Monster commute from hell

Four hours, folks. It took me FOUR HOURS to drive from Hillsboro to Portland in last night's freak snowstorm. Combine the fact that no one here knows how to function in snow with the very real threat of ice-slicked roads and you get one horrific commute.

I'd say that it felt as if I was in NY again, but have never experienced anything like this. Not in New York, not in Minnesota, not in Chicago. And certainly not here: Cars abandoned by the side of the road, drivers spinning out of control on the highway while crawling at a snail's pace. One huge parking lot for miles and miles and miles.

The only consolation when I got home was Drew's news about Rachel. Last night, she stuffed her socks INTO her shoes before picking them up and carrying them to the shoe drawer and dropping them in. Way to go, Little Girl!

I'm now headed out to dish and see a movie with two close friends -- a real girl's night out. Thanks, Drew!

Where did she come from?

This is what Rachel did last night: As we were getting ready to play in the living room before dinner, I took off her shoes and socks. I put the socks in her shoes. Then she took the shoes from me, walked out of the living room, through the dining room and hallway and to her bedroom.

I turned on the light and she walked into her room, straight to the drawer under her crib where we keep her shoes, opened it, dropped her shoes in and closed the drawer. Then she matter-of-factly turned around and began walking out of the room.

I applauded her wildly. What else could I do? How did I get this baby? Where did she come from?

Drew swears she has inherited his "order and method" gene. I believe he is right.

Weekend with Molly

Just got back from a great (if tiring, since the drive is two hours each way) weekend with our friend Molly and her three kids. Her 5-year-old daughter, Camilla, continues to be entranced with Rachel and couldn't give her enough hugs and kisses. At one point she decided she wanted to drag Rachel around in a cardboard box, sort of like a train ride, so she picked her up, deposited her in the box and off they went! I was so taken with Rachel's matter-of-fact attitude that I cracked up.

The big news is that Rachel SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT! Molly graciously let her use 16-month-old Marigold's crib, and I got Molly's bedroom, which means Rachel slept in Camilla's room all by herself. When Rachel woke up at 8:30, this morning, she stood up in the crib and just looked around -- no panic or anything. And then she just wanted to cuddle against me this morning while we listened to a musical rhyme book.

More big news: Rachel added another word to her vocabulary: cra-ca, which means "cracker." She says it over an over again, even when she doesn't want one.

One slightly bothersome thing: It seems that Rachel can no longer spend two hours in a car seat without whining. So, that may mean that trips to Eugene will take slightly longer because I'll have to pull over and find something to amuse her with.

I deposited her at daycare just as her friends were down for their naps. She started sobbing when Teacher Karen took her in her arms, and I bet Karen was cursing my slacker mommy-ness. I hope Rachel's crying didn't wake the other kids and I hope they don't kick us out of daycare.

How does she figure this stuff out?

Drew was holding Rachel in his arms last night while he was heating up dinner and waiting for me to come home from work (yes, he is now capable of holding a child in one arm while stirring up beef stew with the other). He got out a small pot and told Rachel it was for the egg they were going to have this morning. (They share a hard-boiled egg on weekends; I can't stand eggs so it's their routine, not mine).

Rachel whined to be let down. He placed her on the kitchen floor and she pointed at the refrigerator. He opened it and she went right for the bottom shelf where we keep the eggs. She lifted a foil-wrapped piece of pie off the egg carton, placed it to the side and started pulling the egg carton out.

"Honey, eggs are for breakfast!" Drew said, stunned. "We're eating dinner now."

Rachel apparently was not pleased. Drew said she kicked up quite a fuss.

I have no idea how she figured out where the eggs were. She has never seen Drew or I take them out of the refrigerator, let alone boil them in the pot.

There must be a secret classroom in daycare where they learn all this stuff, just to mess with their parents' heads.

Christmas Eve

We had a quiet day today. I took off work because daycare was closed, so I arranged a playdate in the morning with a Jewish mom named Carly. She's a member of Portlandjmamas, a listserv I'm on. She has two kids, 28-month-old Lucy and 14-month-old Jimmy, and another boy on the way. Carly is 29, lives in a huge house in a beautiful part of Portland (the Eastmoreland neighborhood) and her husband runs...a skateboard shop. He's a Buddhist. She's a stay-at-home mom. No, I have no idea where their money comes from.

