Folks, I believe we are well on our way. Today Rachel pooped AND peed into the potty at home AND asked to use the potty at Steve and Suzanne's house (to be fair, she did so only after Lila asked to) and her Pull-Up was largely dry for most of the day. Rachel has started to say, "I'm a big girl! I'm a big girl!" and rarely refers to herself as a baby or even a toddler anymore.
I have tried to signal that we are in a new phase of her development by refusing to buy more diapers and instead use Pull-Ups all the time. The idea being to get her into underwear first, then Pull-Ups at night, and then eventually abandon the Pull-Ups altogether when she can get in and out of her (future) toddler bed, go to the bathroom at night, and then return to bed without waking either of us.
This can only happen, of course, when she's tall enough to open her bedroom door.
I've told Rachel that if she has a dry Pull-Up for two weeks straight then we can buy her UNDERWEAR. Whatever color and design she wants, as far as I'm concerned. I will be so happy not to have to lug the damn diaper bag wherever we go. No more being a snack Sherpa! I can almost taste that happy day....
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Sun! Sun! Sun!
It has been a lousy spring here in Portland -- lots of rain, and cold, and changeable weather that makes no sense. I never know what to wear anymore and all the rain has made me grumpy.
But yesterday it was sunny, today more so, and tomorrow it promises to get to 70 during the day. I plan to meet my friend Julie, from chorus, at our house and we'll head to the zoo with Rachel. If it's too crowded and we can't find parking, we may end up at a park somewhere. Just as long as it's outside.
Rachel likes sun but not when it's in her eyes, as is usually the case when I'm driving her somewhere. Yesterday on the way home from work she said, "Go AWAY, sun!"
"Don't tell the sun to go away!" I said, horrified. "We like sun!"
Pause.
"How about, I like sun but not in my eyes?" Rachel suggested.
I was speechless for a second. Then: "That's an excellent thing to say, Rachel!" I said.
But yesterday it was sunny, today more so, and tomorrow it promises to get to 70 during the day. I plan to meet my friend Julie, from chorus, at our house and we'll head to the zoo with Rachel. If it's too crowded and we can't find parking, we may end up at a park somewhere. Just as long as it's outside.
Rachel likes sun but not when it's in her eyes, as is usually the case when I'm driving her somewhere. Yesterday on the way home from work she said, "Go AWAY, sun!"
"Don't tell the sun to go away!" I said, horrified. "We like sun!"
Pause.
"How about, I like sun but not in my eyes?" Rachel suggested.
I was speechless for a second. Then: "That's an excellent thing to say, Rachel!" I said.
Steve and Suzanne and Lila and Eva....
We had a wonderful time, as usual, at Steve and Suzanne's house. Rachel was a little shy around Lila at first, and then Lila was hurt a few times when Rachel crawled into my lap and Lila whined softly, "but I want to play with RACHEL!" and I had to tell Lila that Rachel needed to take a rest for a little while.
Baby Eva is around 3 months old and neither Lila nor Rachel paid much attention to her, although I suggested to Rachel that when Daddy comes home (in just over three weeks, hooray!) the binkies will go away and that she should donate them to Baby Eva. She really liked that suggestion and has started repeating it a couple of times, so perhaps getting rid of the pacifiers ONCE AND FOR ALL won't phase her as much as I think it will??
Anyway, the girls had their usual shrieking, laughing, girl-filled time while we adults snatched bits of conversation. At one point while we were in the living room, Lila and Rachel kept bringing us things from the kitchen. First, while were still at the dining room table, it was pretend cookies in colorful plastic and tin cups. Then when we were in the living room it was potatoes and other kitchen stuff. Finally Rachel resorted to asking us, "would you like blue or red?" and she started taking orders from all of us as if she was a waitress! We never figured out what she was bringing us, since everything was pretend. I love her imagination!
At one point Rachel came running to me, crying, because she had pinched her finger. We tried to figure out how that had happened, and Steve suggested it may have occurred while the girls were playing with a pop-up toy of Lila's. Rachel padded back into Lila's room and said, perfectly, "Lila, can you please not pinch my finger again?" Steve and Suzanne were incredibly impressed. "It's amazing how Rachel can communicate her feelings so well!" Suzanne said, and that made me feel great.
Baby Eva is around 3 months old and neither Lila nor Rachel paid much attention to her, although I suggested to Rachel that when Daddy comes home (in just over three weeks, hooray!) the binkies will go away and that she should donate them to Baby Eva. She really liked that suggestion and has started repeating it a couple of times, so perhaps getting rid of the pacifiers ONCE AND FOR ALL won't phase her as much as I think it will??
Anyway, the girls had their usual shrieking, laughing, girl-filled time while we adults snatched bits of conversation. At one point while we were in the living room, Lila and Rachel kept bringing us things from the kitchen. First, while were still at the dining room table, it was pretend cookies in colorful plastic and tin cups. Then when we were in the living room it was potatoes and other kitchen stuff. Finally Rachel resorted to asking us, "would you like blue or red?" and she started taking orders from all of us as if she was a waitress! We never figured out what she was bringing us, since everything was pretend. I love her imagination!
At one point Rachel came running to me, crying, because she had pinched her finger. We tried to figure out how that had happened, and Steve suggested it may have occurred while the girls were playing with a pop-up toy of Lila's. Rachel padded back into Lila's room and said, perfectly, "Lila, can you please not pinch my finger again?" Steve and Suzanne were incredibly impressed. "It's amazing how Rachel can communicate her feelings so well!" Suzanne said, and that made me feel great.
Busy last couple of days
Still fighting this stupid cold, and I've gone to bed really late the last few nights. I can feel my body is worn out -- not just from anticipating Drew's return, but over the whole last 10 months. It's as if my whole system knows that relief is on the way, permanently, and so it's deciding to shut down.
But you don't care about me, you want to hear about Rachel, right? So I'll try to sum up the last couple of days.
We got invited to Suzanne and Steve's house for dinner tonight; they're the parents of Lila, Rachel's favorite friend in the whole wide world, and I promised to bring dessert. So I told Rachel we were bringing dessert and asked her what she thought we should bring.
"Chocolate," she said.
"Chocolate what?" I asked. "Cake or cupcakes?"
"Cupcakes!" she said.
"OK, what kind of frosting?" I asked (and yes, I know I was setting myself up for a lot of work, but I figured it would be good practice for her birthday, when I plan to bake a whole bunch of chocolate cupcakes for her preschool class and bring them there the day she turns 3).
"White!" she said. "With green sprinkles."
So, last night found me gorging on Barbara Walters' special about the royal wedding (between Prince William and Kate Middleton, of course!) and then, at 11 p.m., baking the cupcakes. They turned out absolutely perfectly. The frosting, not so much -- I followed the recipe exactly, and it turned out to be a gummy mess. But Steve, Suzanne, Lila and Anne (Suzanne's mom) loved the cupcakes and asked for seconds, so I guess there's no accounting for taste....
***
More Delly news: Rachel informed me late this week that she and Delly live in their own house with their own fire truck that they park in the garage. When I asked her who takes care of Delly, she says that she does because she's Delly's mommy. Then she described part of Delly's day.
"Ohhh, she cries," Rachel said, sounding for a minute like someone oh, 30 years older. "And then I have to wash her hands because she has marker all over dem."
Today she said, "I'm a good mommy."
"I bet you'll be a GREAT mommy when you have your own kids," I said. "Can I cuddle your babies?"
"Yeah," she replied.
"Can I take care of them?"
"No," she said.
"Can I please come and clean your house?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I'M a MOMMY!" she answered.
(Let's hope she marries a great spouse who helps around the house!)
***
Rachel has taken to praising me for the oddest things. I changed her crib sheet today -- a task I detest because it's so difficult to manage with the bolster, and one of the chores I will gladly delegate back to Drew when he returns -- and she offered to help, as usual. I finished it in 15 minutes, and then we went on to our usual Saturday chores of dropping off dry-cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.
In the car as we were running around town today she said, "Did you change the crib sheet all by yourself?"
"Um, yes, I did, sweetie!" I answered.
"GOOD JOB, Mommy!" she said.
That made my day.
***
Also as we were driving around today she said, "I have one and two babies, and Bob, and Delly."
"FIVE babies, Rachel?" I laughed. "How do you take care of them all?"
"Because I'm a MOMMY!" she said indignantly.
***
Tonight as I was putting her down to sleep, Rachel said, "I like you, Mommy!"
"I like you too!" I replied.
"I love you, Mommy!"
"I love you too!"
Then we got into a discussion about mommies and daughters. As I said above, Rachel is convinced she's a mommy -- Delly's mommy -- so she said, "I'm not a daughter, I'm a mommy!"
"You can be a daughter AND a mommy, Rachel," I explained. "I'm your mommy, but I'm also Grandma's daughter....you will always be my daugther, Rachel. You may be somebody's wife, and somebody's mommy, but you will ALWAYS be my daughter. And I will ALWAYS remember you as a little girl."
I was in tears.
Then Rachel piped up: "But I'm a MOMMY!"
But you don't care about me, you want to hear about Rachel, right? So I'll try to sum up the last couple of days.
We got invited to Suzanne and Steve's house for dinner tonight; they're the parents of Lila, Rachel's favorite friend in the whole wide world, and I promised to bring dessert. So I told Rachel we were bringing dessert and asked her what she thought we should bring.
"Chocolate," she said.
"Chocolate what?" I asked. "Cake or cupcakes?"
"Cupcakes!" she said.
"OK, what kind of frosting?" I asked (and yes, I know I was setting myself up for a lot of work, but I figured it would be good practice for her birthday, when I plan to bake a whole bunch of chocolate cupcakes for her preschool class and bring them there the day she turns 3).
"White!" she said. "With green sprinkles."
So, last night found me gorging on Barbara Walters' special about the royal wedding (between Prince William and Kate Middleton, of course!) and then, at 11 p.m., baking the cupcakes. They turned out absolutely perfectly. The frosting, not so much -- I followed the recipe exactly, and it turned out to be a gummy mess. But Steve, Suzanne, Lila and Anne (Suzanne's mom) loved the cupcakes and asked for seconds, so I guess there's no accounting for taste....
***
More Delly news: Rachel informed me late this week that she and Delly live in their own house with their own fire truck that they park in the garage. When I asked her who takes care of Delly, she says that she does because she's Delly's mommy. Then she described part of Delly's day.
"Ohhh, she cries," Rachel said, sounding for a minute like someone oh, 30 years older. "And then I have to wash her hands because she has marker all over dem."
Today she said, "I'm a good mommy."
"I bet you'll be a GREAT mommy when you have your own kids," I said. "Can I cuddle your babies?"
"Yeah," she replied.
"Can I take care of them?"
"No," she said.
"Can I please come and clean your house?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I'M a MOMMY!" she answered.
