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Journal Key:

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

 

7/29/10 (Thursday)

Today was interesting for several reasons. It was Evie's last day at summer school! Yay! For that reason, I got to bring the kids to YBR. Cara let me ring the doorbell on Owen's side of the street. I got to see him sit up at the table and stare with great fascination at all the other kids. Cara brought a book to preschool with her, and I heard one of the nice ladies at the infant and toddler center ask if it was the new one she'd gotten. So clearly Cara has been telling everyone about her latest paper doll book.

Our interesting day was not over, because in the evening after dinner Evie left to go to a party! Yay! So I got the kids. Cara I believe now feels it is a point of honor for her to eat three hot dogs whenever we have hot dogs. This duty she discharged with gusto. Owen has not been very fond of eating his solids at home lately, but has been doing fine at school. He seems to be uncomfortable in Cara's old high chair. Tonight Ev got him to eat his dish of food while he was sitting in his bouncer. If he has to sit in his bouncer to eat, I am willing to let him do it. We are also considering putting a blanket in the high chair.

After Ev left and all of our dinners were over, we watched some Star Wars until I decided it was time for Owen to go to Sleepy Land. I explain to Owen periodically that all good babies go to Sleepy Land, and that his bottle is his ticket to Sleepy Land, which is a very great and wonderful place. For babies. I don't know how much he believed me about the bottle, but I did eventually effect his journey to that wonderful place. All the while, Cara stopped in the room periodically to whisper things at me, since I had expressed to her the importance of being quiet. She was a good girl and got into her pajamas while I was with Owen.

As we were getting ready to brush our teeth, Cara said I could pick all her books for tonight! Then she said that I could pick two, and she would pick one. Then it went down to me picking just one. Then, while we were brushing and I was looking through her books to pick out my choice, she nixed that as well and picked out a third. In the end, when we got to her third book she decided she didn't want to read that one and asked me to pick out a different one. Ironically enough by that time I really didn't feel like picking out books.

7/30/10 (Friday)

Except for having to get up at four in the morning and then again at five fifteen for good (though I do appreciate the extra hour I got in between) on my second first day of summer vacation, I really had a basically perfect day. Even though Owen was kind of clingy for most of the morning, I was able to get the laundry done and vacuum the house. Cara had me get out her lace-up bear and we found that she's now able to lace her clothes onto her much more neatly than she was a year or so ago! The bear had a busy day. She got to play in a soccer game and then she had to be a cheerleader and then she was in a play as a princess and then she got married. All eight of Cara's paper dolls and all three of her dress-up magnet girls came to the wedding. I can't tell what the dress code could possibly have been. One had a bathrobe on, but I think it was over a ball gown.

I'd thought I'd take the kids to the park in the afternoon, and Juliana reminded me that there's a flea market there on Fridays. She said that they had great hot dogs. Cara and I stuffed a picnic into the stroller, and the three of us headed off for an afternoon of adventure! Cara brought her little picnic basket, and we used those plates and napkins. We had lemonade and sat under a tree, and then Cara got to go on the swings. They were kind of hot, so we wrapped the swing in the cloth from her picnic basket. She went on the slides, and she suggested that I take Owen on one in my lap. I had not thought of that. In retrospect, it seems pretty obvious. I tried it, and he had no discernable reaction. Finally, Cara and I got to swing together while Owen watched.

On the walk home, Cara complained that it was too far. We should have brought a car. Then I pointed out a dragonfly in the field. "Can I chase it?!" Off she went, running while I waited by the stroller. Later, walking up Woerner, I noticed that she was skipping diagonally in a zig-zag across the sidewalk blocks.

The afternoon's most interesting conversation:

Me: Owen loves trees.

Cara: Yeah, and ceiling fans . . . and me! Mommy, does Owen love me more than he loves you and Daddy?

Me: I think he loves us all the same.

Cara: Because I love Owen more than you and Daddy, because he's my best baby brother!

Me: Well, I love you and Owen both the same.

Cara: (thinks about it) I guess I love everyone in my family the same! And Adrian, too.

We went out to dinner for Family Fun Nite, and then we played board games, sitting on the floor just inside the front door. Really, except for a couple of fussy periods and having to read Donald Duck Joins the Mounties, it was a perfect day.

7/31/10 (Saturday)

This morning Cara slept in late--until eight thirty! I recalled weekend mornings when I was in high school and I would sleep in until noon. I have no idea how I did that. We all had bismark for breakfast, which Cara claimed she liked better than pancakes.

Our big event of the day was going to Red Bank for the sidewalk sale. Actually, the ladies--Cara, Claire, Ev, and Janet--went to the sidewalk sale, while we men--George, Owen and I--stayed at the house. We almost went out for a walk with the stroller, but we determined that it was too hot and stayed inside instead. Owen was a good little boy and demonstrated his ability to mainly sit up by himself. He was not particularly keen on his bottle, and eventually George and I decided he was tired. George had the perfect DVD for putting babies (and all other living, sentient creatures) to sleep: the Pike's Peak cog railroad video. He put it on and eventually both Owen and I were asleep.