We talked for over an hour and I would have stayed longer except I got worried we would miss Rachel's nap window. But Carly is really nice and the kids played well together (well, at least played parallel to each other) and we had a lovely time. Toward the end of the visit, as I mentioned we had better get going, Rachel -- unbidden -- began putting the toys back in the cart where Carly had gotten them. I was so impressed!

Later, when she went down for a nap (after a really whiny lunch), I went down for a nap myself -- and slept two hours! I guess I haven't yet caught on the sleep I missed when she was sick. Drew, who was working today, finally brought her to the basement guest room where I had sacked out. We went back upstairs and Rachel and I played in the living room while Drew finished up his day. Rachel pretended to talk on the cell phone and during dinner prep, she was so helpful! She carried the milk jug to the refrigerator and placed it on the shelf (she's a strong little girl!), then threw some old parsley and crumpled-up napkins into the garbage when we asked.

She also put spoons and forks on the table. When I accidentally set out lunch napkins and Drew suggested dinner napkins, Rachel handed me the lunch napkins and took the dinner napkins from my hands and put them on the table, too!

I think she understands a lot more than we think.

Sick baby

I was set to leave early today because I had to cover closing arguments for a trial in Hillsboro, which is an hour away. So I got up, showered, put makeup on, dressed up in a skirt and boots, got the diaper bag and my to-go breakfast ready....only to decide, after Rachel woke up crying at 7:15, that she really shouldn't go to daycare. She looked miserable and she had a temperaute of 100 degrees or so, so that confirmed it.

She woke up at 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. and I really hadn't gotten much sleep so...I just changed into my cruddy mommy clothes (good because my zip-up maternity jacket ended up getting Rachel snot all over it) and fed her breakfast. Of course, even though I was off I had to make calls to set up a Christmas Day story, let my editor know I wasn't coming in, re-jigger everything today to do tomorrow...all without Drew who was in Seattle. Bottom line: Some of you will get your holiday cards late. Now you know why.

We ended up spending much of the morning snuggling together on the couch because I was too tired to play with her, and at one point we both fell asleep with her cuddled in my arms for a half-hour! She took an hourlong nap which gave me just enough time to finish all the work-related stuff I needed to do. By 3 her temperature had gone down and I was stir-crazy, so we ended up at a great coffee shop called Urban Grind with not one but TWO playrooms. The playrooms were badly lit and kind of dingy, but lots of Legos for Rachel to play with and the hot chocolate was really good. Afterward I drove around a bit, looking at Christmas lights while Rachel napped on and off in the car seat. We got back home at 6:20, the time we usually return on a normal Tuesday, and the night proceeded much as normal. She even ate half a Gardenburger, some jarred vegetables and some apple slices.

She still has an awful cough -- it sounds like that of a tubercular patient -- and lots of mucus but seems to be perking up a bit (although she was definitely ready for bed when I put her down at her normal time of 8:30).

I hope this means she is on the mend. At least Drew will be home tonight although he has to work yet another $#@! weekend shift on Sunday. I am really, really tired of him being gone so often but that is the price we pay for his great job and the flexibility it gives him.

Cough cough cough

...actually, I should title this "Bad Mommy #897." I spent today, my day off, trying to put together a Christmas Day story for the newspaper since I am working that day and need to come up with something live to write about. Then I went to lunch with my friend Amy and her son Tony. Then home again, a short nap, and on to the hair salon to get my shaggy, out-of-shape hair cut short enough so I don't have to go back for three months.

Sometime during all of that, I got a call from daycare, then a second call, then a call from Drew wondering where the hell I was. Turns out that Rachel had a temperature of 102 degrees and was really lethargic. I called daycare, apologized profusely and raced downtown. When I saw her I could tell immediately she was sick -- she barely noticed I was there and then plopped down in my lap just wanting to cuddle. Usually she stays there for about a minute and then it's on to something else.

I was practially crying when I started talking to the daycare attendants. They said Rachel was fine in the morning and then in the afternoon seemed listless, which is how they figured out to take her temperatue. Her poor little head and cheeks were so hot that I got scared and asked them over and over again if I should take her to the hospital. No, they said, just give her some baby Tylenol before she goes to sleep.