(Let's hope she marries a great spouse who helps around the house!)
***
Rachel has taken to praising me for the oddest things. I changed her crib sheet today -- a task I detest because it's so difficult to manage with the bolster, and one of the chores I will gladly delegate back to Drew when he returns -- and she offered to help, as usual. I finished it in 15 minutes, and then we went on to our usual Saturday chores of dropping off dry-cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.
In the car as we were running around town today she said, "Did you change the crib sheet all by yourself?"
"Um, yes, I did, sweetie!" I answered.
"GOOD JOB, Mommy!" she said.
That made my day.
***
Also as we were driving around today she said, "I have one and two babies, and Bob, and Delly."
"FIVE babies, Rachel?" I laughed. "How do you take care of them all?"
"Because I'm a MOMMY!" she said indignantly.
***
Tonight as I was putting her down to sleep, Rachel said, "I like you, Mommy!"
"I like you too!" I replied.
"I love you, Mommy!"
"I love you too!"
Then we got into a discussion about mommies and daughters. As I said above, Rachel is convinced she's a mommy -- Delly's mommy -- so she said, "I'm not a daughter, I'm a mommy!"
"You can be a daughter AND a mommy, Rachel," I explained. "I'm your mommy, but I'm also Grandma's daughter....you will always be my daugther, Rachel. You may be somebody's wife, and somebody's mommy, but you will ALWAYS be my daughter. And I will ALWAYS remember you as a little girl."
I was in tears.
Then Rachel piped up: "But I'm a MOMMY!"
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Out of the mouths of babes....
I was on surface streets, racing to daycare so I could make an appearance at work before, oh, 10 a.m., when I sped up to go through a yellow light.
"Mommy, yellow means slow down," Rachel chided from the back seat.
"You're absolutely right, Rachel," I replied. And at the next yellow light, I did.
***
Last night I didn't get to bed until 12:30 a.m. because I had to make some soup as part of my cook-ahead plan, but botched things by making it too spicy and spent 30 minutes trying to figure out how reduce the heat. All of a sudden I heard some crying from Rachel's room.
Usually it's just crying in a dream, but it got louder and louder, so I figured I needed to go in.
"What's the matter, sweetie?" I murmured as I lifted her out of bed and cuddled her in the glider. "Did you have a bad dream?"
"Yeah," she sniffled.
"What happened?" I said.
"Baby was yelling at me!" she wailed. "Baby" is one of two plastic baby dolls, both of which are named "Baby."
"Why was Baby yelling at you?"
"Baby was yelling at me 'cuz the other baby was yelling!"
"That's not very nice," I said. "Do you want me to take Baby out of the crib? Would that make you feel better?"
"Yes," she sniffled.
So, back she went to bed, curled up on her square pillow and me pulling the blankets over her. I believe she was asleep before I left the bedroom, offending baby doll in hand. It has not returned to the crib. It is being punished for messing up MY baby's sleep. And mine.
***
Last night before the above episode, Rachel astonished me by CLIMBING OUT OF THE BATHTUB HERSELF AND THEN DUMPING OUT HER BATHWATER FROM THE PORTABLE TUB WE USE FOR HER!! I was so impressed. "Rachel, do you even need Mommy anymore?" I said, laughing. "Pretty soon you'll be taking showers. Goodbye, Mom!"
She loved that, and we both imitated her saying "goodbye Mom!" and taking virtual showers...until she suddenly slipped on the wood floor just outside the bathroom (probably because her feet were wet) and fell on her nose and lip. Then the wailing started and I had to hold her tight, towel and all, in the rocking chair. Guess it was a reminder from the universe that we have several years to go before Rachel will be truly independent!
***
This morning, probably remembering her fall from last night, Rachel announced that she had "lots of owies."
"Do you have a owie, Mommy?" she asked me in the car on the way to school.
"No," I said. "Well, but I'm tired and I'm fighting a cold."
"You shouldn't fight a cold!" Rachel exclaimed.
"Why not?" I answered.
"Because you'll hurt its feelings!"
"Mommy, yellow means slow down," Rachel chided from the back seat.
"You're absolutely right, Rachel," I replied. And at the next yellow light, I did.
***
Last night I didn't get to bed until 12:30 a.m. because I had to make some soup as part of my cook-ahead plan, but botched things by making it too spicy and spent 30 minutes trying to figure out how reduce the heat. All of a sudden I heard some crying from Rachel's room.
Usually it's just crying in a dream, but it got louder and louder, so I figured I needed to go in.
"What's the matter, sweetie?" I murmured as I lifted her out of bed and cuddled her in the glider. "Did you have a bad dream?"
"Yeah," she sniffled.
"What happened?" I said.
"Baby was yelling at me!" she wailed. "Baby" is one of two plastic baby dolls, both of which are named "Baby."
"Why was Baby yelling at you?"
"Baby was yelling at me 'cuz the other baby was yelling!"
"That's not very nice," I said. "Do you want me to take Baby out of the crib? Would that make you feel better?"
"Yes," she sniffled.
So, back she went to bed, curled up on her square pillow and me pulling the blankets over her. I believe she was asleep before I left the bedroom, offending baby doll in hand. It has not returned to the crib. It is being punished for messing up MY baby's sleep. And mine.
***
Last night before the above episode, Rachel astonished me by CLIMBING OUT OF THE BATHTUB HERSELF AND THEN DUMPING OUT HER BATHWATER FROM THE PORTABLE TUB WE USE FOR HER!! I was so impressed. "Rachel, do you even need Mommy anymore?" I said, laughing. "Pretty soon you'll be taking showers. Goodbye, Mom!"
She loved that, and we both imitated her saying "goodbye Mom!" and taking virtual showers...until she suddenly slipped on the wood floor just outside the bathroom (probably because her feet were wet) and fell on her nose and lip. Then the wailing started and I had to hold her tight, towel and all, in the rocking chair. Guess it was a reminder from the universe that we have several years to go before Rachel will be truly independent!
***
This morning, probably remembering her fall from last night, Rachel announced that she had "lots of owies."
"Do you have a owie, Mommy?" she asked me in the car on the way to school.
"No," I said. "Well, but I'm tired and I'm fighting a cold."
"You shouldn't fight a cold!" Rachel exclaimed.
"Why not?" I answered.
"Because you'll hurt its feelings!"
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Rachel's morning
In the car this morning:
"Delly gives me hugs and I tickle her. She does have a belly button."
***
This sounds suspiciously like what I do every day:
"Delly is my baby. I tickle her, I read her books, I put her to sleep, I wake her up, I drive to work, I put her in the car seat."
***
Rachel: I have a mommy waiting at home.
Me: Tell me about your mommy.
Rachel: She's a girl.
Me: What's her name?
Rachel: Buzz Lightyear!
"Delly gives me hugs and I tickle her. She does have a belly button."
***
This sounds suspiciously like what I do every day:
"Delly is my baby. I tickle her, I read her books, I put her to sleep, I wake her up, I drive to work, I put her in the car seat."
***
Rachel: I have a mommy waiting at home.
Me: Tell me about your mommy.
Rachel: She's a girl.
Me: What's her name?
Rachel: Buzz Lightyear!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Could it be??
...that Rachel is almost potty trained? How did we get to this point?
I didn't do anything special; it's just that for the past three days Rachel has PEED AND POOPED IN THE POTTY!!!! She's said very politely, "Mommy, I need to go to the potty/Mommy, I need to pee and poop in the potty," and so I lead her in there, tell her I'll give her some privacy, and then a few minutes later...I'm rewarded with a tinkle or a brown...well, you know that they look like. Anyway, she insists on dumping her waste in the toilet. She also wants to clean the potty, too, but I tell her that's a job that only mommies and daddies can do.
That is usally accompanied by her saying, "I want a BIG-GIRL sticker!" Luckily I had bought several booklets of stickers for NYC, so she just helps herself to one and sticks it to her shirt or sweater.
I promised her that if her Pull-Up is dry for two weeks then we can go out and buy her underwear. Another milestone!
She has already informed me that Delly has several pairs of pink underwear so I'm sure Rachel will be asking for some of her own soon!
(More Delly news: Today on the way to work she said, "Can I visit you at work when I get older?" "YES!" I said cheerfully. Then she added she was spending time with "Delly, my two babies, and Bob." "Bob" is a friend she started telling us about in NYC. Not sure if he's real or imaginary, but I suspect the latter).
I didn't do anything special; it's just that for the past three days Rachel has PEED AND POOPED IN THE POTTY!!!! She's said very politely, "Mommy, I need to go to the potty/Mommy, I need to pee and poop in the potty," and so I lead her in there, tell her I'll give her some privacy, and then a few minutes later...I'm rewarded with a tinkle or a brown...well, you know that they look like. Anyway, she insists on dumping her waste in the toilet. She also wants to clean the potty, too, but I tell her that's a job that only mommies and daddies can do.
That is usally accompanied by her saying, "I want a BIG-GIRL sticker!" Luckily I had bought several booklets of stickers for NYC, so she just helps herself to one and sticks it to her shirt or sweater.
I promised her that if her Pull-Up is dry for two weeks then we can go out and buy her underwear. Another milestone!
She has already informed me that Delly has several pairs of pink underwear so I'm sure Rachel will be asking for some of her own soon!
(More Delly news: Today on the way to work she said, "Can I visit you at work when I get older?" "YES!" I said cheerfully. Then she added she was spending time with "Delly, my two babies, and Bob." "Bob" is a friend she started telling us about in NYC. Not sure if he's real or imaginary, but I suspect the latter).
Conversations with Rachel, Part 2
This is from Angela; it took place while I was at the fundraiser.
Angela: Daddy's coming home soon!
Rachel: 5 weeks! And then he's never leaving again forever and ever!
(Angela took several videos of Rachel singing "Clementine" and doing other cute things. She said that when Rachel was at the dinner table she asked, "where's Mommy?" and was very upset that I was gone. But when I woke her up on Sunday she said, "I had fun with Angela! We took some videos!" so I think everything went well).
Also, Angela reported, when they walked upstairs Rachel suddenly said, "I'm so cute!"
(Well, yes, sweetie!)
And when Angela tried to hold her while they were walking, Rachel demanded, "why are you holding me?"
"Because I don't want you to fall!" Angela said.
"Oh, I've got it!" Rachel reassured her.
***
Sunday morning, Rachel wanted zucchini bread so I put some in the toaster oven. After a while, she said this:
"The bread is very lonely! You put it in the oven for a very very very long time, so you gotta hurry up and take it out because it's very lonely!"
***
Also Sunday morning, I told Rachel I was tired.
"Do I look tired?" I asked.
"Your hair looks tired," she replied. (Oh, how right she was!)
