We got you a new hooded towel for use after your nightly bath. It's white with an orange duck bill on the hood and two little black eyes. This towel thrills you. Every night when you put it on, you proceed to "quack, quack" up a storm and like to look at your duck-self in the bathroom mirror while you put on a show.
The other night, you were wrecked...no nap, long day travelling here and there, and lunch at Fisherman's Wharf's Bubba Gump (it knocked me out too!). By the time bath rolled around, you could barely keep your eyes open. When I put you in the towel, I quacked at you. You sunk into my shoulder and, instead of quacking, you just said: "This duck is tired."
The next day, Father's Day, you had gotten some wind back in your sails. Not only did you quack away after bath, but you also had a very busy day practicing hopping your way up and down the stairs at Yoshi's SF and walking backwards downstairs. You are very pleased with your newfound hopping ability! You enjoyed it almost as much as handing out stickers to all the kids in the audience pre-show!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
No More Diapers?
Should note that you've been wearing underwear full-time now since Sunday and doing an awesome job! Only 2 accident (one while napping). I think that you were just waiting for us to commit and take you out of the diapers to end this whole training thing that we've been working on since you were 17 months old!
You are very proud of your watermelon panties. And we are very proud of you.
Also, to note, 2 very funny things that you say in regards to your nightly cup of water and/or morning milk:
1. If a cup is empty, you refuse to see it as "empty." Instead you just say "it's not working very well" in the hopes that we'll get you a new -- and full -- cup.
2. One morning, half-asleep, I accidentally forget to put a lid on your milk cup which caused you to pour it all over yourself and the bed. You were very upset about this, but quickly recovered. After cleaning up, I said I'd get you a fresh cup. Your response: "With a lid?" Now you often like to be really clear, just in case, and let me know: "Mommy, I need some milk, with a lid, please!"
You are very proud of your watermelon panties. And we are very proud of you.
Also, to note, 2 very funny things that you say in regards to your nightly cup of water and/or morning milk:
1. If a cup is empty, you refuse to see it as "empty." Instead you just say "it's not working very well" in the hopes that we'll get you a new -- and full -- cup.
2. One morning, half-asleep, I accidentally forget to put a lid on your milk cup which caused you to pour it all over yourself and the bed. You were very upset about this, but quickly recovered. After cleaning up, I said I'd get you a fresh cup. Your response: "With a lid?" Now you often like to be really clear, just in case, and let me know: "Mommy, I need some milk, with a lid, please!"
Grandma Linda and Papa
You are so happy that Grandma Linda and Papa are here. Since you are often a bit reserved, I thought it might take you a little while to warm up to them, but not at all! As soon as you woke up to see that they were, as promised, here to visit, you broke out into a huge smile that you kept on your face all day!
You want to make sure that they don't miss a single thing that you say or do. In fact, you're so enamored of their company, that you don't even care if I'm around! You actually sent me into the other room earlier so that Linda could help you sit up Samantha in my spot on the rug!
Seeing you cuddle up on Grandma Linda's lap and stare delightedly at Papa's magnifying eyeglass tricks, makes me realize again that family really is special. The relationship you have with them is amazing. And it makes me so happy to see you so happy.
You're excited to take them to the Grind for pancakes and to the DeYoung for arts and crafts and music. And I'm just excited to watch you share it all with them.
This is when it's hard to live 3000 miles away from family and friends...
You want to make sure that they don't miss a single thing that you say or do. In fact, you're so enamored of their company, that you don't even care if I'm around! You actually sent me into the other room earlier so that Linda could help you sit up Samantha in my spot on the rug!
Seeing you cuddle up on Grandma Linda's lap and stare delightedly at Papa's magnifying eyeglass tricks, makes me realize again that family really is special. The relationship you have with them is amazing. And it makes me so happy to see you so happy.
You're excited to take them to the Grind for pancakes and to the DeYoung for arts and crafts and music. And I'm just excited to watch you share it all with them.
This is when it's hard to live 3000 miles away from family and friends...
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Panties, Busses, and Gummy Bears
The makings for a perfect Saturday!
We went to the North Beach fair today and you had a blast. You love riding on the bus (the other day, on the 24 Divisadero, you said: "Riding the bus is my favorite thing!" causing a jaded passenger to laugh and say "Just wait until you're older...!") and thoroughly enjoyed this trip, complete with making conversation with some crazy dude sitting across from us. You felt it was totally appropriate conversation to tell an odd stranger that you were going shopping for panties. He thought this was a good idea: "Listen to her," he said. "She's thinking about hygiene. Kids are smart!"
You loved playing in the park with the bigger kids though you did say at one point: "I'm trying to get some space and all the kids keep coming through." And you must have gone down the slide over 100 times!
