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Journal Key:

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

12/17/09 (Thursday)

Cara brought up the idea of kindergarten again today. This time, though, it was different. She is distressed because, when she goes to kindergarten, she'll miss all of her friends at YBR.

This evening I came home late and saw Casey peeking out at me (it was playdate night tonight). When I got in, I did not hear "Hello" or "Steve" or "You're late." All I got was "Play Samus!" I guess I know what I'm good for.

Cara was excited to show me the green bowl she made with a pinecone in it. She introduced this by saying "Daddy, I want you to smell something." It did smell somewhat cinammony.

12/19/09 (Saturday)

Cara was very excited about the holiday present she brought home for me from preschool. It was wrapped in white paper and tied with ribbon, and she very much wanted me to open it on Thursday. Unfortunately, I was cooking dinner and was very busy. She got her scissors out to help me open it. She cut the ribbon; it went much better after I told her to cut the part that went around the present instead of the part that dangled down. I opened the paper and was delighted to see the green-painted bowl she had made of paper mache, filled with fluffy white cotton and a cinnamon-coated pinecone. I told Cara how wonderful it was, and she was happy to find a special place to put it: on my dresser. She got it down later to show Steve.

Today was a snowy day, but it was not as snowy as it sounded like it was supposed to be. I hope that the night is more productive! Cara and I did go out for an adventure. We got a phone call from the township health department to tell us that there was a clinic in which Cara could get her second H1N1 shot today and that there was no line. I was somewhat surprised, since they've notified us in writing and by phone that they were saving their supplies for other people and that we would have to wait. Anyway, I went up to Cara, who was in the middle of some elaborate plot, and asked her whether she was up for going out to get another flu shot. As it was coming out of my mouth, I realized how unattractive this idea might possibly sound. To her credit, she didn't instantly reject it. While she thought about it, I added a sweetener: we'd pick up lunch at Panera. That did it. As promised, there was no line. Cara got her shot with no problem and got a nice monkey sticker out of it.

Cara is, of course, always growing and changing. Lately, we've noticed that she's dropped the second -ed that she'd had on the ends of her past-tense verbs. I likeded it a little bit when she started doing that, but I'm really quite glad to see it go. She's also spontaneously started closing the door when she uses the bathroom. It's a little strange. We were low on soap in the downstairs bathroom, so I went to get more and refill it when I saw her go in. I came back, and the door was shut. I was surprised. I was confused. Purely on principle, I restrained myself from heading in. It was tough. I loitered a while. When she got to the washing-hands part, sure enough, I was summoned and asked for more soap.

Cara's upstairs brushing her teeth with Steve. I just heard her say, "Daddy, I wish I had a sink in my room, and a bathtub, and a potty, so I wouldn't have to come in here to do this." Now Steve is explaining the concept of a master bathroom, suggesting that some day she'll want a house with one.

12/20/09 (Sunday)

The snow did come! We have about a foot outside. In the morning, we all suited up and headed out. I'm not a reckless six-months-pregnant lady, so poor Steve had to do all of the shoveling and get both of the cars out. Cara and I went sledding. That sled that (ironically) our Florida relatives sent us a couple of years ago really is pretty super. It's the best sled I've ever been on. The snow was fairly powdery and deep, so it was hard for Cara to get around. She managed, though! We got the sled up to the top of the yard and I ran it down the first time, to make a trail. I admit that I sort of got stuck, but eventually I figured out how to get up off of the sled on my own. After that it went quite smoothly!

Boo, the little dog from up the street, didn't listen to his daddy and came down to visit us. He ran on the snowblown sidewalk, and then he had to kind of wallow along in the snow. He chased Cara, but it was so funny to see him flailing around and it slowed him down so much that she just thought it was very funny. Then his daddy took him home and brought over his snow blower to help Steve. We're lucky to have good neighbors!

Cara and I headed down to PJ's house, since they were all outside. PJ was very happy to take as many turns on our sled as he could get; I pulled Cara down the hill on their sled. Casey had not liked the snow and had gone inside, but soon she came back out and I pulled both of the girls. Fortunately, Cara had gotten better about walking up hills, so I was able to just hold Casey's hand as we went up. Eventually everyone, except possibly Em, got turns on all of the sleds, and we all got wet and tired and cold. We went inside and had bagels for lunch.

In the evening, Grandmama and Grandpapa and GiGi and Aunt Claire and Casey ("Little Casey?" "No, big Casey") came up for a somewhat late Hanukkah celebration. Cara was tired. She actually didn't perk up until Claire and Casey arrived; she took them off to force them to do elaborate art projects. I felt very conflicting emotions at dinner when Cara tried and liked potato pancakes. I'm glad when she likes things, but sometimes it's hard to share.

As gifts, Cara got a pink-and-rainbow-and-sequin tutu, a tiara, and a wand. The result: she wants to be a fairy for Halloween.