***
Today I was still tired and sick and cranky, and when she said, "STOP!" in the middle of a song I was singing, I threw down the songbook with an angry motion and ignored her (we were driving home). She started cyring, I hissed "Shhh!", she continued to cry and then fell asleep for the drive, during which time I talked to Drew.
When we pulled into the garage she woke up in a sweet mood.
"You hurt my feelings before," she said gently.
"Why?" I asked.
"You finished 'This Land is Your Land,' she said. "That's not OK, Mommy. Girls don't scream at each other."
I, of course, apologized.
***
Rachel talked to Drew for a bit tonight. After they hung up she remarked, "I love Daddy's big voice!"
"Daddy loves your little voice!" I replied.
"I love YOUR voice!" she said.
"And I love YOUR voice!" I said back.
***
Rachel started crying when she spilled some milk from her sippy cup tonight; I think she was afraid I'd yell at her. Instead I just got a sponge and wiped it up, making reassuring noises the whole time.
"Thank you," she said, sniffling. "Thank you for getting a sponge."
Angela: Daddy's coming home soon!
Rachel: 5 weeks! And then he's never leaving again forever and ever!
(Angela took several videos of Rachel singing "Clementine" and doing other cute things. She said that when Rachel was at the dinner table she asked, "where's Mommy?" and was very upset that I was gone. But when I woke her up on Sunday she said, "I had fun with Angela! We took some videos!" so I think everything went well).
Also, Angela reported, when they walked upstairs Rachel suddenly said, "I'm so cute!"
(Well, yes, sweetie!)
And when Angela tried to hold her while they were walking, Rachel demanded, "why are you holding me?"
"Because I don't want you to fall!" Angela said.
"Oh, I've got it!" Rachel reassured her.
***
Sunday morning, Rachel wanted zucchini bread so I put some in the toaster oven. After a while, she said this:
"The bread is very lonely! You put it in the oven for a very very very long time, so you gotta hurry up and take it out because it's very lonely!"
***
Also Sunday morning, I told Rachel I was tired.
"Do I look tired?" I asked.
"Your hair looks tired," she replied. (Oh, how right she was!)
***
Today I was still tired and sick and cranky, and when she said, "STOP!" in the middle of a song I was singing, I threw down the songbook with an angry motion and ignored her (we were driving home). She started cyring, I hissed "Shhh!", she continued to cry and then fell asleep for the drive, during which time I talked to Drew.
When we pulled into the garage she woke up in a sweet mood.
"You hurt my feelings before," she said gently.
"Why?" I asked.
"You finished 'This Land is Your Land,' she said. "That's not OK, Mommy. Girls don't scream at each other."
I, of course, apologized.
***
Rachel talked to Drew for a bit tonight. After they hung up she remarked, "I love Daddy's big voice!"
"Daddy loves your little voice!" I replied.
"I love YOUR voice!" she said.
"And I love YOUR voice!" I said back.
***
Rachel started crying when she spilled some milk from her sippy cup tonight; I think she was afraid I'd yell at her. Instead I just got a sponge and wiped it up, making reassuring noises the whole time.
"Thank you," she said, sniffling. "Thank you for getting a sponge."
Another busy weekend!
Scheduled way too many activites, so now not only am I tired, but I'm having difficulty shaking this cold that I picked up in NYC, thanks to Rachel and Drew.
Saturday's swim lesson was terrific -- Rachel is getting more and more comfortable in the water. She's making tentative swimming motions with her arms and has quite a good kicking motion when she concentrates (after I shout, "kick! kick!"). She had so much fun that she didn't want to get out of the pool, especially after she got to go down the kiddie tunnel slide ALL BY HERSELF! She screamed and sobbed so much that (at first) I couldn't persuade her that it would be great fun to go to Doug and Linda's. Finally I managed to get her into the car, whereupon she fell asleep all the way to Tigard.
Then we had lunch at Doug and Linda's and Rachel got a kick out of Andrew's magic tricks; she wanted to keep the Styrofoam bunny that he pulled out of his magician's hat! We walked to a play structure 15 minutes away and Rachel tried just about everything there. Linda was so great with her that I ended up being able to sit and daydream in the shade for a while. Rachel kicked up quite a fuss when it was time to leave, but we had to get back so I could put her down for a nap to get to...another gala that I got invited to at the last minute by my boss. It was a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood which honored an alum of the law school, so...off I went in my black cocktail dress, pearls and high heels. Luckily Angela was available to babysit. Thanks, Angela!
Then on Sunday, Amy dropped off a toddler bed for Rachel (thanks, Amy!) which I have stored upstairs -- it's her son's, Jake, and he has outgrown it so we get it now. Yay! Amy stayed to visit for quite a while; I was loath to let her go but she had to make dinner for her family and I had to put Rachel down for a nap while I made dinner for my friend Sarah and her 4-year-old son, Noah.
Sarah and Noah came just before I pulled the roast chicken and rosemary potatoes out of the oven. I cheated on dessert with store-bought macaroons and ice cream; I just didn't have the time to make an elaborate dessert (and it was Passover, so I couldn't bake a chocolate-chip cake). The kids had a wonderful time playing downstairs and upstairs, giving the mommies a chance to talk. Good thing I wasn't watching closely; I only found out at the end what an incredible mess they'd made in the living room, dumping every single toy on the floor. It looked like a hurricane hit. I hid my dismay and told Sarah not to worry about it; I'd clean it up.
So I didn't get to bed until 12:30 a.m. this morning, but the kitchen and living room (and upstairs) were perfectly clean. However, I never did get to take my laundry out of the dryer or fold Rachel's, and from the looks of it I won't get to do that tonight either. Patience, I tell myself. Four more weeks of this and help arrives.
Saturday's swim lesson was terrific -- Rachel is getting more and more comfortable in the water. She's making tentative swimming motions with her arms and has quite a good kicking motion when she concentrates (after I shout, "kick! kick!"). She had so much fun that she didn't want to get out of the pool, especially after she got to go down the kiddie tunnel slide ALL BY HERSELF! She screamed and sobbed so much that (at first) I couldn't persuade her that it would be great fun to go to Doug and Linda's. Finally I managed to get her into the car, whereupon she fell asleep all the way to Tigard.
Then we had lunch at Doug and Linda's and Rachel got a kick out of Andrew's magic tricks; she wanted to keep the Styrofoam bunny that he pulled out of his magician's hat! We walked to a play structure 15 minutes away and Rachel tried just about everything there. Linda was so great with her that I ended up being able to sit and daydream in the shade for a while. Rachel kicked up quite a fuss when it was time to leave, but we had to get back so I could put her down for a nap to get to...another gala that I got invited to at the last minute by my boss. It was a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood which honored an alum of the law school, so...off I went in my black cocktail dress, pearls and high heels. Luckily Angela was available to babysit. Thanks, Angela!
Then on Sunday, Amy dropped off a toddler bed for Rachel (thanks, Amy!) which I have stored upstairs -- it's her son's, Jake, and he has outgrown it so we get it now. Yay! Amy stayed to visit for quite a while; I was loath to let her go but she had to make dinner for her family and I had to put Rachel down for a nap while I made dinner for my friend Sarah and her 4-year-old son, Noah.
Sarah and Noah came just before I pulled the roast chicken and rosemary potatoes out of the oven. I cheated on dessert with store-bought macaroons and ice cream; I just didn't have the time to make an elaborate dessert (and it was Passover, so I couldn't bake a chocolate-chip cake). The kids had a wonderful time playing downstairs and upstairs, giving the mommies a chance to talk. Good thing I wasn't watching closely; I only found out at the end what an incredible mess they'd made in the living room, dumping every single toy on the floor. It looked like a hurricane hit. I hid my dismay and told Sarah not to worry about it; I'd clean it up.
So I didn't get to bed until 12:30 a.m. this morning, but the kitchen and living room (and upstairs) were perfectly clean. However, I never did get to take my laundry out of the dryer or fold Rachel's, and from the looks of it I won't get to do that tonight either. Patience, I tell myself. Four more weeks of this and help arrives.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Poopy pants
for the past three days in a row, because of my incredibly lax approach to toilet training (read: I WILL WAIT UNTIL DREW GETS HOME TO TACKLE THIS), Rachel has had major poops that have soaked through her Pull-Ups and soiled her pants, her shirts, her sweaters...of course, Drew hasn't had to deal with this. I have.
Last night I got very upset and scolded Rachel that she MUST tell Mommy when she has to poop (she being Rachel, not me), and I went on and on for quite a while. That's because the poop was all over her legs, her clothes...etc. I'll spare you more of the gory details. Anyway, Rachel got very upset and started crying -- when I got her out of her clothes, during her bath, when she finished her bath. I finally recovered myself while I rocked her in the glider and I made her promise to tell me when she felt like pooping so I could get her to the potty in time.
Well, she did slightly better tonight; she told me very politely during dinner that she had to go to the potty -- and she peed in the potty! I was so excited; she wanted to empty the potty "all my myself!" into the toilet AND clean in out. (I did the latter, of course). Afterwards I bent down and met her eye-to-eye and said, "Rachel! I am so proud of you for telling me that you had to pee before you went to the potty!" She gave a huge grin and we went back to the dinner table (much later I will teach her that we finish our meal completely before going to the bathroom. Small steps, right?)
After a bit she announced, "I don't like pooping and I don't like peeing. I just like farting." Which I should have interpreted to mean that she had to poop RIGHT THEN, but of course I was reading the newspaper and not really paying attention. But then she got that look on her face and I said, "OK, Rachel, are you pooping?!? Hurry! Let's go to the potty! Hurry! Hurry!" We raced to the bathroom but it was too late -- poop all over her Pull-Up, her pants, her shirt. And it was a big, messy one too; another worry that this is the third day she's had diarrhea.
I tried not to get too upset but she could tell I was perturbed. She started crying a little when I pulled her clothes and Pull-Up off and took care to get her binkies out of the way when I cleaned her off. (Yes, the binkies. We're getting rid of them when Drew comes home). Just as I was about to launch into a long lecture AGAIN about telling Mommy AHEAD OF TIME when she needs to poop, she looked at me and said earnestly,
"I love you, Mommy."
That was followed by something indistinguishable, along the lines of, "I like you play."
"You mean, 'I love you because you play with me?' I asked.
"Yeah," she answered. "That's what I meant."
Now tell me, how can I possibly resist that?
Can somebody please reassure me that Rachel will, in fact, master the potty before she heads off to college?
Last night I got very upset and scolded Rachel that she MUST tell Mommy when she has to poop (she being Rachel, not me), and I went on and on for quite a while. That's because the poop was all over her legs, her clothes...etc. I'll spare you more of the gory details. Anyway, Rachel got very upset and started crying -- when I got her out of her clothes, during her bath, when she finished her bath. I finally recovered myself while I rocked her in the glider and I made her promise to tell me when she felt like pooping so I could get her to the potty in time.
