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Journal Key:

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

2/21/13 (Thursday)

It's been lovely to converse with Owen lately. He's sounding very mature, except for when he decides that the only way to communicate is through screaming. (Screaming can express so many emotions!) I offered him carrots this evening. "Do we actually have carrots?" he asked.

He's also a very smooth and persistent copycat, especially of Cara. Yesterday, in the car, she asked what was for dinner. As I started to answer, he asked what was for dinner. As I started to answer again, he interrupted me again with the same question.

Cara got back some books she had lent the twins. I told her about it in the car on the way home. She said how much she'd missed those books. "Mommy," said Owen, "I miss my Vengers and my little guys."

It's become very difficult to get Owen to come upstairs to take a bath in the evening. He's discovered, though, that if he keeps eating lunch he can delay his nap on the weekends and if he keeps eating dinner he can delay his bath. Really, that's kind of ok with me right now: whether he's taking a bath or eating some more, he's doing something I want him to do!

2/22/13 (Friday)

The teachers at YBR asked Steve whether Owen, at home, "gets 'Owen ideas.'" No, he does not. At school, however, he apparently would stop, put a finger to his nose, and announce, "I have an Owen idea!"

2/23/13 (Saturday)

I pulled myself together this morning and took the kids out to Target. It was rainy, but we made it there early enough to get a cart that had been inside all night and was nice and dry. I appreciate still being able to put Owen in a cart.

One thing we got was socks for everyone! I found Owen some plain old white and plain old black ones, with non-skid thingies on the bottom. He had me hold his guys so that he could hug his socks. Even when we went over to the big kids section and Cara got to pick out colored ones, he was still hugging his new socks.

I had told the kids we'd get a treat for lunch. Of course, we saw lots of things that looked interesting. We went past the candy to the produce section, and Owen found some pistachios. Those were more important to hug than the socks. Once she'd agreed on what she'd eat for lunch when we got home, I let Cara get some pre-Easter Peeps.

Back at home, I made grilled cheese for Cara while Steve shelled pistachios for Owen. It was sort of a race: could Steve stay ahead, or would Owen catch him? Persistently, Owen refused to eat anything but pistachios for lunch. Afterwards, Cara had a Peep. She got one in a bowl for Owen. We explained to him what it was. We convinced him it was something to eat. Eventually, he touched it. It got sugar on his hand. We had to wipe his hand with a damp napkin and remove the offensive object.

In the afternoon Grandmama and Grandpapa took the kids down to Jenkinson's Aquarium, which reopened this month! They had, as usual, a wonderful sleepover.

2/24/13 (Sunday)

Owen's phrase of the week is, "I'm too busy," as in, "I'm too busy to do whatever it is that you want me to do right now." Much of the time he was too busy coloring, an activity that shows huge improvement in fine motor skills. As a result, his other phrase of the week is, "I made that." He was too busy to take a bath and too busy to go out to breakfast; Cara and Grandpapa dined in style at Sissy's, while Owen and I chowed down on bacon and eggs surrounded by our paper, markers, and story books.

Thank goodness he is such a copycat. He followed me and Cara upstairs and brushed teeth along with us rather than be left out.

He also mimicked me this morning as he fled through the house naked while Grandpapa pursued with clothing. "He's in his glory," I said. "I'm in my glory!" he echoed. We did manage to send him home fully clothed.

Owen is often too busy for things at home, too. He's got a lot going on.

Cara and I went to PJ's birthday party this afternoon, while Steve gave Owen lunch and put him down for a nap. He didn't get him down until after one o'clock. Cara and I went out for a while after the party and didn't get home until around five: we were astonished to find that Owen was still sleeping! We woke him up.

One of the things we'd gotten at Target yesterday came in very handy today. We got bath crayons. I figure that everyone should get to have bath crayons. Once. They were a wonderful inducement to get Owen upstairs this evening. I joined everyone up there while the water ran and found both kids drawing on the tiles they could reach from outside the tub. I made some letters for Owen. When he asked me to draw "a creature" I decided it was time for me to leave Steve in charge! From what I've heard, it's been a fruitful session.

2/25/13 (Monday)

Today at YBR Owen, for the first time, was the one who sang the "wake up" song for everyone. It's something to do with little bunnies sleeping. The teachers are very proud of him. They had another Owen story: they're working on the idea of sharing. He had a lot of blocks, and they pointed out that a little girl had only three. She went away happily with some of his. "I'm not sure how I feel about this," Owen said.

Usually, when we get home, I hand Cara the house keys because she gets to the door first. Today, she was reading a new library book to Owen in the car. He was not interested in changing his routine to finish it, so I got him out. I still had the house keys, and he decided it was his turn. I told him he could bring them to one of us, whoever got to the door first. Cara got there ahead, of me, but instead of giving her the keys he ran off into the yard to escape. She gave chase, but he eluded capture. I called them down to the door, but he wouldn't give me the keys, either. It was his turn. He actually found the right key and held it out. Cara held the storm door open while I picked him up and helped get the key lined up. He got to push it in, and then I was able to open the door.

I made pizza, and the kids happily ran to the table for dinner. "Can you cut it up for me?" asked Owen. Well, I had already. He ate a couple of pieces and asked for a banana. We protested that he had pizza to eat. "I just want two things at the same time," he explained. He finished the banana, some pizza, and some slices of pepper. Then he wanted a muffin. Cara suggested (after she lectured him in a very high-pitched third person about how Cara always eats healthy things first when Mommy tells her to) that he have a banana. "I don't like bananas this week," he declared.

2/26/13 (Tuesday)

When I went down to the playroom after dinner because Owen was screaming and found out that he was freaking our because Cara was playing with the castle-shaped box that he keeps his small guys in, I remembered that YBR had been working on sharing lately. I took the box, and I explained to him that it was his box, but Cara was taking a turn. It was still his box, and she would give it back. I was very thorough. Then he got distracted and Cara didn't really want the box and no one cared.

A few minutes later, though, I noticed that Owen was giving me things. He came and gave me a green ball. He brought me a bracelet. Then he wanted to know whether his blue dinosaur wanted it. He was practicing sharing! I think it's a concept he may not really have explored before.

If we can make equal progress on not throwing things at people, we'll really be getting somewhere!

2/27/13 (Wednesday)

Thank goodness Cara had a pajama day last week! I don't think Owen would have believed us when we told him it was pajama day at YBR, otherwise. We spent a few vague moments last night in what we knew would be a futile effort to communicate to him that the pajamas he was putting on were not the ones he would wear to school, so he should save his favorites.

He wore his Supermans last night. In the morning, Steve suggested that he wear his Scoobies. I'm not sure whether Steve did that on purpose to steer him towards his Batmans. Anyway, as a result of Steve's suggestions, Owen wore his Batman pajamas to school.

He was still thrilled about being Batman when I arrived to get him. He insisted that he was Batman, not Owen. He was so excited and active that I could barely get him into his coat until I told him that PJ was coming over tonight. "PJ and Casey and I will play! Because that's just my favorite thing that I do," Owen told me. I did not point out that it's the only thing he does.

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