Meanwhile at the sidewalk sale, shopping was done and products were purchased. We got a sun hat for Owen, which is good since we've been looking for that. Owen also got a nice first set of dishes (a plate, a bowl, and a two-handled cup) with cute animals painted on them. Cara ended up doing well: she acquired some new outfits, new silly bands, some ice cream, a balloon animal, a bracelet, possibly some other things I can't remember, and the most exciting thing--her face got painted. She picked something "pretty" from a set of pictures, and she ended up with a sort of abstract design that was colorful and included three glued-on plastic gems.

George and Janet, just home from a tiring vacation, were nice enough to make dinner for us all--GiGi came too! The Bean was nice enough to finally take a nap for a little while (his nap during the cog railway video was short-lived). We had a nice time and stayed later than we'd really intended. Owen was over-tired and had an unhappy car ride home. Eventually Mommy took the extreme step of climbing into the back seat and at the end of the journey he finally was exhausted enough to fall asleep. I transferred him up to his crib. As it turns out he was not entirely down for the night even yet, and woke up a little while after we got home. Ev is currently getting him down again, hopefully for good.

Before she went to bed for the night, Cara had to say goodbye to her face paint. It was a tragic parting. The child got a good look at herself in the mirror, and got pictures taken, but still was in tears when the paint came off.

8/1/10 (Sunday)

I have a theory that as first-time parents we were very attentive to Cara and very anxious when we did things like take her places. We'd think things through and plan ahead and work everything around her wants and needs. Now, we're used to just tossing her into the car and taking her places. With poor Owen, it's hard to remember to work around him. Last night, for instance, we just threw him in the car when it was time to go, and he was miserable and made us all miserable. (Another example is our forgetting to pack extra formula when we first took him to Grandmom's house, months ago.)

Today, we did a lot better. We made sure to leave for South Jersey when he was tired and had just had a bottle. We had a quiet ride. After a few hours of being mostly happy there, he had some lunch and a bottle and fell asleep in my arms. After I woke up, half an hour later, we decided that the smartest thing to do, really, was to take that limp baby right home. He woke up cheerful just as we pulled into the driveway.

He had a very athletic morning. I left him on his blanket in the living room, and I came back to see Steve standing over him. I asked whether Steve had moved him. Nope! Owen had scooted about four feet, making a ninety-degree turn. He had a nice bath. He was very happy. He got so happy that he pushed his legs against the end of the tub and basically stood himself up, so that his head was sticking out the other end! He did this repeatedly and with great joy. I found it somewhat alarming. We're going to have to think about bathing alternatives.

Cara, in the meantime, and Steve had a very important day. Grandmom and Grandpop had gone up to the attic and gotten out a lot of old Star Wars toys. There was an Ewok village, there were several spaceships. In a box was Jabba, with the band and his trap door. I was impressed by all of this, but particularly by the open-belly ton-ton into which Luke could be inserted. There were easily two dozen action figures. Quickly, Princess Leia was found! Two Darth Vaders battled each other. Somehow, Admiral Akbar's head, which seemed to have been glued on before, came off. Storm troopers were caught in the net by Ewoks. Eventually, Princess Leia was relaxing in her chair in the Ewok village, using an Ewok as a footstool. Very comfortable. "Oh, C-3P0! C-3P0!" she trilled, "What are you doing?" 3P0 had gone over the edge and was clinging to a giant boulder suspended on a string, which was intended for use as a deadly weapon. "Oh, I'm just swinging here," he answered.

We had two good long car trips today. During that time and then continuing this evening, until dinner and then after Cara's bath, we read On the Banks of Plum Creek. We started this morning; we're 240 pages in. Cara understands most of it. She loves Laura but she doesn't like it when Laura is naughty. At one point she claimed her favorite part was when the grasshoppers were falling from the sky. There are two parties; Cara said she didn't like those parts so much because Nellie was mean. One part that Steve read to her while I was putting Owen down seemed to really resonate; she retold it to me when I came in. A little girl had come over and when she didn't play nicely with paper dolls Laura let her hold Charlotte, her rag doll. The little girl was allowed to take Charlotte home, which upset Laura (and Cara) very much. Later, Laura found Charlotte torn and abandoned in a puddle; she brought her home, and Ma fixed her.

It was twenty after nine, and Cara wanted to read more. So, in a way, did I. I hope she still has momentum tomorrow.

8/2/10 (Monday)

Today Cara and Owen wore the shirts their Grandmama and Grandpapa got for them at the Grand Canyon. Owen wore shorts with his! It was very exciting. Cara thought things through: we should go to her side of YBR and show everyone their shirts, and then we should go to Owen's side to show off the shirts there. Then we'd drop Owen off and finally Cara would be dropped off. The compromise I reached with her was that I'd pick Owen up before I picked her up, so that everyone on her side could see his shirt then. Actually, it made things more convenient for me! When I did arrive, with Owen, in the afternoon, she ran over exclaiming that she'd told everyone all about his shirt all day!