Well, she did slightly better tonight; she told me very politely during dinner that she had to go to the potty -- and she peed in the potty! I was so excited; she wanted to empty the potty "all my myself!" into the toilet AND clean in out. (I did the latter, of course). Afterwards I bent down and met her eye-to-eye and said, "Rachel! I am so proud of you for telling me that you had to pee before you went to the potty!" She gave a huge grin and we went back to the dinner table (much later I will teach her that we finish our meal completely before going to the bathroom. Small steps, right?)
After a bit she announced, "I don't like pooping and I don't like peeing. I just like farting." Which I should have interpreted to mean that she had to poop RIGHT THEN, but of course I was reading the newspaper and not really paying attention. But then she got that look on her face and I said, "OK, Rachel, are you pooping?!? Hurry! Let's go to the potty! Hurry! Hurry!" We raced to the bathroom but it was too late -- poop all over her Pull-Up, her pants, her shirt. And it was a big, messy one too; another worry that this is the third day she's had diarrhea.
I tried not to get too upset but she could tell I was perturbed. She started crying a little when I pulled her clothes and Pull-Up off and took care to get her binkies out of the way when I cleaned her off. (Yes, the binkies. We're getting rid of them when Drew comes home). Just as I was about to launch into a long lecture AGAIN about telling Mommy AHEAD OF TIME when she needs to poop, she looked at me and said earnestly,
"I love you, Mommy."
That was followed by something indistinguishable, along the lines of, "I like you play."
"You mean, 'I love you because you play with me?' I asked.
"Yeah," she answered. "That's what I meant."
Now tell me, how can I possibly resist that?
Can somebody please reassure me that Rachel will, in fact, master the potty before she heads off to college?
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Trip recovery
Unfortunately I seem to have picked up a cold, the one that Rachel got and then gave to Drew, who probably gave it to me. Ugh. What an awful way to come back from vacation!
Rachel was a little reluctant to get up this morning but otherwise doesn't appear to be jet-lagged. Last night she said something so wonderful as I was hurrying to get her to bed after our plane trip back:
"I had a nice trip," she said, as I changed her Pull-Up.
"Why, THANK YOU, Rachel!" I exclaimed. "That's such a nice thing to say!"
Then tonight on the way home from work she said, "I like New York better than home."
(hear that, Mom, Dad & Daniella?)
Also tonight she announced, "I'm VALERIE!"
(I'm hoping I get her back by the time I take her to school tomorrow!)
Rachel was a little reluctant to get up this morning but otherwise doesn't appear to be jet-lagged. Last night she said something so wonderful as I was hurrying to get her to bed after our plane trip back:
"I had a nice trip," she said, as I changed her Pull-Up.
"Why, THANK YOU, Rachel!" I exclaimed. "That's such a nice thing to say!"
Then tonight on the way home from work she said, "I like New York better than home."
(hear that, Mom, Dad & Daniella?)
Also tonight she announced, "I'm VALERIE!"
(I'm hoping I get her back by the time I take her to school tomorrow!)
Trip to NYC
...well, it was fabulous. There really is no other way to describe it. I can't wait to go back, and I don't often feel that way after battling crowded airports, cramped planes and the inconvenience of getting around The Big Apple. Some highlights:
--Rachel was very good on the plane going out, even though I was going on two hours of sleep and could barely keep her entertained. Same with the trip back last night -- She actually slept in my lap for 45 minutes, watched a movie for a total of 45 minutes, and kept trying to crawl all over me and cuddle and peer into my face and say, "MOMMY!" the rest of the time. A couple of rough spots on the way home, I told Drew, but nothing I couldn't handle. But I told him I never wanted to make this trip alone with Rachel again (of course, I'd be perfectly willing to do it when she's, oh, 6 or so). One cute thing she did as we were about to land last night: She took her blankie, wrapped it around her head so that it looked like a kerchief, and said, "Look, Mommy! I'm Sunrise Sunset!" And it's true, she was -- she looked like the young girl/wife in "Sunrise Sunset," a book that tells the story of the musical. The girl/wife wears a kerchief the whole time. I was astonished that Rachel had made that connection!
--Tia Daniella put on a wonderful Seder and we were so grateful to have been a part of it. Rachel does EVERYTHING her cousin Valerie does; when Valerie's around, Rachel turns into the follower and Valerie is the leader, even though Valerie is 5 months younger. From the back, they look like sisters. They were both so well-behaved during the ceremonial part of the Seder, and then halfway through the food portion, Rachel and Valerie had a ball playing in Valerie's room. Then it was time to return for more food, and then Rachel (at Drew's urging) came into the dining area and charmed everyone by saying, "Can I play, please?" At one point Dad remarked, "look at Rachel's big eyes, just taking it all in!" It's a shame she won't remember any of this; it will be up for us to remember it for her!
--We also got to visit my childhood friend Pam, her husband Larry and kids Alex (9) and Natalia (7); Drew's cousin Dwyn, her husband Arnie and their three kids Nicholas (13); Sofia (11) and Gabe (8), and see my friend David Jones from college. The whole trip felt like one big shuttle from playdate to playdate. We did a LOT of driving, but that was OK because I got to introduce Rachel to so many folks! "She's really mellowed you out," Dave said, and I guess that's true.
--One of the best parts of the trip was our visit to Mom and Dad's house on Sunday afternoon; Mom made a nice lunch and then we all headed to a park (after the girls spent much of the visit running around the second floor and shrieking with laugher; the two rooms are connected by a bathroom and so the key, as Daniella and I told Dad, was that the kids could race in a circle endlessly). Mom and Dad found a fantastic park in Bedford Hills and I got to talk to Dad for a while when Drew took Rachel down the slides and on the teeter-totter. On the way back, Rachel pointed to Drew and said, "YOU look like a vampire!" Then she pointed to Dad and said, "YOU look like a vampire!" and then to me and said, "YOU look like a vampire!"
"OK, then what do YOU look like, Rachel?" I asked.
"A pig!" she replied.
--Rachel was very good on the plane going out, even though I was going on two hours of sleep and could barely keep her entertained. Same with the trip back last night -- She actually slept in my lap for 45 minutes, watched a movie for a total of 45 minutes, and kept trying to crawl all over me and cuddle and peer into my face and say, "MOMMY!" the rest of the time. A couple of rough spots on the way home, I told Drew, but nothing I couldn't handle. But I told him I never wanted to make this trip alone with Rachel again (of course, I'd be perfectly willing to do it when she's, oh, 6 or so). One cute thing she did as we were about to land last night: She took her blankie, wrapped it around her head so that it looked like a kerchief, and said, "Look, Mommy! I'm Sunrise Sunset!" And it's true, she was -- she looked like the young girl/wife in "Sunrise Sunset," a book that tells the story of the musical. The girl/wife wears a kerchief the whole time. I was astonished that Rachel had made that connection!
--Tia Daniella put on a wonderful Seder and we were so grateful to have been a part of it. Rachel does EVERYTHING her cousin Valerie does; when Valerie's around, Rachel turns into the follower and Valerie is the leader, even though Valerie is 5 months younger. From the back, they look like sisters. They were both so well-behaved during the ceremonial part of the Seder, and then halfway through the food portion, Rachel and Valerie had a ball playing in Valerie's room. Then it was time to return for more food, and then Rachel (at Drew's urging) came into the dining area and charmed everyone by saying, "Can I play, please?" At one point Dad remarked, "look at Rachel's big eyes, just taking it all in!" It's a shame she won't remember any of this; it will be up for us to remember it for her!
--We also got to visit my childhood friend Pam, her husband Larry and kids Alex (9) and Natalia (7); Drew's cousin Dwyn, her husband Arnie and their three kids Nicholas (13); Sofia (11) and Gabe (8), and see my friend David Jones from college. The whole trip felt like one big shuttle from playdate to playdate. We did a LOT of driving, but that was OK because I got to introduce Rachel to so many folks! "She's really mellowed you out," Dave said, and I guess that's true.
--One of the best parts of the trip was our visit to Mom and Dad's house on Sunday afternoon; Mom made a nice lunch and then we all headed to a park (after the girls spent much of the visit running around the second floor and shrieking with laugher; the two rooms are connected by a bathroom and so the key, as Daniella and I told Dad, was that the kids could race in a circle endlessly). Mom and Dad found a fantastic park in Bedford Hills and I got to talk to Dad for a while when Drew took Rachel down the slides and on the teeter-totter. On the way back, Rachel pointed to Drew and said, "YOU look like a vampire!" Then she pointed to Dad and said, "YOU look like a vampire!" and then to me and said, "YOU look like a vampire!"
"OK, then what do YOU look like, Rachel?" I asked.
"A pig!" she replied.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Just had to post these comments
Rachel's latest word is "askident." As in, it was an "askident" that she did something that she shouldn't have. I'm resisting teaching her the correct version of the word because I prefer hers!
***
Rachel chose a pair of pink and yellow striped leggings to wear today (she had very little choice; I had packed up all her clothes for our trip to NYC and put them in my suitcase. Tried to get as much done last night as possible so that I get the minimum amount of sleep tonight to function).
Me, after pulling on her tights: You haven't worn these in a while!
Rachel: Warm.
Me: No, WORN.
Rachel: Worn. Like Joseph and his overcoat!
Me (astonished): Yes, like the book! (we've been reading a book about Joseph and his overcoat..."Joseph had an overcoat. It was old and worn." But we hadn't picked up the book for quite a while and I was amazed she made the connection between "worn" (past tense of wear) and "worn" (old). Wow!
***
We will be bringing gifts back East. Rachel noticed the wrapping paper in the dining room and asked what it was. I told her it was to wrap presents.
"Can I have a present?" she asked.
"Sure," I said vaguely.
"Can I have a present with flowers on it?" she said. "That would be very pretty."
"Yes, for your birthday," I said.
"I want flowers on my cake!" she answered.
(So far it looks like I'll be baking a chocolate cake with pink frosting and chocolate chips and flowers on top. Whew!)
***
On the way to school this morning, Rachel got mad that I couldn't understand something she said. So she started crying, and I snapped at her that there was nothing to cry about; sometimes I just can't understand her.
All was quite for a while, until she started taking leftover granola in her lap and throwing it on the seat next to her.
"I wanna make a big mess," she said firmly.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I'm mad at you," she answered.
"Why are you mad at me?" I said.
"Because you're TALKING to me!" she said, exasperated. So, I went silent. Until a few minutes later she informed me that she doesn't like Beginners, she doesn't like the friends there, she doesn't like to play at school. In fact, the doesn't like school at all.
The only things she likes are "Mom and Daddy and coloring."
Ah, kids these days....
***
Rachel chose a pair of pink and yellow striped leggings to wear today (she had very little choice; I had packed up all her clothes for our trip to NYC and put them in my suitcase. Tried to get as much done last night as possible so that I get the minimum amount of sleep tonight to function).