When I took her home she perked up a bit and even ate some applesauce, shells and jarred food. She tried to bring her diaper bag over to me and when I told her it was too heavy, she started crying. I took her into my lap and began cuddling her, then continued on the couch. Worried that she'd fall asleep, I drew a lukewarm bath and she almost dropped off wrapped up in her towel in my arms. I quickly changed her into a light sleepsuit and she fell asleep as I was singing her lullabies. (I sang an extra song and read her an extra book because I felt so bad that I had missed all the calls to pick her up. How could I? What is WRONG with me?).

I have a trial to cover tomorrow that starts at 9 a.m., meaning she needs to get to daycare at 8 a.m. This morning she slept until 10 a.m., which should have warned me that something was off. But she seemed her usual cheerful self.

I hope this is nothing serious. But I can't help worrying, especially because Drew is in Seattle and I am on my own tonight and tomorrow night.

The Wisdom of Molly

Our friend Molly always sends out THE best Christmas letters. They're usually composed of entries from her blog. A few years ago her letter started with, "It is said that we don't remember days, we remember moments." So here is a moment I will always remember:

Drew building a fire for me before taking Rachel to the library to check out some books. Me sitting next to the fire and listening to "The Nutcracker" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" while filling out holiday cards.

Then, Drew & Rachel returning and Rachel sitting nearby playing while Drew ran out to get some last-minute stuff for dinner. Then Rachel decided she wanted to sit on my lap, so....I held her on my left knee with my left arm wrapped around her tummy while I gave her a sticker to play with and I finished writing out a few cards with my right hand.

The fire was slowly dying but the living room was filled with light. I remembered how much I wanted a fireplace when I was growing up in an apartment in Hackensack, NJ. Now I have one and it is so cozy to sit next to a bright fire on a rainy night with a sweet little girl at my feet.

Breakthrough #467

No more lifting Rachel into the car seat. She toddles to the car, tries to climb in (and gets frustrated because she can't quite do it). Then I give her a little boost, she climbs into the car seat, settles herself in and waits to be buckled up.

"She's growing up too fast," I told Drew yesterday morning.

"She will get bigger, you know," he answered.

"Well, I'd like her to do a couple more things on her own -- go to the bathroom and feed herself," I said. "And then I just want her to stay where she is."

Those of you who remember how insane I was in her first few weeks of life -- insane enough to believe that she would never, ever get bigger -- know how astonishing this conversation is.

And yes, I would like another baby. But we would stop at two. I think.

Last night of Hanukkah

Our friend Constance came over last night, bearing a lovely gift for Rachel -- a book with music accompaniment -- and some chocolates for me. Since I had the day off, I spent much of it cooking beef stew, brownies and a cake for a party we're going to tonight right after I get off work. I was pooped by the time I lit all eight candles!

Constance, who spent a lot of time with Rachel when she was a baby, was very impressed with how grown-up she is. She watched, astonished, as I gave Rachel some silverware and she placed it on the table. Then I gave her some napkins. She accidentally dropped them on the floor and wouldn't pick them up until I had asked her a couple of times (I thought of giving up, but thought better of it and kept saying, "could you please pick up the napkins, Rachel?" And, eventually, she did!). Constance said she has never seen a child so young be so helpful.

Later, as I was putting her to bed, Rachel picked up her shoes that I had left next to her changing table. "Can you please put them in your drawer?" I said. She toddled over to the shoe drawer underneath her crib, dropped the shoes in, and closed the drawer.

I really hope this helpfulness sticks.

Appreciative audience

The other night, when Drew was singing Rachel to sleep, she looked up sleepily after he finished each song, clapped one or two times, then snuggled back into his chest for another song.

I can't think of anything more adorable. I wish I'd seen it!

Screech, screech, screech....

Rachel can only have picked up the screeching from daycare. It is incredibly annoying and almost ruined our dinner last night. Drew finally slammed his hand down on the high chair tray and said, "STOP IT." Whereupon she immediately began crying. And continued when he had to leave the dinner table twice to clear out his throat.

Her behavior continued when she screamed during her bath and screamed when Drew tried to brush her teeth. I can never do it because she clamps her jaw shut and it's impossible for me to open it, so I just give up. I think the solution, much as I hate it, is to trick her so that when she opens her mouth I can stick the brush inside and at least wipe a little bit before she starts sobbing.

I'm hoping tonight is better than last.