12/21/09 (Monday)

I had a delayed opening today, so I was around in the morning. Cara didn't want to have breakfast with me, until she came in as I was about to sit down and wanted pancakes. I figured Steve would have made them, so I had to. I was grumpy about it, though! I took out my grumpiness by making her cut up her own pancakes. She did pretty well, actually, and with a little coaching I think she'll be perfectly proficient soon. The high point was when Miss Oh-no-someone-put-a-butter-knife-by-my-plate-take-it-away complained that I had not given her a sharp enough knife.

Ballet was the big event of the day. We brought a present for Miss Val-Ann; I put together a little bag of peppermint bark and some other candy, and Cara picked out red tissue paper. She was very excited about bringing the present, and she gave it right to the teacher when she came out. Cara also brought her new tutu and tiara to wear! In class, however, things changed. When the girls came out, they were all wearing elf hats and little red-and-green skirts. They'd even gotten their class picture taken like that, and with reindeer antlers, too. Each girl got a candy cane and a lollipop on a loop instead of a stick. There were little chocolates, but of course Cara was not interested. Cara wishes she had ballet every day! Instead, of course, she's going to have to miss a week, since the studio is closed for the holiday.

As a snack in the car, Cara had Cheerios and apple juice. She's "falling in love" with apple juice. Perhaps, she posits, apple juice is falling in love with her, too. Maybe that's why it loves to go down her throat. "Mommy, I just lo-o-o-o-ove drinking apple juice when there's Cheerios in my mouth! It's like soup in my mouth!" Sounds great!

Cara got to have her red lollipop-on-a-loop after dinner, and she didn't finish it before bedtime. I promised to save it. I put a chip clip on the loop and kind of balanced it on its side to stand it up on the counter, and I put a piece of tupperware over it to keep dust off. It makes me think that maybe things are getting a little weird around here.

12/22/09 (Tuesday)

A long Tuesday for me. Cara got up early and had some time with Mommy. Then Cara and I finished off our morning together. We brought a gift for Cara's teachers at preschool. We met Colin and his dad, who mentioned that Colin talks about Cara a lot. Cara brought two stuffed creatures into preschool, then was upset when she realized she was missing one. I tried to explain to Colin's dad that two was not enough--you need three stuffed animals. Maybe I was just rationalizing to myself why I had to go back to the car to get the other princess doll.

I was late coming home and had another interesting homecoming. The last interesting one I remember was when Casey met me at the door to yell "Play Samus!" Tonight Cara met me at the door, naked. She was getting ready for her bath, she explained.

12/23/09 (Wednesday)

I picked Cara up at one o'clock to take her to a party at Linwood, but it turned out that that was not Cara's first time seeing Santa Claus today! Santa came to preschool. Cara reported not that fact directly, but the fact that she was a little shy about getting her picture taken with him. He gave her a paddleball game. This evening, Cara explained to Steve that this was the Santa who lives at the North Pole. There is another Santa, who lives on the moon.

The school party was very crowded! The principal was dressed up as Santa and was handing out presents that parents had brought in. Kids went up and got their pictures taken, but Cara wasn't ready. Perhaps she would have if she'd had time to get used to the place, but Cara stayed back by me and Marcy, the Jewish elf, brought her her present. Cara opened it on the floor. It was the Sleeping Beauty doll that she'd asked for, which I had gone out yesterday to buy and stayed up (a little) late last night to wrap! "That Santa knows what I wanted! He's a really smart Santa!" cried the little girl.

I asked her just now where that Santa lives; she's not sure. Maybe the North Pole, too. I suggested that perhaps they were the same Santa, but the one at her preschool had a bigger beard. Maybe he cut it. Really, though, it's just a suit on him.

Sarah and Lina and Nick were all at the party! Once Cara settled in, it was a lot of fun to finally see her friends again. Among the girls, there were big big hugs and a lot of bouncing and squealing. With Nick, things were somewhat more subdued. The two of them got more time to play together, though, once things thinned out somewhat. At one point, Cara's new doll and Nick's Aquaman each jumped into one of Cara's boots and started flying around.

One of my co-workers was there with his guitar; he played Jingle Bells while the kids were all up for a group shot with Santa, and later he played a couple of things, too. He teased Cara because she was dancing all over the place when he wasn't playing, but then she wouldn't dance when he was. She liked him a lot.

After all of the cupcakes and popcorn and playing, Cara and I headed to my room. I set Cara up with some grapes and another little bag of popcorn, and the two of us spent the next hour and a half there, getting things tidied and organized. Cara explored my desk drawer and found some butterfly window clings, which I let her apply to the door. She drew me a new picture to use as a blotter on my desk. She also marched around with a little flag she found. Really it was a very productive time.

We also went out to Sears for a couple of last-minute items, and then we came home and I made dinner and cleaned up and cut up the bagels I'd bought this morning and then it was almost eight and it was definitely time for a rest. Cara's Barbie came out and has become good friends with Sleeping Beauty, who is also called Barbie half of the time. They're good friends, and they're both quite naked. They've been cavorting around the living room. They've noticed that SB has underpants painted on, but Barbie does not. Barbie asked me to buy some doll paint to paint some on her. She wants blue. Later, Cara claimed that Barbie had told just her that really she wants purple. Fortunately, Steve got home around eight thirty and we started heading for bed. That was quite a day.

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