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5/20/10 (Thursday) Today Mommy went back to work! We had a shockingly well-run morning. Owen got up around 5:30, and I gave him a bit of a bottle while Mommy showered. Then we swapped off. It took some coaxing from Mommy and Owen to get Cara out of bed, but after that we got through our routine very quickly. I have decided to skip breakfast, but I found that by the time we were all ready and Ev was walking out the door, we had so much extra time that I was able to eat some breakfast after all. I actually waited a bit at home, afraid that I would get to Yellow Brick Road too early! The kids on the preschool side of the street really like Owen. They ran over to him when I brought him in this morning. The teacher who's there is anxious and keeps them from getting too close. He is perfectly happy at the attention and smiles at them a lot. This morning Cara brought a baby doll, which she pointed out "looks like Owen!" to everyone that would listen. On the other side of the street, Owen smiled at the woman from the Infant/Toddler Center. I filled in my portion of his daily progress report sheet, left his bag of bottles on the counter, and returned to my car, confident that for once I would actually make it to work on time. Of course, life doesn't always go as you expect: my car overheated and I spent half the day at a repair shop. The children know nothing of it. Tonight is dance night, so Grandmama came to YBR to pick up Cara. Apparently they had a heart-to-heart on the steps, wherein Cara unburdened herself of many anxieties. She is worried about remembering the steps for her dance recital. She is concerned about Owen and wants to see where he goes when he gets dropped off in the mornings. She wants to spend more time at home. Who knew? I think it took quite a bit of coaxing to get her to go to dance class tonight. But once she finally went in, she had a great time. She now has a photocopied sheet illustrating her dance steps, which hopefully will help. The overnight with Grandmama has been cancelled for tomorrow. Tomorrow is orientation day at Cara's kindergarten! She also has a pediatrician appointment. So I have taken the day off and it will be a Daddy-Daughter day. The best part of the morning will no doubt be when the two of us go together to drop Owen off at the Infant/Toddler Center, and Cara gets to see where all the little babies spend their days. 5/21/10 (Friday) A very busy day today. The first, and possibly most exciting, thing that happened was that Owen woke up at around 5:30, having slept through the night! Wow. We had a good morning, Mommy went off to work, and Cara and I packed Owen off to Yellow Brick Road. Cara finally got to see the insides of the Infant/Toddler center (I got a quick tour, too, not having gotten one before either). We saw the cribs, Owen's swing and glider, the changing table and diaper cubbies. Then Cara got to go across the street and say goodbye to everyone at preschool, since we just grabbed her nap bag and headed back home. After that we had time to watch some old cartoons from a big DVD set I got for Christmas. There actually happened to be some Christmas-themed cartoons on there, to which Cara is naturally drawn, so we ended up watching them. One was a fascinating Russian cartoon about a boy trying to travel to Antarctica in a magic Santa jet in order to give his father a Christmas tree. Astounding. But we had to tear ourselves away from all that so that we could go to kindergarten! Today was orientation day. Cara brought a little baby doll with her ("It doesn't make any noise!"). We found the building and went into the gym, where there were lots of other parents and kids and folding chairs. Cara got a name tag sticker, which she promptly slapped onto her baby doll. We met PJ and Em and Ron! PJ put his name tag over his own mouth. The principal got all the kids together up front and read them a book about some kids going to school for the first time. Then some of the teachers herded all the kids out to a classroom while we parents got talked at. There was a lot of bad news for the school district. The budget has been severely cut, many jobs are going to be lost, and kindergarten will definitely be half-day sessions only. Ev and I will have to put Cara into a daycare facility to fill up the rest of the time while we are at work (fortunately, we have already located a place that will do it and provide bussing, for an affordable price). However, the staff tried to assure us that the academics would not be sacrificed, and that our kids would get the best support and education possible. I was favorably impressed by the teacher and principal who spoke to us, and Cara came back happy from her classroom visit with a bag of pretzels. Ev and I tried to question Cara afterwards about what happened when she went into the classroom. What did it look like? They got read a story, but what story was it? Did