We had dinner at your first Italian restaurant. You loved pouring the olive oil and vinegar and dipping your bread. But even better were the gummy bears presented with the check for dessert. Quinn heaven. You sat up very straight and properly when I told you that if you behaved these gummy bears would magically appear.
You marvelled at the tall buildings saying that they were the biggest skyscrapers ever, a word you said you learned from Tar Beach.
After chatting with more folks on the busride home, you got right in the bath with your "tilting" hat on. Even if you don't fall asleep until after 10pm (which I hope is not the case, for your daddy's sake!), I think we can still consider today an overall rousing success! The nice man on the bus reminded us to savor it all now because 0-5 goes so quickly. It does. It does.
We went to the North Beach fair today and you had a blast. You love riding on the bus (the other day, on the 24 Divisadero, you said: "Riding the bus is my favorite thing!" causing a jaded passenger to laugh and say "Just wait until you're older...!") and thoroughly enjoyed this trip, complete with making conversation with some crazy dude sitting across from us. You felt it was totally appropriate conversation to tell an odd stranger that you were going shopping for panties. He thought this was a good idea: "Listen to her," he said. "She's thinking about hygiene. Kids are smart!"
You loved playing in the park with the bigger kids though you did say at one point: "I'm trying to get some space and all the kids keep coming through." And you must have gone down the slide over 100 times!
We had dinner at your first Italian restaurant. You loved pouring the olive oil and vinegar and dipping your bread. But even better were the gummy bears presented with the check for dessert. Quinn heaven. You sat up very straight and properly when I told you that if you behaved these gummy bears would magically appear.
You marvelled at the tall buildings saying that they were the biggest skyscrapers ever, a word you said you learned from Tar Beach.
After chatting with more folks on the busride home, you got right in the bath with your "tilting" hat on. Even if you don't fall asleep until after 10pm (which I hope is not the case, for your daddy's sake!), I think we can still consider today an overall rousing success! The nice man on the bus reminded us to savor it all now because 0-5 goes so quickly. It does. It does.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Story Telling
We were writing stories today and you said that you wrote a story of your own, and it went like this (verbatim):
"There was a girl and a boy and they were both named 'dub-dub." They ate the crayons. Their mommy and daddy came. They just came out in the garden and watered the plants by themselves. All by themselves. They just stamped inside. They just ran inside the house. They went into the living room and played some cookies. They had red cookies. And then they went outside some more. And then they came back inside. And that was the story."
"That's the whole story I was talking about. That's my story. And there's one more story that daddy made up..."
"There was once a boy -- just a little boy not named Pierre -- (I just changed my mind mommy, I like Pierre). He doesn't eat crayons. He just draws with crayons. He draws it on an easel. He draws a picture of himself. It's a big boy and a little boy and a girl. And they draw pictures. They take turns on that stepstool. Then his mommy and daddy came. And they say 'good job' to them. They say good job for not eating the crayons. Then there was a cupcake. And they shared the cupcake."
"That's the story. There's something else in it too.."
"There's a girl named Samantha. A big girl named Samantha. She got her own stepstool so she can draw by herself instead of somebody getting on it. So she draws by herself. And then she got off. And after she got off she draw a picture of herself on the stepstool. And after she got off, somebody got on it. So she got a new stepstool. Her mommy buy a new stepstool for a big girl named Samantha. And then she draw by herself. And somebody else draw by themselves."
"And that's the story."
"Now Samantha has a story about one little girl named Samantha..."
"It's when she was trying to play with her mommy. She played with her mommy and daddy. She got happy. And then she got to eat a cupcake with her mommy and daddy. They got red cupcakes. And then it was yummy so they ate it all up. And daddy said that was yummy so they went back home."
"And that's the end of the story."
After I read you all of the stories you wrote, you smiled and said:
"Yeah. That's the story."
"That's all the stories."
For now...
"There was a girl and a boy and they were both named 'dub-dub." They ate the crayons. Their mommy and daddy came. They just came out in the garden and watered the plants by themselves. All by themselves. They just stamped inside. They just ran inside the house. They went into the living room and played some cookies. They had red cookies. And then they went outside some more. And then they came back inside. And that was the story."
"That's the whole story I was talking about. That's my story. And there's one more story that daddy made up..."
"There was once a boy -- just a little boy not named Pierre -- (I just changed my mind mommy, I like Pierre). He doesn't eat crayons. He just draws with crayons. He draws it on an easel. He draws a picture of himself. It's a big boy and a little boy and a girl. And they draw pictures. They take turns on that stepstool. Then his mommy and daddy came. And they say 'good job' to them. They say good job for not eating the crayons. Then there was a cupcake. And they shared the cupcake."