Steve (and I) felt uncomfortable with his old Princess Leia doll going to YBR, so Cara brought a Littlest Pet Shop dog instead. When I picked her up, it was not in her mailbox. She claimed that she'd left it there all day. I figure she can ask around tomorrow, and either we'll get it back or this will be a good incentive to not bring toys with her to school. We're all glad Leia is safe at home. Today, instead of building a street with all of her toy houses, Cara circled them together and built a castle for Leia. Leia lives in it with all of her pets.

8/3/10 (Tuesday)

Steve and I bought Cara a new Princess Leia today; she was delighted, of course. The two are princesses together. They live in separate castles, though, and the new one (me) got to set up a surprise birthday party for the old one (Cara). The pet cats helped, of course. We had to hide the presents and then the guests hid and then Leia came home. "Where are all the guests?" she asked. It was quite a surprise. Actually, it was sort of a surprise party combined with a game of hide-and-seek.

A toy pegasus was standing nearby. Cara explained that when any of the girls came near it, it just stuck out its tongue. On the tongue was a tag that read, "I'm magic. Don't touch me. The only one allowed to ride me is the princess. You're just not allowed. You can't have a ride." I didn't ask how the pegasus could eat.

It was Owen's bath night, and because he'd been so, well, active in his little tub the other day, Steve and I tried him in the real bath tub! The little one converts to a seat, but we agreed, as we did five years ago, that it's just not a good seat. Steve held him and I washed him. He definitely enjoyed it! It was his first time really in water. It's going to be an adventure for a while, I think.

We were lucky; he was down before eight this evening. By eight twenty, Cara was ready for bed. It's nine thirty. The three of us just finished On the Banks of Plum Creek. It would have been hard to stop, because the final forty pages are intense; Pa's lost in a blizzard on the prairie and finally comes home on Christmas eve. He's been under a bank of the creek within sight of the house, and he's eaten all of the Christmas candy, but he's survived. We have already promised that we'll start the next one tomorrow. Not tomorrow morning, as Cara hoped, but tomorrow. It's going to be hard, because the books keep making me cry, and that one is intense, at least at the beginning.

8/4/10 (Wednesday)

Owen, of course, really enjoyed his visit to the ENT this morning. He wasn't crazy about the parts where people took wax out of his ear, but he smiled at everyone and talked and generally enjoyed himself. The doctor thought she still saw some fluid, so she sent us to get a tympanogram to make sure. If it came out clear, he'd have a repeat ABR and maybe graduate from audiology. If it didn't come out clear, he'd get tubes. Owen liked the audiologists very much, which is good because they turned out to be Em's friends. (Audiology seems to be a smallish community.) They liked him too. He was "the smiley baby." He totally failed his tympanogram. He's never yet passed one. So he still has fluid, and he needs tubes. He'll get them on the 27th. It'll involve anesthesia, but just through the mask; no IV, no breathing tube. It'll take eight minutes. Then he'll go home.

It occurred to me later to wonder whether Owen's ears would bother him on the air plane. We have tickets to go to Florida next week! I asked Em, who called the audiologists, who gushed about how cute he was and then got down to business and said that he'd probably really really not enjoy air travel. We hadn't been able to all get seats together, so Grandmama and I had been talking about maybe changing the tickets to early November, when we'll be off for the teachers' convention. After hearing about Owen's ears, we decided to do that. It's sad, but it'll be great to go when it's cold up here! The scary part was telling Cara. This morning she'd told me she wanted to go to Florida today.

When I picked Cara up, Miss Jane was in the kitchen when we got her lunch box. Cara headed out, but I called her back. I explained about Owen's ears and how it meant he couldn't hear well but it didn't mean she had to shout at him any more than she already did. I explained about the plane hurting. I explained about Florida and about November. There were no tears. We were close, but we managed. I think it made enough sense and I pointed out enough good things that it was sort of okay. "You waited for me to do that, didn't you?" Miss Jane asked as I left. I told her that, yes, that was the plan, and that I'd have done it downstairs near Miss Grace if she hadn't been there. It's important to have backup.

Later:

Me: Cara, did you have a good day?

Cara: Yes! I just played with the boys. I chased them!

Me: Oh! Did you catch them?

Cara: No. Oh, never mind, they chased me!

Me: Really? Did they catch you?

Cara: No, because Miss Jane and Miss Kathy kept saying, "No hands!" "No hands!" So we just couldn't use hands.

Me: Who was chasing you?

Cara: Luca, Lucas, . . . Vinnie, Max, . . . Andre . . .

Again, Steve got Owen to sleep and we got to read. Mary is blind. The family is in debt. Jack is dead. (Steve and I both cried. After we read we checked and had to explain to Cara what had happened.) They did get to ride on a train, though, and better days are coming. Tomorrow.

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