she see where the kids would be putting their belongings? What did they do? We were able to positively establish that the kids sat at tables, not individual desks, but other than that there was very little detail. The teacher who spoke to us today made a comment about the "outlandish" stories kids will tell about what happens at home, and the sometimes equally unlikely stories they tell to parents about what happens at school. This resonated very strongly with me. The teacher suggested that we parents promise to believe half of what the child says about school, and the teachers will believe half of what the child says about home. After kindergarten, it was back home again for some playtime and cartoon viewing. Then, off again for lunch. Cara wanted to eat at "my favorite place." I waited after she said this to see what her favorite place would be this time. It was Chili's. She declared predictably that she was going to have a corn dog, but several shocking things happened once we were actually at the restaurant. When the server asked us what we wanted, Cara claimed that she wasn't really sure yet. "Don't you want a corn dog?" I asked. Cara shook her head and gestured with her hands expressively. "It's too hot!" Who knew it could be too hot for a corn dog? The patient server suggested alternatives, and Cara settled on pizza--rather amazing considering it's what she had for dinner last night. To top it off, for her side dish she ordered corn on the cob. The little girl was very chatty with our server. Maybe it was because she was just a friendly young woman, maybe the kindergarten visit had made her confident (during the first story reading by the principal, many of the children volunteered unsolicited comments about things happening in the book), or maybe she is just getting more conversational lately. But whenever the server came by, Cara had some sort of comment, whether it be about how much she had managed to eat so far, or what she was drawing on her menu. Cara seems to prefer to use the potty when she is out rather than at home, even when I pointedly try to get her to go before we leave the house. She apparently tried the potty at kindergarten while she was away with the other kids and teachers (she told me that the soap dispenser in the bathroom has a sensor), and she had to go again at lunch. I decided to try something Ev and I had talked about recently, and had her go by herself into the ladies' room. And she did it! It was fairly boring for me to have to stand outside of the restroom, but it was a good thing. After lunch, it was back home again for a very short time, then back out again to the pediatrician. This was something Cara had been dreading all day, because she knew she was going to get a shot. I reassured her that thinking about it was the worst part of it, and that when it actually happened it would not hurt much and would be over right away. We were also going to get ice cream after. There were moments throughout the day when she would say "I wasn't thinking about getting a shot!" or "I'm not worried about getting a shot anymore!" but she was still anxious when we got there. (Getting there was interesting, since I'd never been to the building before and my GPS lady led me a bit wrong and told me I had arrived at my destination when I was still a few buildings off. Fortunately when we got to the right building, Cara recognized it: "I remember that ramp!" and "This is where I got my four shots!" She had only been there once before, to get four shots. So why she was worried about only one, I'm not sure.) There was an obligatory trip to the potty, then she got her shot. She got weepy, and tried pulling her arm away when the nurse tried to take it, so I had to sit her in my lap and hold her. But she didn't struggle and she didn't scream, and afterwards the nurse commented "I wish they were all that easy!" She got a nice Princess and Frog sticker. Then she got ice cream. Then, finally, our tasks were completed for the day. The only thing we didn't do was pick up Owen, so after Mommy got home she went off to do that. At this point I was about done for the day, but for Cara the fun had barely begun. First she wanted to use her Backyardigans sprinkler. While she was in the basement "helping" me to find it, we discovered some Play-doh, so we had to play with that. Once we had molded a few seals, though, the sprinkler came back up and Mommy went looking (Cara had to help her, as well). We decided in the end that since the Backyardigans version could not be found, the basic lawn sprinkler we had in the shed would suffice. Cara and I spent a lot of time playing in it while Mommy was picking up Owen and doing some shopping for a cookout dinner. We turned the sprinkler on; we adjusted it; we turned it off; we laid on our towels; we turned the sprinkler back on; I had to go get Cara's sunglasses; she put them on for five seconds, then took them off again to run in the water; and