"That's the story. There's something else in it too.."
"There's a girl named Samantha. A big girl named Samantha. She got her own stepstool so she can draw by herself instead of somebody getting on it. So she draws by herself. And then she got off. And after she got off she draw a picture of herself on the stepstool. And after she got off, somebody got on it. So she got a new stepstool. Her mommy buy a new stepstool for a big girl named Samantha. And then she draw by herself. And somebody else draw by themselves."
"And that's the story."
"Now Samantha has a story about one little girl named Samantha..."
"It's when she was trying to play with her mommy. She played with her mommy and daddy. She got happy. And then she got to eat a cupcake with her mommy and daddy. They got red cupcakes. And then it was yummy so they ate it all up. And daddy said that was yummy so they went back home."
"And that's the end of the story."
After I read you all of the stories you wrote, you smiled and said:
"Yeah. That's the story."
"That's all the stories."
For now...
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Camping and Dancing Ladies
Our first family camping trip. You were keen on the idea: playing in a tent, going exploring, and, more than anything, getting your first taste of nirvana in the form of a marshmallow.
Overall, it was going really well. You loved cuddling up in your sleeping bag in the tent and reading books; you liked hanging out with the big girls (Sam, Ciara, and Lily); and, as night fell, and the fire was lit, you REALLY liked your marshmallow!
One little oversight on our part: we forgot to explicitly state that camping means that you sleep overnight in your tent. As we wrapped up the nighttime routine and tried to settle down to go to bed, you lost it. Really lost it, repeating an endless mantra -- at top volume -- "I want to go home." You thought we were just having some fun and then were going to go home. Totally unprepared for a night in a tent, you were just not having it.
You finally calmed down with the idea of cuddling up by the fire in your sleeping bag. So that's what we did. You curled up first on your daddy's lap and then on mine -- the only kid still awake with the adults. After chatting for a while, you finally relaxed and just watched the fire which, you decided, was "a dancing lady."
Soothed, and exhausted, we went to bed where you fell asleep peacefully with the flashlight still in your hand.
Overall, it was going really well. You loved cuddling up in your sleeping bag in the tent and reading books; you liked hanging out with the big girls (Sam, Ciara, and Lily); and, as night fell, and the fire was lit, you REALLY liked your marshmallow!
One little oversight on our part: we forgot to explicitly state that camping means that you sleep overnight in your tent. As we wrapped up the nighttime routine and tried to settle down to go to bed, you lost it. Really lost it, repeating an endless mantra -- at top volume -- "I want to go home." You thought we were just having some fun and then were going to go home. Totally unprepared for a night in a tent, you were just not having it.
You finally calmed down with the idea of cuddling up by the fire in your sleeping bag. So that's what we did. You curled up first on your daddy's lap and then on mine -- the only kid still awake with the adults. After chatting for a while, you finally relaxed and just watched the fire which, you decided, was "a dancing lady."
Soothed, and exhausted, we went to bed where you fell asleep peacefully with the flashlight still in your hand.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Congestion
You like to know your options. As you once told your daddy: "I have choices." Oh yes you do -- you always see to that.
Now, in addition to having choices, you like to made "congestions" aka "suggestions." When you wanted to read books yesterday, you weren't sure what you were in the mood for so I asked you if you would like me to make a suggestion. You thought that was a good idea, but then interrupted my series of suggestions to ask: "Can I ask a question? Can I make a congestion?" And so you did.
You also told daddy yesterday that White Bear plays the tuba while Sweet Dolly Lucy plays the piccolo, but, you said, "I like to call it a pickle."
Last night when you cooked for us, I believe you made mozzarella soup, but I'm not sure.
And, lastly, you kept your diaper dry all day yesterday. You were very proud to "recycle" and explained that this means that "We can go shopping for panties soon. Red. No mermaids. Just plain red."
Now, in addition to having choices, you like to made "congestions" aka "suggestions." When you wanted to read books yesterday, you weren't sure what you were in the mood for so I asked you if you would like me to make a suggestion. You thought that was a good idea, but then interrupted my series of suggestions to ask: "Can I ask a question? Can I make a congestion?" And so you did.
You also told daddy yesterday that White Bear plays the tuba while Sweet Dolly Lucy plays the piccolo, but, you said, "I like to call it a pickle."
Last night when you cooked for us, I believe you made mozzarella soup, but I'm not sure.
And, lastly, you kept your diaper dry all day yesterday. You were very proud to "recycle" and explained that this means that "We can go shopping for panties soon. Red. No mermaids. Just plain red."