanted to try our vegetable lasagna. Then we went through an interesting interrogation with the kids about what they'd had for lunch that day. Some of them claimed hot dogs (which would help explain why PJ didn't want one), some of them grilled cheese. The question was never resolved satisfactorily.

After dinner PJ wanted to play Cara's video game, but quickly changed his mind and decided he would rather play my old Super Nintendo. PJ did a great job of taking turns with Cara (who thankfully wasn't all that interested in playing herself), and did a creditable job trying to play the games. We whiled away quite a bit of the evening playing various games. PJ and I finally hit on a perfect team play game in Super Metroid, where I moved the person and he kept hitting the shoot button. Eventually his finger got tired.

Now for the first time in quite a while Cara is allowing Mommy to give the bath, so I get to read to her. Sometimes she assigns one or the other of us to "do the journal," though we don't think she really knows what that entails.

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