Me, after pulling on her tights: You haven't worn these in a while!
Rachel: Warm.
Me: No, WORN.
Rachel: Worn. Like Joseph and his overcoat!
Me (astonished): Yes, like the book! (we've been reading a book about Joseph and his overcoat..."Joseph had an overcoat. It was old and worn." But we hadn't picked up the book for quite a while and I was amazed she made the connection between "worn" (past tense of wear) and "worn" (old). Wow!
***
We will be bringing gifts back East. Rachel noticed the wrapping paper in the dining room and asked what it was. I told her it was to wrap presents.
"Can I have a present?" she asked.
"Sure," I said vaguely.
"Can I have a present with flowers on it?" she said. "That would be very pretty."
"Yes, for your birthday," I said.
"I want flowers on my cake!" she answered.
(So far it looks like I'll be baking a chocolate cake with pink frosting and chocolate chips and flowers on top. Whew!)
***
On the way to school this morning, Rachel got mad that I couldn't understand something she said. So she started crying, and I snapped at her that there was nothing to cry about; sometimes I just can't understand her.
All was quite for a while, until she started taking leftover granola in her lap and throwing it on the seat next to her.
"I wanna make a big mess," she said firmly.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I'm mad at you," she answered.
"Why are you mad at me?" I said.
"Because you're TALKING to me!" she said, exasperated. So, I went silent. Until a few minutes later she informed me that she doesn't like Beginners, she doesn't like the friends there, she doesn't like to play at school. In fact, the doesn't like school at all.
The only things she likes are "Mom and Daddy and coloring."
Ah, kids these days....
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The closer we get to leaving for NYC the more stressed-out I feel
...because of everything I need to do before we leave. And I am really, really tired.
Today on the way to work, Rachel informed me that Delly sleeps in her bedroom in a blue bed. But then I got confused -- Delly apparently works in Northeast Portland and lives in Salem! When I pointed out that discrepancy to Rachel, she couldn't explain it. What gives?!?!
***
Tonight as we were almost home, I was listening to a great interview on "Fresh Air" with Tina Fey. She was talking about how supportive her parents were, and how when she told them she wanted to go into entertainment for a career they could have said, "why don't you be an entertainment LAWYER?" but they didn't.
Then Rachel piped up, "I wanna be an entertainment lawyer TOO. Can you take me there someday? It sounds like fun!"
I was speechless. How do you reply to something like that?
***
"I love piges and bunnies and rabbits!" Rachel told me tonight. "What do you like, Mommy?"
"I like rabbits," I replied.
"I like pigs," Rachel repeated. "And bunnies."
(Let's hope she doesn't beg us to go the urban farming route and raise...Vietnamese potbellied pigs!)
Today on the way to work, Rachel informed me that Delly sleeps in her bedroom in a blue bed. But then I got confused -- Delly apparently works in Northeast Portland and lives in Salem! When I pointed out that discrepancy to Rachel, she couldn't explain it. What gives?!?!
***
Tonight as we were almost home, I was listening to a great interview on "Fresh Air" with Tina Fey. She was talking about how supportive her parents were, and how when she told them she wanted to go into entertainment for a career they could have said, "why don't you be an entertainment LAWYER?" but they didn't.
Then Rachel piped up, "I wanna be an entertainment lawyer TOO. Can you take me there someday? It sounds like fun!"
I was speechless. How do you reply to something like that?
***
"I love piges and bunnies and rabbits!" Rachel told me tonight. "What do you like, Mommy?"
"I like rabbits," I replied.
"I like pigs," Rachel repeated. "And bunnies."
(Let's hope she doesn't beg us to go the urban farming route and raise...Vietnamese potbellied pigs!)
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Rachel sayings
Tonight, Rachel wanted to sit in the car eating raisins while I unloaded everything and changed into my cruddy mommy clothes. When I returned, she said this:
Rachel: Did you put your coat away?
Me (chuckling) Yes, Rachel!
Rachel: That's good. Good job, Mommy!
***
Last night we got on the subject of "The Nutracker" after she asked me about what I did Saturday night, and I explained I had been to a fundraiser for the ballet, and would she like to see "The Nutracker" this winter? She said yes. I then proceeded to tell her the story about a little girl...
"What's her name?" Rachel asked.
"Clara," I continued. She got a nutcracker for her birthday, and her brother broke it, and Clara tended it carefully and she had a dream that mice were attacking, and the nutcracker changed into a prince, and Clara killed the Mice King, and the prince thanked her, and he took her to the land of sweets where they got to eat candy.
Rachel listened attentively. Her questions:
"Is the Nutcracker a boy or a girl?"
"A boy, Rachel," I answered.
"Does he have a belly button?" she asked.
"Yes, he does, sweetie!" I said, laughing.
***
She has taken to singing a one-word song called "Mommy" to the tune of Frere Jacques. It goes, "Mommymommymommymommymommymommy...." etc. Then I usually join in and add, "Rachel, Rachel, Rachel Rachel...." and then she adds "Daddy daddy daddy daddy...." It ends up sounding quite silly!
***
Rachel was asking what I was going to eat for dinner tonight and insisted I take some of her tortellini as a side dish.
"Are you worried about me?" I asked.
"Yes," Rachel said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because," Rachel answered.
"Because why?" I asked, expecting a warm and fuzzy answer like, "I love you!" "I need you!" Instead, I got this:
"I still need some Tylenol!"
(I finally gave her some; she claims she's had a headache for the past two days. Hope she feels better tomorrow.
Rachel: Did you put your coat away?
Me (chuckling) Yes, Rachel!
Rachel: That's good. Good job, Mommy!
***
Last night we got on the subject of "The Nutracker" after she asked me about what I did Saturday night, and I explained I had been to a fundraiser for the ballet, and would she like to see "The Nutracker" this winter? She said yes. I then proceeded to tell her the story about a little girl...
"What's her name?" Rachel asked.
"Clara," I continued. She got a nutcracker for her birthday, and her brother broke it, and Clara tended it carefully and she had a dream that mice were attacking, and the nutcracker changed into a prince, and Clara killed the Mice King, and the prince thanked her, and he took her to the land of sweets where they got to eat candy.
Rachel listened attentively. Her questions:
"Is the Nutcracker a boy or a girl?"
"A boy, Rachel," I answered.
"Does he have a belly button?" she asked.
"Yes, he does, sweetie!" I said, laughing.
***
She has taken to singing a one-word song called "Mommy" to the tune of Frere Jacques. It goes, "Mommymommymommymommymommymommy...." etc. Then I usually join in and add, "Rachel, Rachel, Rachel Rachel...." and then she adds "Daddy daddy daddy daddy...." It ends up sounding quite silly!
***
Rachel was asking what I was going to eat for dinner tonight and insisted I take some of her tortellini as a side dish.
"Are you worried about me?" I asked.
"Yes," Rachel said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because," Rachel answered.
"Because why?" I asked, expecting a warm and fuzzy answer like, "I love you!" "I need you!" Instead, I got this:
"I still need some Tylenol!"
(I finally gave her some; she claims she's had a headache for the past two days. Hope she feels better tomorrow.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Feeling much perkier today, thank you
On the way to school we had this conversation after I told Rachel we're going to NYC this weekend to see Daddy, yay!
Rachel: Did he shave his beard?
Me: Yes, Rachel, because his beard makes him scratchy.
Rachel: I think he shaved his beard (doubtfully). I not sure, though.
***
As we were driving past a park:
Rachel: Look at the balloons in the trees!
Me: Where? Where?
Rachel: Over there!
Me: Why are there balloons in the trees?
Rachel: They're tired. (Pause) They want to fly! They're resting.
Rachel: Did he shave his beard?
Me: Yes, Rachel, because his beard makes him scratchy.
Rachel: I think he shaved his beard (doubtfully). I not sure, though.
***
As we were driving past a park:
Rachel: Look at the balloons in the trees!
Me: Where? Where?
Rachel: Over there!
Me: Why are there balloons in the trees?
Rachel: They're tired. (Pause) They want to fly! They're resting.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Bit of a rough start today
...so, like I said in my previous post, I drank way too much wine last night and woke up this morning feeling like death warmed over. I took more Tylenol and raced in to Rachel's room when I heard her coughing uncontrollably. Luckily she wasn't choking or even sick, but I gave her some children's cough medicine anyway. Then I asked her to be patient and wait in the crib while I took a shower -- and, amazingly, she did! Then it was breakfast for her, Amanda and Jenn, with me frying bacon, drinking tea and trying desperately to feel better. Oh, if only Drew had been here, then I could have slept off my hangover. Jenn kindly gave me some migraine medicine which really helped; it relieved the pain immediately. But not the tiredness. So after she and Amanda left (they had a great time with Rachel Saturday night, apparently; she insisted Amanda read to her and so now there is Mommy books, Daddy books and Auntie books) Rachel wanted to play upstairs and I dragged myself up after her. I managed to build a house with blocks, then staggered over to the futon (after she curled up on the loveseat and insisted I cover her with a blanket), and rested.
Rachel was so grown-up. She played pretty much to herself for an hour or so. At one point she came up to my inert figure and said, "Tell you what. I go eat gingerbread downstairs." I went down with her, cut up some gingerbread, poured her some orange juice and told her to clear her plate when she was done. And then went back up to the attic, and pretty soon I heard her little feet pattering downstairs, then she climbed up and lay down next to me on the futon (Jenn and Amanda had folded it up, so there wasn't much room on it for both of us) and we fell asleep for 30 minutes. There is nothing nicer than sleeping off a hangover with Rachel curled up next to me, asleep. Just when I was ready to wake up, she woke up, too. (I later discovered that she had, indeed, cleared her plate when she finished the gingerbread!). We played a little more, I made some rice for a dinner I'd been invited to, then she and I headed to Canby and my friend Deni's house. Deni and her husband Bob had gotten back from Africa and invited some friends of theirs to view their slides. So, off we went!
And Rachel was absolutely amazing the whole evening. She charmed EVERYBODY by being so cheerful and well-behaved during dinner, she just sat next to me and quietly ate her rice and naan with a fork; so grown-up! The slideshow was really, really long but she never fussed or complained. Deni, who had grandchildren, had some blocks and cars and brought them out for Rachel; at one point she and I built a house together, and then she went over to Bob and sat in his lap while he explained the slides. So sweet! And when the animals came up she named them: Zebra! Hippos! Elyphants! We had a great dessert (fruit, chocolate and coconut bars) and as I was cutting up some canteloupe for Rachel Deni said for everyone to hear, "Can you imagine any 2-year-old who would be so well-behaved at a function like this?" There were nods of assent from everyone; one of the men complimented my parenting and then, when Rachel said to me quietly, "I'd like to leave," I put her down from her seat and she took her plate to clear it.