Child labor

Rachel was astonishingly helpful today. Some things she did:

--When I took her downstairs to take laundry out of the dryer and fold it, a pair of underwear fell on the ground. "Can you please pick that up, Rachel?" I asked. She did, and TOOK IT TO THE LAUNDRY BASKET AND PUT IT INSIDE. Not wanting to let go of a good thing, I gave her a couple of pairs of socks and she toddled over to the laundry basket and dropped them in.

--When I told Drew this, he was impressed. I told him I might try to give her silverware and have her set the table. He poo-poohed that idea. But while he was out shopping and I was getting the table ready for our Hanukkah dinner, I decided I wanted to see what Rachel would do if I gave her silverware. She was hanging out by the kitchen table when I handed her some spoons and asked her to please put them on the table. She did! Same with forks, napkins and even knives (although I think I'll save the knives for when she's a bit older). I was so gratified, I kept saying thank you! thank you! THANK YOU for being so helpful tonight!

--Drew gave her an apple and she didn't seem to want the skin. So she toddled to the wastebasket and tried to open it herself. Drew needed to help her do so, but as soon as it was open, she threw it inside.

I am beginning to thinnk we may be able to bring in some extra income by hiring her out as a mother's helper...

Hanukkah, family-style

We had a lovely family celebration tonight. I actually managed to coordinate the baked chicken AND the latkes so that they both were done more or less at the same time. So we were able to eat a hot dinner. Yay!

As soon as I lit the candles tonight, Rachel immediately covered her eyes as if to say her own blessing. I was so touched!

Then we opened presents, although as usual, Rachel seemed more interested in the wrapping paper.

17 months!

Geez, I'm almost losing track of her "birthdays" each month. Hard to believe, since when she was but weeks old, the time seemed to drag. I'd get to the end of each week and sigh, "well, she's that much older" and hope that things would get better.

And they did!

Rachel is:

--no longer a baby! She is walking walking walking everywhere.

--saying "hi" in a bright, sweet voice. Tonight she said, "hi!" over the phone to me!

--extremely helpful, picking up crumbs, shrugging out of her sweaters and jackets when we take them off, handing us stuff when we ask for it. We hope this generous trait sticks!

--adjusting quite well to the new Toddler 1 room at daycare. We are told this is the hardest transition she'll make, and we feel we got lucky. She's an old pro now at playing in the dollhouse, going down the slide, listening to songs...

--very appreciative of music. She recently clapped when Rhonda, one of the teachers, sang songs. And sometimes she claps after Drew or I finish singing her lullabies.

--developing a sense of rhythm. She moves almost in time to music, whether it be hymns in Hebrew, Old MacDonald, or bebop.

--regularly feeding herself out of the jar of baby food and, in contrast to last month, getting most of the vegetables/applesauce/fruits on the front of the spoon, instead of the back, and putting it in her mouth!

--sitting in a booster seat; she's done so for the past month. And on Friday night, when we forgot the booster seat at the Hanukkah service, she did quite well just on a folding chair.

--very meticulous at mealtime. When she's finished with her food or her bottle or her sippy cup, she carefully places them on the table rather than the tray of her high chair. Then, when she wants to partake of them, she reaches out and puts them back when she's finished.

--still afraid of or uncomfortable with the toothbrush, meaning that I can rarely get it inside her mouth. I really don't know what to do other than give her her fluoride drops every night and hope she doesn't develop baby cavities.

--very resistant to the changing table; she thrashes and cries most of the time we lay her on it. Don't know if she does this at daycare. Maybe she's trying to let us know that she wants us to change her while she stands up?

--"reading" books to herself. Today she took them out of the bookcase and tried to re-shelve them!

--getting long hair (at least in the back) but it's still thin. Her hands and feet are big, but her face is still little and delicate. I think she may be developing a snub nose rather than an aristocratic, aquiline one.

--very curious, still asking her trademark "wash shat?" when something unusual enters her field of vision, such as a big bus.

--able to climb onto a wooden coffee table we have upstairs. She did the climbing mostly with her arms, which led Drew to admire her strenght.

--loving her mega Lego blocks and stacking boxes, which she loves to work with.

--a little person who is more and more fun to be around!

Perfectionist?

While Drew was walking Rachel around the synagogue during last night's service, he tried to help her up the stairs and the ramp at the side entrance. She shook off his hand as if to say, "Daddy, I need to figure it out MYSELF."