so forth. For dinner, we had hot dogs and corn on the cob. Good thing she didn't have a corn dog for lunch! Though it was a double-shot of corn. While we were eating, Cara hatched plans for going to the park, while we tired parents tried very hard to dissuade her. In the end, we got out sidewalk chalk, toasted marshmallows, and then Cara dropped all of those things to go around the block on her scooter after having seen a little boy going around the block on a tricycle (he was, hilariously, pedaling away while crying at the top of his lungs). Afterwards, before her bath, Mommy and Cara had the following conversation: Mommy: I love your dress, Cara. [Cara chose a very nice dress to wear today.] Cara: It has pasta things! Mommy: [Utterly mystified.] Cara: [Gestures to her shoulders.] Mommy: [Realizes that pasta things = spaghetti straps. Comes downstairs to tell me.] Owen, by the way, decided he was done for the day at around 7:15. He had spent some time drowsing outside in his bouncer while we ran through the sprinkler; I imagine that when he finally woke up, to find himself under a tree and his sister and father leaping through spouting water, he was wondering whether he was actually awake. He stayed awake for all of dinner and into our first scooter trip around the block, but after that he was clearly done. I took him inside, gave him part of a bottle, and he obediently fell asleep. He really seems to know his own bedtime! And I hope I am not punished for having said that. 5/22/10 (Saturday) Today Cara and I went out in the morning to buy her her first silly bands. These are the current hot trend. I first saw them in a store months ago and wondered why in the world they would exist. They're basically brightly colored rubber bands that, when they relax, hold shapes. Kids wear them on their wrists, trade them, look at them a lot. Cara got one at ballet last week and asked for more; a few kids at YBR have some. We got two packages: one brand-name and one generic. Cara picked out the brand-name one. It's very pink. The package contained four each in the shape of high-heeled shoes, lipstick, tiaras, gifts, sunglasses, and hangers. It wasn't the one I'd have chosen, but it's definitely very much Cara's favorite! I like the package of generics we got; it's more multicolored and they're shaped like lots of different animals. Some could sort of be a few different animals, but that's okay. So Cara has over thirty silly bands, and she spent the day wearing them and taking them off and looking at them and showing them to people. She likes having them all bunches up on her wrists, but for a while she had some on her ankles, too. One wonderful thing happened: Cara wanted to make another person from her kit of beads that get ironed, and she ended up making it herself! I mean, I did the ironing and I helped by sorting the colors, but she put them on the right pegs all by herself. I'm delighted! I feel liberated. I'm very pleased with her, too. She made a princess and she also made two butterflies. For them, she followed the pattern as far as where to put beads, but she did not follow the colors at all; she made her own symmetrical designs. I looked at the package. It says 5+. That means that those toy makers really know what they're talking about! I wonder what else she's ready to start to do now. We went to Grandmama's house for the afternoon. That was kind of tough for Owen, who did some fussing. I think we have to make sure he gets plenty of quiet time at home, at least for the first few weeks at daycare. He did still have some very good times, too, especially with GiGi. She does know how to make him smile! Aunt Claire brought her Wii Fit for everyone to try! It was very cool. Of course, Cara got to have a Mii who was blonde and wore pink. She wasn't quite able to master the games herself, but she did enjoy having us play as her. 5/23/10 (Sunday) Steve made an amazingly huge pile of pancakes today, most of which we kept as leftovers for the week. Steve predicts that Cara will suddenly decide she doesn't like pancakes anymore. The two of them ate while I was upstairs with Owen; when I came down Cara told me it was okay if I had "a pancake." I did. Cara has continued working on her bead people. She's making more free-form designs, including a tiny girl standing in some grass wearing a pink dress. Most of the beads we have are from a Christmas set Juliana gave us, so we have plenty of red, white, and green but not so much pink or brown or flesh-color. It's a challenge. I was amazed that Steve found enough brown and black to do the hair of one more princess. One side of her head has brown and the other has black. I suggested mixing them, but that might not have been any better. Most of the chores that we did today did not interest Cara much, but for some reason she was very excited about helping me put clean sheets on both beds. I'm not sure that it went any faster, but she did mostly help. She's learning how to put pillowcases onto pillows. She put the pillows onto the made beds, carefully folding the open end of the cases under, "the way big girls do." I guess I learned something new today. How was Owen's day? Much of it was great; some of it was fussy. He seemed to very much enjoy peeing on his changing table a couple of times, and he had a lot of fun splashing in his bath. A lot. I'm suspicious; it's possible that his father encouraged him. The bathroom rug is still downstairs drying; I hope it's better tomorrow. 