Dead silence. I said, "well, she does this at home and I want to reinforce it."
"It's true," Deni said. "I've seen her do it."
One of the women murmured, "Lisa, you are a GREAT mom!" and Rachel followed me into the kitchen and put her plate on the counter. After I buttoned up her sweater, she offered kisses all around and Deni told her she was welcome anytime. In the car I thanked her profusely for being so well-behaved and told her that I love taking her places and being around her. And at her request I sang "Clementine" without complaining the way I usually do.:)
Tonight as I put her to bed I said, "You are amazing, Rachel. Really amazing."
"I'm an amazing child?" she said.
"Yes, you are!" I laughed.
She snuggled into me and sighed, "You're my FAVORITE."
"Oh, Rachel," I answered. "You're my favorite, too!"
Rachel was so grown-up. She played pretty much to herself for an hour or so. At one point she came up to my inert figure and said, "Tell you what. I go eat gingerbread downstairs." I went down with her, cut up some gingerbread, poured her some orange juice and told her to clear her plate when she was done. And then went back up to the attic, and pretty soon I heard her little feet pattering downstairs, then she climbed up and lay down next to me on the futon (Jenn and Amanda had folded it up, so there wasn't much room on it for both of us) and we fell asleep for 30 minutes. There is nothing nicer than sleeping off a hangover with Rachel curled up next to me, asleep. Just when I was ready to wake up, she woke up, too. (I later discovered that she had, indeed, cleared her plate when she finished the gingerbread!). We played a little more, I made some rice for a dinner I'd been invited to, then she and I headed to Canby and my friend Deni's house. Deni and her husband Bob had gotten back from Africa and invited some friends of theirs to view their slides. So, off we went!
And Rachel was absolutely amazing the whole evening. She charmed EVERYBODY by being so cheerful and well-behaved during dinner, she just sat next to me and quietly ate her rice and naan with a fork; so grown-up! The slideshow was really, really long but she never fussed or complained. Deni, who had grandchildren, had some blocks and cars and brought them out for Rachel; at one point she and I built a house together, and then she went over to Bob and sat in his lap while he explained the slides. So sweet! And when the animals came up she named them: Zebra! Hippos! Elyphants! We had a great dessert (fruit, chocolate and coconut bars) and as I was cutting up some canteloupe for Rachel Deni said for everyone to hear, "Can you imagine any 2-year-old who would be so well-behaved at a function like this?" There were nods of assent from everyone; one of the men complimented my parenting and then, when Rachel said to me quietly, "I'd like to leave," I put her down from her seat and she took her plate to clear it.
Dead silence. I said, "well, she does this at home and I want to reinforce it."
"It's true," Deni said. "I've seen her do it."
One of the women murmured, "Lisa, you are a GREAT mom!" and Rachel followed me into the kitchen and put her plate on the counter. After I buttoned up her sweater, she offered kisses all around and Deni told her she was welcome anytime. In the car I thanked her profusely for being so well-behaved and told her that I love taking her places and being around her. And at her request I sang "Clementine" without complaining the way I usually do.:)
Tonight as I put her to bed I said, "You are amazing, Rachel. Really amazing."
"I'm an amazing child?" she said.
"Yes, you are!" I laughed.
She snuggled into me and sighed, "You're my FAVORITE."
"Oh, Rachel," I answered. "You're my favorite, too!"
Fantastic weekend
I had quite the Saturday. Rachel was fantastic at her swim lesson, just FANTASTIC. The little girl who screamed and clutched at me last weekend announced, halfway through her swim lesson yesterday, "I want to swim ALL BY MYSELF!" She was very comfortable letting me glide her around with my arms outstretched and even was OK with me gliding her around on her back. (It helps that the pool has toys by the side that she can play with, like a plastic watering can and a dolphin, and styrofoam "noodles" and play barbells -- really great stuff). We play the "hokey pokey" in the water and she loves that, along with ring around the rosy, except the kids get to say what's in their pockets (Rachel, predictably, said "cookies!"). The crowning touch? She said she wanted to go down the water slide by herself, and a kind guy said he'd walk her up the stairs and I waited in the pool. For a moment as she slid down she looked totally panicked (it's a short slide), but then she got a big grin on her face as she flew into my arms at the end. I can't wait to take her to Wolf Lodge, this great place in Washington that is the coolest water slide park EVER.
We met Amanda and Jenn when we got home -- poor Amanda was a bit under the weather, so we all sat around and relaxed and Jenn & Amanda were gracious enough to tag along as I dragged them through the normal errands we do on Saturday -- grocery shopping, bank, movie rental, etc. (They requested "Toy Story 3" as a movie to watch with Rachel that night because I was going to a ballet fundraiser and they had agreed to babysit). We got home, I put Rachel down for a nap then changed into a slinky black cocktail dress, sheer black stockings and high-heeled shoes, plus pearls and a black wrap for a fundraiser I had been invited to for Oregon Ballet Theatre. Since my friend is the head of the ballet's board, all I needed to do was show up; I didn't have to pay for my seat. So at 6:30 I headed to the Pearl.
Oh, and what an evening it was! The creme de la creme of what passes for society in Portland -- everyone was stunningly dressed, many in age-inappropriate dress, but still. The auctioneer (the live auction prizes were tremendous and I was dying to bid on something but unfortunately I don't have $5,000 or so to throw around. Sigh) was was so skilled I got dizzy listening to her. We were one table away from Portland Mayor Sam Adams, and his companion, Peter, is a former Oregonian reporter -- so during a break in the proceedings I went over and chatted up Peter. He was touched I remembered him and remembered that he had written a book that is being published in, oh, a bunch of countries, and we exchanged cards (Melissa, my friend who invited me to the event, was very impressed that I knew the mayor's boyfriend) and I spent the rest of the evening drinking a lot of red wine. Not to put too fine a point on it but -- I got drunk. Very drunk. Gloriously drunk. I haven't cut loose like that in ages. It ended up with me calling Drew in New York and telling him of my condition. Steve, Melissa's husband, drove me home in my car while a friend of Melissa's drove behind and took Steve back to the event, which had wound down by then. Luckily I took some Tylenol but I still felt so warm that I turned on the ceiling fan in the bedroom before falling asleep. It still didn't help. Because this morning, I really, really felt it.
We met Amanda and Jenn when we got home -- poor Amanda was a bit under the weather, so we all sat around and relaxed and Jenn & Amanda were gracious enough to tag along as I dragged them through the normal errands we do on Saturday -- grocery shopping, bank, movie rental, etc. (They requested "Toy Story 3" as a movie to watch with Rachel that night because I was going to a ballet fundraiser and they had agreed to babysit). We got home, I put Rachel down for a nap then changed into a slinky black cocktail dress, sheer black stockings and high-heeled shoes, plus pearls and a black wrap for a fundraiser I had been invited to for Oregon Ballet Theatre. Since my friend is the head of the ballet's board, all I needed to do was show up; I didn't have to pay for my seat. So at 6:30 I headed to the Pearl.
Oh, and what an evening it was! The creme de la creme of what passes for society in Portland -- everyone was stunningly dressed, many in age-inappropriate dress, but still. The auctioneer (the live auction prizes were tremendous and I was dying to bid on something but unfortunately I don't have $5,000 or so to throw around. Sigh) was was so skilled I got dizzy listening to her. We were one table away from Portland Mayor Sam Adams, and his companion, Peter, is a former Oregonian reporter -- so during a break in the proceedings I went over and chatted up Peter. He was touched I remembered him and remembered that he had written a book that is being published in, oh, a bunch of countries, and we exchanged cards (Melissa, my friend who invited me to the event, was very impressed that I knew the mayor's boyfriend) and I spent the rest of the evening drinking a lot of red wine. Not to put too fine a point on it but -- I got drunk. Very drunk. Gloriously drunk. I haven't cut loose like that in ages. It ended up with me calling Drew in New York and telling him of my condition. Steve, Melissa's husband, drove me home in my car while a friend of Melissa's drove behind and took Steve back to the event, which had wound down by then. Luckily I took some Tylenol but I still felt so warm that I turned on the ceiling fan in the bedroom before falling asleep. It still didn't help. Because this morning, I really, really felt it.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Rachel says she likes Beginners
...apparently now she's happy in Beginners, but sometimes she still says she doesn't want to go to school, like the did this morning. When I told her she had to, she gave me a wicked look and replied, "I go to school nakee!" (that's "naked.").
"You can't, Rachel," I sensibly replied. "It's too cold."
***
When we got home tonight she started singing a song she apparently has picked up in school. I didn't recognize it and the words didn't make sense, but here it is anyway:
Slippery fish, slippery fish
Gulp, gulp, gulp
Oh no, he's not eating by!
Humungous whale, humungous whale
Gulp, gulp, gulp
Oh no, he's not eating by!
A great white shark, a great white shark (yes, she pronounced this perfectly!)
Gulp, gulp, gulp
Oh no, he's not eating by!
By all means, please enlighten me if you can!
***
Rachel was even more helpful than usual tonight. As soon as we got inside she went straight to the drawer where the placemats are and set the table. Then when I was bustling around getting everything ready, she brought in her doctor's kit and played with it. And after dinner she announced she wanted to cuddle, then asked, "are you finished? We gotta clean up!" and, on her own, started clearing the dishes. She ended with this:
"When you fall asleep, I come in here and clean up the rest." Then she took my hand, said "come with me!" and insisted that I go into her bedroom and lie down on the carpet. Then she took all the blankets and covered me up, asking which side of the blankets I preferred (bunnies or pink? When I replied I wanted the side with the bunnies, she said cheerfully, "bunnies for Mommy!"), turned on the CD player, then dragged her plastic chair over to the light switch and turned it off. Then she shut the door and left me to "sleep."
I thought she was serious until, 10 minutes later, she opened the door, said, "it's my turn!" and insisted I cover her with the blankets. I used that time to finish cleaning up the kitchen, and pretty soon she padded in and announced, "I almost feel asleep!" So we went back to the bedroom, read "The Princess and the Frog," took a bath, did the rest of the routine and then I tucked her in to her crib.
"I love you, Rachel!" I said.
"I love you too," she answered.
"Good Shabbos, Rachel!" I said.
"Good Shabbos!" she answered.
And so the evening ended, as will mine -- after baking gingerbread for Amanda and Jenn, who are driving down tomorrow and will meet us after Rachel's swim lesson. I can't wait until Rachel discovers I've made gingerbread, one of her favorite things to eat!
"You can't, Rachel," I sensibly replied. "It's too cold."
***
When we got home tonight she started singing a song she apparently has picked up in school. I didn't recognize it and the words didn't make sense, but here it is anyway:
Slippery fish, slippery fish
Gulp, gulp, gulp
Oh no, he's not eating by!