More and more it seems that she takes her time to do things until she can do them really well. Could she be a budding perfectionist, like her mommy?

Hanukkah service

We had a lovely time at synagogue last night, even if I DID end up with a $150 parking ticket for parking in front of a fire hydrant because there were no parking spaces outside of daycare even though I left in plenty of time but there was traffic and it was almost 6 and so...I ended up with a ticket.

But I digress.

Rachel looked adorable in her party outfit, the same one she wore at Thanksgiving. We sat next to a woman and her two kids, one of whom is 7 and one who is younger. The woman, Sarah, was very nice and I was sort of able to have a conversation with her while feeding Rachel sweet potatoes out of a jar (although she did very well on her own, eating half the jar herself)!

Rachel didn't even have a booster seat! She sat in a folding chair, drinking her water from a sippy cup and putting it carefully on the table in front of her. Drew handled most of dinner while I got latkes, beef and chicken; then I got another plate of food for him and fed Rachel while he ate. The Little Girl was really well-behaved.

The service was fantastic -- Cantor Ida Rae Cahana, the rabbi's wife who substituted for the usual cantor, walked down the center aisle of the darkened candle and singing a Hanukkah hymn. Rachel was fascinated by the proceedings and just stood and watched. Then she even sat in a cushioned pew for a while until she got restless and Drew walked her around. The rabbi told a great story about a man who conquered some Hanukkah goblins who had invaded a village and prevented the villagers from celebrating the holiday. Drew thought it was the most interesting Hanukkah story he had ever heard. It was written by a local author and we will try to get the book for next year, when Rachel will be old enough to understand.

While I was getting food for Drew, Sarah asked if she could give Drew some parenting advice. Sure, he said.

"Discipline your kids early," she said. "I didn't, and now it's really hard."

I also read in Parenting magazine that one of the secret of happy families is to express gratitude a lot. In our house, Drew and I tend to thank each other a lot for little things: Making the bed, doing the shopping, cleaning up Rachel's toys, putting her down for the night. We thank each other in front of her, and we thank her when she is helpful -- handing us the food she doesn't want to eat, wiggling out of her coat when we get home, handing us her shoes to put on her feet. We hope this sticks.

And when she does something we don't like, we're sure to tell her. She can tell by the tone of our voices when we're displeased and she screws up her face and cries - whereupon we repeat the lesson, then give her a quick cuddle to reassure her we still love her. Then it's on to being sunny again.

Happy Hanukkah!

...Rachel decided to surprise us yesterday with an early Hanukkah gift. I had come home late after exercising, and Drew was reading her some books. "Let's go say hi to mama!" I heard him say.

Obama's Nobel speech was playing loudly on the radio, and I thought Drew was referring to something in the speech when he exclaimed, all of a sudden, "Did you HEAR that?"

Then he brought her in to the living room, snuggled up in his arms. She looked at me, gave a shy smile and said softly, "HI!"

"HI?" "HI!"

"Uh, hi, honey," I said weakly.

"It's all downhill tonight from here," I told Drew.

Helpful Rachel, Part III

Drew spilled something on the kitchen floor last night while I was out shopping for Hanukkah gifts (Tia Daniella, Jojo & Valerie: Yours will arrive next week. Promise!). He said that while he was cleaning up, Rachel reached down, picked up a crumb and handed it to him, as if she was trying to help out! He thanked her profusely.

I read a story in the Science section of the NY Times a couple of weeks ago that said kids as young as 18 months old will help a grownup they think is in distress or need assistance. Apparently, kids may be born with an "empathy gene"! Isn't that great? I hope that, with Rachel, it never gets squashed by the selfishness gene.

She seems to have developed a cadre of boyfriends at daycare. A few weeks ago, she tried to hold the hand of Declan. A few days ago, her daily report said she enjoyed spending time in the playhouse "with Ryan at her side."

Drew was none too happy. "She can date when I'm dead," he says.

Pobrecita...

Rachel woke up in the middle of the night -- 12:45 a.m., to be exact -- after a bout of coughing. Drew heard her; I was in a dead sleep after taking NyQuil to finally zap this cold and laryngitis thing I've picked up.

Drew opened the bedroom door and said, "Uh, Lisa? We have a problem. Rachel threw up all over her mattress."