5/24/10 (Monday) Cara told me again today that I could have "a pancake." I did not. I think the mornings are going well. The inconvenient part (for Steve) is that Owen's been getting up around five, so he has to get up to take him while I shower and dress. Today they both went back to bed for a while, and I gave Owen the rest of his bottle at six. I've been waking Cara up around six thirty. Well, I start at six thirty. Today I tried picking up her arms, one at a time. I was able to pick one up and swing it around a little before she took it back. It's really amazing. Em says that she's been talking with PJ about his having an alarm clock when he starts kindergarten. I have serious doubts about whether that would work for Cara. Another milestone reached: Owen definitely laughs! A teacher at daycare said that when she put him on the changing table today he just started laughing and talking to her, so she knows he recognizes her. This evening he laughed at Steve when he was playing peek-a-boo. Appreciating peek-a-boo is a milestone that he may or may not have reached. He really enjoys being changed and hanging around naked or half naked. We appreciate this and of course we're glad he likes it, but we hope that this will not cause us trouble, say, a year from now. It was taco night, which always makes Cara happy. Owen had a bottle when we got home, and then he sat in his bouncer and Cara colored at the table while I made dinner. I had music on and Owen got to see some dancing. Cara set the table. She gave me a purple napkin. She always uses purple napkins, and Steve and I generally have tan ones (to prevent the purple from running out). Tonight, though, "You can have purple, Mommy, because you're working so hard!" 5/25/10 (Tuesday) I picked Cara up before Owen today. She was very excited about getting to go over and help me get him. I'd figured it would be easier to get him first and haul him around than to get her first and take her with me over there, since she's the child who doesn't stay where I put her, but really she can and does help. It took a while to get her out of the back yard on her side, though. She had to go give Emily a hug goodbye. We were halfway out, already through the first gate, when Emily came running over for another hug. Then Mackenzie needed one, and so did Aeshna, and then Adrian. The babies at YBR went for a walk today. They ride in a big buggy. Owen's not big enough to sit in it, so a teacher brought in a carrier, strapped him to herself, and brought him out! He was happy and fell asleep. He was also asleep when we got there to get him. Last week they said that a lot of moms don't want their babies to nap late in the afternoon, because then they don't go down easily at, for instance, seven o'clock. I told them I'm glad to have him nap late, because then he's nice and awake for the evening with the family. Cara really loves to do things for and with Owen. Today she got to buckle him into his car seat twice! She's already shown us that she can unstrap him. She's also, of course, great at playing with him. This afternoon was really nice; he stayed on his floor mat while she had a bath, and afterwards we both went over to talk to him. He laughed and laughed! Next it was his turn to take a bath. I think I quoted from Green Eggs and Ham, and then Cara and I talked about how he would like those books some day and she would be able to read them to him. As a result, she went and got a little board book about a lamb. It was one with a finger puppet attached that pokes through a hold in the pages. She stuck her finger in and "read" him the whole thing, making it up as she went along. 5/26/10 (Wednesday) Yesterday, when Cara was looking at Owen as he lay on the floor, she told me, "Mommy, he has square nozzles." I've told her a few times that it's "nostrils." This may be her last, or one of her last, funny pronounciations! He does have square ones. I'm glad I'm not the only one who's noticed. Tonight Cara went into Owen's room at bedtime to say goodnight to him. She said goodnight to Owen, and to Steve she said, "Daddy, just don't forget to not turn out the light in the bathroom!" Then she kissed Owen and left. She is convinced that Steve is the only one who ever leaves the light off, and she's convinced that there's a constant danger of his doing so. She mentions it often. It's nice that I get a free pass! | Previous Week | Back Home | Next Week | |