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Journal Key:

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

10/17/13 (Thursday)

Owen has all kinds of habits that make things take longer. For instance, in the morning we have gotten into the habit of bringing a snack with us in the car. This morning, even though he was still finishing the bagel that was his breakfast, he insisted on having his snack also. I didn't let him have Frute Brute cereal, but I did get him some Kix in a container. He may be one of the only children at YBR who consistently has a little something to eat when he gets there every morning.

In the evening he really uses the time-wasting techniques. Before the bath we have to take our clothes off, which can sometimes be quite a production. After the bath we have to run around instead of laying down to get into pajamas. In bed, we have to have some guys, which have to be retrieved. We have to have some water, which has to be very, very slowly sipped until the entire cup is empty (no matter how little water we put in the cup, it always takes several minutes to empty it). We get three books at most, but Owen has taken to flatly denying that he has gotten three, even when he most certainly has.

Lately he also has been trying to insert his "night light" into the routine. He already has a night light, which is his little mushroom-shaped light. But one night we played with the plug-in light that is in the hallway, and now he feels that he needs to have this at some point during his routine. Well, we did everything else tonight but at least he didn't waste time playing with that light.

10/20/13 (Sunday)

Today we went and picked apples and pumpkins with Aunt Claire! We went to a new orchard, which lacked some of the amenities of Eastmont, where we usually go, but which was only about ten minutes from her new house and which let us rent a picker at the end of a long pole. That was fun.

It was a long walk to the apples; we went past field after field. Owen lagged behind and ran ahead. At one point he noticed a pacifier someone had dropped: "I found a clue!" he cried. We hadn't brought any guys with us from the car, but he stuck his head into Claire's purse and when he pulled it out she found him her little duck keychain. When we got into the grove, he and the duck spent a while attacking trees.

There weren't many apples low enough for the kids, but they were excited about taking apples out of the bag on the picker. There was, alas, squabbling. There was also a difference of opinion between Owen and the rest of us on the advisability of dropping the apples into the bags. We kept telling him, and he kept ignoring us. Eventually I explained why, and he promised to do it the way we'd said. I think he put one apple in nicely; after that, he handed them to me to put in.

Once we had enough (well, more than enough) apples, it was time for pumpkins. Cara found a huge one and rolled it over. She wanted two, and we told her she could have that one or two. She abandoned it. Owen found several pumpkins, which he picked up with great effort and little success.

Back at home later, Owen, while playing in the playroom, was suddenly inspired: "Let's carve pumpkins!" So, we did. Well, Steve and Cara did. I managed to avoid having to get slimy, but that meant that when Owen decided to take all of his Avengers outside and play on the sidewalk, I had to go with him. It was cold out! I suffered.

Honestly, though he's still pretty cute and stuff, he's also been fairly awful this weekend. We've had a lot more screaming than we'd like, a lot less niceness, and a lot of non-listening. Three can be a difficult year.

10/21/13 (Monday)

Owen has been invited to a birthday party. It's a Pink and Purple Party! Wear pink or purple, if you can. It's Moira's party. Moira is, Owen tells me, a super hero. Miss Vina and Moira's mommy explain that Moira is a very big Owen enthusiast. She has a superhero pajama top, which she insists on wearing to school to show Owen. She apparently struts around, trying to vamp him.

In the car, I asked Owen who he'll marry when he grows up. "I will marry the other Batman!" he cried. Julia. Julia is the other Batman. Julia is also going to be Batman for Halloween. Poor Moira.

"Have I met Julia?" I asked Owen.

"Woah--woah," he said. "You're too big to marry Julia!"

We're still not clear on whether I've met her.

After dinner, Owen and I got back into the car and headed down the highway to get Cara. Owen looked out the window for the moon, which he pronounces "myoon." Finally, he saw a star: "I see the moon! It's shrinked!"

I suggested that this might, perhaps, be a star. No, it's the myoon. It's pretending to be shrinked.

10/22/13 (Tuesday)

This morning Owen woke up, opened his door, saw me, was horrified because I was not Daddy, and ran away. He spent the entire morning doing his very best to avoid me. When he had to go to the bathroom, he announced, "Someone has to turn on the lights!" I headed down the hall. He stood in front of me, pushing at my legs, trying to make sure I couldn't do it.

This evening, when I picked him up, he was perfectly civil. When it was bath time and Steve wanted him to come upstairs, Owen decided he really loved Mommy and stayed here, climbing on me and sticking his head into my sweater.

10/23/13 (Wednesday)

We're at what has the potential to be a nice phase in our playdate lives: Owen is very interested in playing games on the Nook, but he's really barely able to play them on his own. PJ is also very interested, and he can play them. The two girls went off to Cara's room, and the boys were happy on their own in the living room. I suspect that there are activities PJ would prefer to playing with Owen, but I'm pretty sure Owen is on top of the world.

Strange things work sometimes: When I got Owen out of the bath, I had him all wrapped up in his towel. "Take me--take me," he said. I picked him up and danced down the hallway singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." It was such a hit that I had to do it again, and then he was willing to get into his pajamas when I promised an encore afterwards. It also got him down to the bathroom and ready for toothbrushing, but by the time we were done with that we had moved on. He did try singing it on his own, at one point. I'm not sure where he was getting taken out to.

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