I was out of bed in a shot. I lifted up her fitted sheet, threw it in the hamper and wiped the mattress with a sponge (not much had soaked through, although I was so zonked out on the medicine that I couldn't really tell). Drew, meanwhile, had drawn a warm bath for Rachel and sponged the vomit off her face.

"Her mattress still smells," I told Drew. "What should I spray it with?"
"Lysol," he suggested.

So, I did, and then held her while he put the bed back together. She was very quiet, wrapped in her sunflower towel, while I gently rocked her. Then Drew told me to get back to bed while he put her down.

She ended up sleeping until 10 a.m.! I'm glad Drew didn't wake her up. At daycare, Teacher Karen said there's a 24-hour bug going around. For some reason it has affected mostly boys, who were out today, leaving the toddler girls to rule.

Apples & Cha

"Cha" is Rachel's name for "challah." Our conversation tonight went something like this:

Me: Sweetie, do you want some challah?
Rachel: Chaaaa.....
Me: Can you say challah? Challah?
Rachel: Cha!

Later, when fed her some apple slices, I said, "Rachel, this is an APPLE. Can you say APPLE?"
Rachel (softly): Ap-pel.
Me: Did you say apple?
Rachel: App-fttt.
Me: AP-PLE.
Rachel: App-ffttt.

We're getting there, folks!

Brrr.....

Yes, it is absolutely freezing here. The hat you see in this picture stayed on for, oh, about as long as it took me to shoot Rachel in it. (she is a total ham in front of the camera!). Then she snatched it off and tossed it to the floor. Not that I minded -- it's too small for her anyway!

I had to reprimand her tonight for throwing her Legos to the floor, since she was standing up when she did so and one of them hit me. "Rachel," I said sternly. She looked away. "Rachel!" I said. "You hurt Mommy." Then I turned her around. "Rachel, look at me. You hurt Mommy. You can't throw blocks when you're near people."

She burst into tears. I took her in my lap and cuddled her, all the while saying, "You can't throw blocks when people are around, sweetie."

Drew later asked if I thought she cried because I had scolded her or because she was truly sorry she clonked me. The former, I replied.

Hey, all you moms out there: Did I handle that OK?

More milestones

They're little, but significant. A sampling, just from today:

--She took off her zippered hoodie. Yes, it was unzipped, but the fact that she managed to shrug her way out of it was, to me, amazing.

--At lunch, after I fed her a cheese stick, she reached for the wrapping. Then she tried to open the garbage can; her booster seat is about level with it. When I opened it for her, she dropped the wrapping inside.

--She built a very high tower out of her Lego blocks.

--I was looking all over for my glasses -- scrabbling under the cushions of the leather couch, peering under the pillows, on the floor, starting to grumble about how was I supposed to find my glasses if I couldn't see anything? -- and said absent-mindedly, "Rachel, have you seen my glasses?" She reached over to the end table and handed them to me. "Uh, thank you honey," I said, astonished.

--Rachel likes to mess around with my cell phone a lot, and has somehow discovered how to get on the Internet and find the way to entering contact information for frequently-called numbers. She found the key to entering contact information; I entered Drew's numbers, then asked her if she could pull up the same list again so I could enter a friend's number. On the second try, she did.

--She grabbed at my sport watch; I took it off and she threw it on the floor. "Rachel, don't throw Mommy's watch," I said. "Please give my watch back to me." She scrunched over a bit, retrieved it, and handed it back.

Bad Mommy, Part II

Drew left for Seattle this morning to work a *$!# weekend shift. Can you tell how much I hate the fact that he, an experienced business reporter who lives 300-plus miles away from his newspaper, has to drive up there every six weeks to work a Sunday cops shift? He has tried and tried to get out of it, to no avail.

Anyway, he left just as our friend Laura and her two girls, 3-year-old Carly and 6-month-old Ren, came to visit. Rachel seemed intimidated by Carly, who had no problem snatching Rachel's toys and giving them to her sister. Rachel was a bit put off when Ren started "playing" (more like trying to grasp) her toys. Soon enough, though, it was time for Rachel's nap. And Laura and the kids left soon after.