Humungous whale, humungous whale
Gulp, gulp, gulp
Oh no, he's not eating by!
A great white shark, a great white shark (yes, she pronounced this perfectly!)
Gulp, gulp, gulp
Oh no, he's not eating by!
By all means, please enlighten me if you can!
***
Rachel was even more helpful than usual tonight. As soon as we got inside she went straight to the drawer where the placemats are and set the table. Then when I was bustling around getting everything ready, she brought in her doctor's kit and played with it. And after dinner she announced she wanted to cuddle, then asked, "are you finished? We gotta clean up!" and, on her own, started clearing the dishes. She ended with this:
"When you fall asleep, I come in here and clean up the rest." Then she took my hand, said "come with me!" and insisted that I go into her bedroom and lie down on the carpet. Then she took all the blankets and covered me up, asking which side of the blankets I preferred (bunnies or pink? When I replied I wanted the side with the bunnies, she said cheerfully, "bunnies for Mommy!"), turned on the CD player, then dragged her plastic chair over to the light switch and turned it off. Then she shut the door and left me to "sleep."
I thought she was serious until, 10 minutes later, she opened the door, said, "it's my turn!" and insisted I cover her with the blankets. I used that time to finish cleaning up the kitchen, and pretty soon she padded in and announced, "I almost feel asleep!" So we went back to the bedroom, read "The Princess and the Frog," took a bath, did the rest of the routine and then I tucked her in to her crib.
"I love you, Rachel!" I said.
"I love you too," she answered.
"Good Shabbos, Rachel!" I said.
"Good Shabbos!" she answered.
And so the evening ended, as will mine -- after baking gingerbread for Amanda and Jenn, who are driving down tomorrow and will meet us after Rachel's swim lesson. I can't wait until Rachel discovers I've made gingerbread, one of her favorite things to eat!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Rachel doesn't like Beginners
"I wanna go to Toddlers," she whined this morning.
"Why?" I answered.
"Because."
"Because WHY?"
"I love Toddlers."
"But you love Beginners, too, right? Are the kids nice?"
"No."
"Are the teachers nice?"
"No."
"What toys do you play with in Beginners?"
"The dollhouse and the grocery store."
"Well, you wouldn't be able to play with those toys if you stayed in Toddlers. Sometimes, Rachel, we have to take the next step in life even if we don't want to."
Pause.
"I wanna go to Toddlers," she whined. Which escalated to sobbing and screaming when I tried to drop her off in the gym this morning.
"You know she's going to be fine," Teacher Lynette said. "As soon as you hit the car, she'll have stopped crying."
"Are the other kids nice to her?" I asked timidly.
"Yes!" Teacher Lynette said. "Everybody LOVES playing with her!"
So, I left. A bit relieved but not completely.
***
When I was getting her ready this morning, I pulled on one leg of Rachel's pants, kissed her foot and said, "FOOT!"
Then I pulled on her other leg, kissed her other foot, and said, "FOOT!"
As I stood her up she looked down at me tolerantly and said, "that was cute."
(By the way, she can now distinguish her left from her right!)
***
As we were driving to school this morning Rachel asked, "What did you pack for me today?"
"A banana," I answered. "And strawberries and raisins and baby food."
"Granola bar?" she asked.
Steeling myself for loud wailing I said, "no."
Pause.
"Tomorrow, maybe?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes, sweetie," I said. "If we have any left in the house."
"Why?" I answered.
"Because."
"Because WHY?"
"I love Toddlers."
"But you love Beginners, too, right? Are the kids nice?"
"No."
"Are the teachers nice?"
"No."
"What toys do you play with in Beginners?"
"The dollhouse and the grocery store."
"Well, you wouldn't be able to play with those toys if you stayed in Toddlers. Sometimes, Rachel, we have to take the next step in life even if we don't want to."
Pause.
"I wanna go to Toddlers," she whined. Which escalated to sobbing and screaming when I tried to drop her off in the gym this morning.
"You know she's going to be fine," Teacher Lynette said. "As soon as you hit the car, she'll have stopped crying."
"Are the other kids nice to her?" I asked timidly.
"Yes!" Teacher Lynette said. "Everybody LOVES playing with her!"
So, I left. A bit relieved but not completely.
***
When I was getting her ready this morning, I pulled on one leg of Rachel's pants, kissed her foot and said, "FOOT!"
Then I pulled on her other leg, kissed her other foot, and said, "FOOT!"
As I stood her up she looked down at me tolerantly and said, "that was cute."
(By the way, she can now distinguish her left from her right!)
***
As we were driving to school this morning Rachel asked, "What did you pack for me today?"
"A banana," I answered. "And strawberries and raisins and baby food."
"Granola bar?" she asked.
Steeling myself for loud wailing I said, "no."
Pause.
"Tomorrow, maybe?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes, sweetie," I said. "If we have any left in the house."
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Best compliment ever
..came from Jolene, one of the Beginners teachers (the others are Lynette and Gina): I was picking up Rachel tonight and, per usual, asked Jolene what kind of day Rachel had.
"Oh, she had a great day," Jolene said. "She's a really easy kid. She plays well, she's nice, she's helpful. Not to diss on other parents, but some kids are so difficult -- you have to really get in their face and say NO five or six times before they listen. Rachel has good parents. Whatever you're doing, keep it up!"
I told her that totally made my night. Really, my whole week. No, really, the whole 10 months of raising Rachel on my own.
***
Tonight Rachel told me what had happened at school. Apparently Kyle, a kid in Beginners, threw Jolene's glasses into the wood chips. Jolene was not pleased and scolded Kyle, and of course Rachel gave me the watered-down version. I'm going to attempt to confirm this with Jolene tomorrow, just to make sure that Rachel is a reliable narrator.
***
One of the joys of having Rachel around lately is that she is developing a real memory, which means that she understands the concept of Mommy and Rachel having a shared history. Tonight, for instance, she said, "Remember when we went to the Go Dog Go play?" And she tried, in Rachel-ese, to describe the scene where the dogs are playing under the sheets "with flashlights!" I reminded Rachel, even though "night is NOT a time for play."
"Yeah!" Rachel said delightedly. She was quoting whole sections of the performance. And she reminded me that she wants to see "Snow White" when Daddy comes back. But she wants to go only with me. Sorry, Drew -- this is a girls-only event!
"Oh, she had a great day," Jolene said. "She's a really easy kid. She plays well, she's nice, she's helpful. Not to diss on other parents, but some kids are so difficult -- you have to really get in their face and say NO five or six times before they listen. Rachel has good parents. Whatever you're doing, keep it up!"
I told her that totally made my night. Really, my whole week. No, really, the whole 10 months of raising Rachel on my own.
***
Tonight Rachel told me what had happened at school. Apparently Kyle, a kid in Beginners, threw Jolene's glasses into the wood chips. Jolene was not pleased and scolded Kyle, and of course Rachel gave me the watered-down version. I'm going to attempt to confirm this with Jolene tomorrow, just to make sure that Rachel is a reliable narrator.
***
One of the joys of having Rachel around lately is that she is developing a real memory, which means that she understands the concept of Mommy and Rachel having a shared history. Tonight, for instance, she said, "Remember when we went to the Go Dog Go play?" And she tried, in Rachel-ese, to describe the scene where the dogs are playing under the sheets "with flashlights!" I reminded Rachel, even though "night is NOT a time for play."
"Yeah!" Rachel said delightedly. She was quoting whole sections of the performance. And she reminded me that she wants to see "Snow White" when Daddy comes back. But she wants to go only with me. Sorry, Drew -- this is a girls-only event!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Rachel the leader
Apparently Rachel is quite the leader at daycare. She has at least one dedicated follower: Harris, the towhaired 2-year-old in toddlers who tonight exclaimed, "Rachel!" when he saw me coming to pick up TLG. Harris's mom, Katrina, was sick tonight, poor thing. More accurately: She looked like death warmed over, then informed me that she was suffering from the flu and was trying not to get close to me. While I of course was sympathetic another part of my brain thought, "THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE PICKING UP YOUR SON AND RISKING INFECTING US ALL?? WHY NOT SEND YOUR HUSBAND TO DO IT???" And yes, I know she has a husband because I've met him several times before.
Anyway.
Jolene, one of the Beginners teachers, said Rachel had "a beautiful first day in Beginners. She ate all her lunch, she slept well, she played well." Which was great because as soon as I let her go this morning she started sobbing her heart out. It drives me crazy when she does that, but there's nothing I can do -- I'm usually running late when I drop her off so I try to be as businesslike as usual, hoping she'll someday get used to the idea that I may be going, but I'll come back.
Tonight she raced into my arms saying Mommymommymommy! and sporting a paper crown that made her look, well, princess-like. The drive home was exhausting, with the rain making it feel as if I was fighting the weather the whole time. I had a headache, Rachel insisted I keep singing, and she kept chattering away in the back seat -- which usually I love, but finally when we were getting ready for bed I said, "Shh. Rachel, please be quiet for just a minute." She immediately got quiet and I felt so guilty, but I really needed a rest. She could tell something was going on because tonight she looked at my face at dinner and said, "Mommy, are you mad?"
"No, I'm not mad. I'm just tired," I replied.
"You look like you're mad," she said, smiling.
I reassured her I was OK, but all I wanted to do was to get her to sleep so I could make my lunch call Drew make Rachel's lunch clean up from dinner eat my salad write on the blog collapse into bed sometime before, oh, midnight.
I hope tomorrow is a better day.
Anyway.
Jolene, one of the Beginners teachers, said Rachel had "a beautiful first day in Beginners. She ate all her lunch, she slept well, she played well." Which was great because as soon as I let her go this morning she started sobbing her heart out. It drives me crazy when she does that, but there's nothing I can do -- I'm usually running late when I drop her off so I try to be as businesslike as usual, hoping she'll someday get used to the idea that I may be going, but I'll come back.
Tonight she raced into my arms saying Mommymommymommy! and sporting a paper crown that made her look, well, princess-like. The drive home was exhausting, with the rain making it feel as if I was fighting the weather the whole time. I had a headache, Rachel insisted I keep singing, and she kept chattering away in the back seat -- which usually I love, but finally when we were getting ready for bed I said, "Shh. Rachel, please be quiet for just a minute." She immediately got quiet and I felt so guilty, but I really needed a rest. She could tell something was going on because tonight she looked at my face at dinner and said, "Mommy, are you mad?"
"No, I'm not mad. I'm just tired," I replied.
"You look like you're mad," she said, smiling.
I reassured her I was OK, but all I wanted to do was to get her to sleep so I could make my lunch call Drew make Rachel's lunch clean up from dinner eat my salad write on the blog collapse into bed sometime before, oh, midnight.
I hope tomorrow is a better day.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Go Dog, Go!