It was/is bitterly cold here, and after Rachel woke up and had lunch, I just couldn't summon the energy to take her anywhere -- a walk, the museum, even the mall to to some holiday shopping. So we ended up playing in the living room most of the day until I got really tired at 5 and lay down on the couch and closed my eyes. If Drew had been here, no problem -- he would have taken Rachel upstairs, or I would have gone down to the basement, to sleep. Instead, I had to contend with Rachel who obediently lay down on my chest to cuddle but then wanted to get up and PLAY. I finally just closed my eyes and ignored her -- even after she brought pine cones over to me and tried to make me EAT one. (I'm not kidding, there is sap all over my neck tonight). I finally sat up around 6:15, I read the paper and she played somewhat quietly at my feet, then I went into the kitchen to make dinner.

Why am I a bad mommy? Because I should have thought up interesting games for us to play this afternoon, instead of drinking cup after cup of tea to stave off laryngitis (it's true, my voice is almost gone) and trying to sleep. And somehow I forgot to give her her four bottles of milk (she only got three; two at dinner). Hey, at least I remembered lunch AND snack.

So now I am getting ready for bed, thankful that I am a working mom because I think I'd be a complete failure at staying home with her all day. I don't have anywhere near the imagination to deal with a toddler.

I read!

That's what Rachel said this morning while Drew was showering downstairs. She and I were in the kitchen; she was sitting on top of the table, took a book from the basket of toys and books we keep to amuse her while we're eating dinner (since lots of times she eats beforehand) and, while leafing through "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," she said, "I read."

I READ!!

OK, it was a little garbled, but still.

I READ!!

She made little comments as she was flipping through the book.

I READ!!

If it's true, it's....it's....well, let's just echo what Drew said: "You are an AMAZING baby!"

(Except, as you can see from this picture, we can't really call her a baby anymore. She's a toddler who likes to throw balls.)

She's a KID!!

Toothbrush terror abated?

Drew put Rachel down for the night on Wednesday and Thursday. Both days, he actually was able to brush her teeth! He put the toothbrush on her cheek and brushed her lips with the bristles. She resisted at first but then was OK with having the toothbrush in her mouth.

Drew couldn't brush vigorously, but it was enough to give her front and bath teeth a quick going-over. Yay! No baby cavities!

I'm not totally surprised; she has asked, "wash shat?" and pointed to the toothbrush, then pointed to the bristles. She has even picked it up.

Drew reminded me that Rachel also used to cry and scream when we have her fluoride drops, which she will taking in liquid or pill form until she is 13 because this stupid city won't fluoridate its water (don't ask). Now she matter-of-factly opens her mouth and swallows the odorless, tasteless drops. No big deal.

Rachel's other life

..I think she's leading an entirely separate existence at daycare. Why? Yesterday her daycare report said she "had so much fun playing with the dolls and dishes."

I got very excited, thinking she is FINALLY ready to play with the basket of stuffed animals and cuddly dolls we've been given (including some lovely little dolls in the shape of mice that my friend Jeannette sent her from Japan).

Well, I brought the basket out last night when we got home...and Rachel showed NO INTEREST, actually pushing the animals away. Then she returned to stacking blocks.

One nice thing they did say at daycare: Yet another attendant told me that she has never seen Rachel cry. And except for getting defensive when another child snatches a toy from her, she's pretty even-tempered. She never goes on the attack.

Mommy's hair

..apparently is fascinating. The last two nights, Rachel has looked up at me as I rock her and sing her to sleep, then reached out to touch my hair. Then she looks at me intently and snuggles back into my chest. I think she wonders why my hair is different from hers, which is light brown and so sparse! (we're assuming it will grow in thick and lush like Drew's).

Yes, it's the best part of the day: Holding a cuddly baby against my body.

A restless night

..for me, anyway: Rachel woke up crying at 3:30 a.m. Just as I was about to go in and soothe her, she got herself back to sleep. Yay for her but not for me: I ended up being awake until 4:30 a.m., when the applesauce and trips to the bathroom finally took hold and I fell asleep.

I woke up at 8 a.m.! And Rachel didn't wake up until 9!

She did, however, have quite the conversation with herself on the way to daycare. When we got there and I was preparing to feed her some yogurt, she pounded on the table (she does this on her high chair tray as if to say, "Yo, Mom! I'm HUNGRY!"). She finished about a third of it before I walked her into the Do Room, which has lots of mats and slides to play on. The other kids, especially a cute little girl named Sloane, seemed so happy to see her but she hesitated before going in. Then Teacher Karen took her hand and led her inside, and (hopefully) all is well!