Took Rachel to a play this afternoon, a theatrical version of "Go Dog, Go!" We went with Amy, her husband Greg, and Tony and Jake. I was a little worried that Rachel wouldn't be able to sit through what I thought was going to be a 2-hour play (it was really 1 hr and 20 mins) but she was a CHAMP. I keep needing to remind myself that she is really much more mature than I give her credit for. The book, one of Drew's favorites from childhood, is about dogs -- big dogs, little dogs, black dogs, white dogs -- and shows them in various stages of their lives (at work, at play, in the water, on top of a dirigible, etc.). I used to complain that it was a dumb book with no narrative structure, but it has actually grown on me. Too bad it wasn't part of my own childhood (or maybe it was, I don't remember).
Anyway...I was skeptical that such a short book with simple sentences could accurately be transposed to a theater setting, but darned if it didn't work! It was a production of Northwest Children's Theater (yet another reason to love Portland; this is a city that really, really gets kids) and was held at the Northwest Cultural Center, a nice setting with a good stage and comfy benches with cushions. The theater has acting camps and acting classes, and I can't wait to see if, when Rachel gets a little older, she may be interested in exercising that part of her brain.
At first she was scared because the play started with a solo dog sitting on a chair and instruments making lots of loud, startling noises that even made ME jump. "I wanna go home," Rachel said, then faced into me and buried her body into mine. But as soon as the singing and rollerblading started (yes, rollerblading!) she really got into it. "I like those guys!" she said, laughing, about halfway through. "I'm having fun!"
She laughed at all the right places and was quiet when need be. The play was recommended for kids 4 and up, and she's not even 3 yet! So, I really think it's time to introduce her to children's theater. Northwest Children's Theater is doing a production of "Snow White" the weekend after Drew gets back, and if we end up staying in town for Memorial Day weekend, I'd definitely like to take her to see it.
Afterward Rachel didn't want to leave the theater -- in fact, she pitched a temper tantrum that embarrassed me but I tried to ignore it. Pretty soon it passed, we came home for snack and nap, and then Amanda and Jenn showed up for a concert they're attending as I write this. We all got to have pizza for dinner before the girls had to leave for the concert. Rachel was her usual charming self; while she played with puzzles I told Amanda and Jenn all about the play and then said, "when Drew comes back we're going to take her to see..."
"Snow White!!" Rachel interrupted. I laughed. "Yes, in fact, that's the play we're all going to see when Daddy gets back!" I said.
After Amanda and Jenn left, Rachel looked at me. "What shall we do?" she asked. Surprised, I answered, "Well what do YOU want to do?"
"I want to go upstairs and I want you to play with me," she answered.
"OK," I assented, and we went upstairs.
We proceeded to build two beautiful houses with blocks. Mine was so elaborate that it probably could pass for one of Quadafi's summer retreats. Rachel's, by contrast, reminded me of the George W. Bush ranch in Crawford, as pictured in today's NY Times Magazine. One level, glass, stark to match the surrounding desert. Rachel's version was an exercise in modern architecture. I asked her if I could live in it.
"No," she answered. "Delly and I live in the house."
"Then who lives in the house that I built?" I whined.
"You and Daddy," she answered patiently.
Oh, well, at least we get to live next door! (Delly, by the way, has graduated from being a baby in Rachel's tummy to a toddler. She is now, apparently, Rachel's little sister).
Anyway...I was skeptical that such a short book with simple sentences could accurately be transposed to a theater setting, but darned if it didn't work! It was a production of Northwest Children's Theater (yet another reason to love Portland; this is a city that really, really gets kids) and was held at the Northwest Cultural Center, a nice setting with a good stage and comfy benches with cushions. The theater has acting camps and acting classes, and I can't wait to see if, when Rachel gets a little older, she may be interested in exercising that part of her brain.
At first she was scared because the play started with a solo dog sitting on a chair and instruments making lots of loud, startling noises that even made ME jump. "I wanna go home," Rachel said, then faced into me and buried her body into mine. But as soon as the singing and rollerblading started (yes, rollerblading!) she really got into it. "I like those guys!" she said, laughing, about halfway through. "I'm having fun!"
She laughed at all the right places and was quiet when need be. The play was recommended for kids 4 and up, and she's not even 3 yet! So, I really think it's time to introduce her to children's theater. Northwest Children's Theater is doing a production of "Snow White" the weekend after Drew gets back, and if we end up staying in town for Memorial Day weekend, I'd definitely like to take her to see it.
Afterward Rachel didn't want to leave the theater -- in fact, she pitched a temper tantrum that embarrassed me but I tried to ignore it. Pretty soon it passed, we came home for snack and nap, and then Amanda and Jenn showed up for a concert they're attending as I write this. We all got to have pizza for dinner before the girls had to leave for the concert. Rachel was her usual charming self; while she played with puzzles I told Amanda and Jenn all about the play and then said, "when Drew comes back we're going to take her to see..."
"Snow White!!" Rachel interrupted. I laughed. "Yes, in fact, that's the play we're all going to see when Daddy gets back!" I said.
After Amanda and Jenn left, Rachel looked at me. "What shall we do?" she asked. Surprised, I answered, "Well what do YOU want to do?"
"I want to go upstairs and I want you to play with me," she answered.
"OK," I assented, and we went upstairs.
We proceeded to build two beautiful houses with blocks. Mine was so elaborate that it probably could pass for one of Quadafi's summer retreats. Rachel's, by contrast, reminded me of the George W. Bush ranch in Crawford, as pictured in today's NY Times Magazine. One level, glass, stark to match the surrounding desert. Rachel's version was an exercise in modern architecture. I asked her if I could live in it.
"No," she answered. "Delly and I live in the house."
"Then who lives in the house that I built?" I whined.
"You and Daddy," she answered patiently.
Oh, well, at least we get to live next door! (Delly, by the way, has graduated from being a baby in Rachel's tummy to a toddler. She is now, apparently, Rachel's little sister).
Saturday, April 2, 2011
My husband will be home NEXT MONTH
I can finally say it: In less than two weeks I'll be in NYC for Passover, then five weekends to get through and then Drew will be back for good. An essay about how I made it through is definitely in order!
Highlights of this weekend so far:
--Rachel did pretty well in swim lessons today. By "pretty well," that means she didn't stand at the side of the pool shrieking and refuse to go in the water. On the other hand, she clutched onto me for dear life and wouldn't let me glide her along until the very end, when I did it against her protestations. Can't really blame her -- the pool was cooler than I would have liked (it's a lap pool, not the warm, Caribbean-style temperature I was expecting) and there were a lot of kids, and the noise level was pretty high. Our class was small -- three boys, two of whom appeared to be younger than Rachel, and Rachel. She said repeatedly today that she had had fun, so I'm hoping that holds until next Saturday. The classes run until June. She is at the "Starfish" level, and I hope this will lead her to becoming an expert swimmer someday!
One cute anecdote: She picked out a very cute pink bathing suits a few weeks ago at Target and when she tried it on today she looked so adorable (it has a stiff tutu and three Disney princesses on it) that it took my breath away. "OH, RACHEL!" I exclaimed. Minutes later she announced, "I look GORGEOUS!" which made a woman near us smile. "Yes, you do, Rachel!" I said. I'm so glad she's developing self-confidence.
--Here's a snippet from our conversation over a hurried pre-swim breakfast:
Rachel: I LIKE you, Mommy!
Me: I like you too!
Rachel: I like Daddy!
Me: I like Daddy, too!
--We had a more leisurely breakfast when we came back at 12:30 or so; I fried up bacon, warmed up half a scone and made myself some tea. Rachel had bacon and yogurt. As I was preparing to clean up, Rachel said this:
"Let's go in to the bedroom, sweetie. You need to go to sleep and be nice and cozy, and I'll go into the kitchen and clean up. I tell you what -- if you wake up, we can go grocery shopping."
Then we went into the bedroom and Rachel insisted that I lie down on the floor. Then she covered me with all her blankets, gave me one of her books and insisted I take a nap. I was just starting to get into the idea when she came back, announced, "My turn!" and wouldn't listen when I pleaded with her for more rest.:)
--After returning from grocery shopping, Rachel had a snack of cheddar bunnies, chocolate goldfish crackers and trail mix. Then she announced she needed to go to the airport, and went into her bedroom to get her Winnie-the-Pooh winter hat and pink gloves.
"I gotta go to the airport!" she said.
"Why?" I asked.
"'Cuz I gotta visit my people!" she answered.
"Who are your people?" I asked.
"I don't know," she said. "I don't know who my people are."
--Tonight I explained that I was baking chicken and pasta for the husband of a colleague of mine whose memorial I went to last weekend. I told this to Rachel about three times when she asked what I was doing. (A law school professor asked for food donations for Pat, the husband of Linda, my colleague who died. I promised to bring mine in on Monday. As soon as I finish this I'm going to bake a dessert, either tonight or early tomorrow morning).
As we were getting ready to go into Rachel's bedroom for Mommy books, she said: "After I go to bed, you can come into the kitchen and eat dinner with the person who died."
Um, I think she mixed things up a bit.
Highlights of this weekend so far:
--Rachel did pretty well in swim lessons today. By "pretty well," that means she didn't stand at the side of the pool shrieking and refuse to go in the water. On the other hand, she clutched onto me for dear life and wouldn't let me glide her along until the very end, when I did it against her protestations. Can't really blame her -- the pool was cooler than I would have liked (it's a lap pool, not the warm, Caribbean-style temperature I was expecting) and there were a lot of kids, and the noise level was pretty high. Our class was small -- three boys, two of whom appeared to be younger than Rachel, and Rachel. She said repeatedly today that she had had fun, so I'm hoping that holds until next Saturday. The classes run until June. She is at the "Starfish" level, and I hope this will lead her to becoming an expert swimmer someday!
One cute anecdote: She picked out a very cute pink bathing suits a few weeks ago at Target and when she tried it on today she looked so adorable (it has a stiff tutu and three Disney princesses on it) that it took my breath away. "OH, RACHEL!" I exclaimed. Minutes later she announced, "I look GORGEOUS!" which made a woman near us smile. "Yes, you do, Rachel!" I said. I'm so glad she's developing self-confidence.
--Here's a snippet from our conversation over a hurried pre-swim breakfast:
Rachel: I LIKE you, Mommy!
Me: I like you too!
Rachel: I like Daddy!
Me: I like Daddy, too!
--We had a more leisurely breakfast when we came back at 12:30 or so; I fried up bacon, warmed up half a scone and made myself some tea. Rachel had bacon and yogurt. As I was preparing to clean up, Rachel said this:
"Let's go in to the bedroom, sweetie. You need to go to sleep and be nice and cozy, and I'll go into the kitchen and clean up. I tell you what -- if you wake up, we can go grocery shopping."
Then we went into the bedroom and Rachel insisted that I lie down on the floor. Then she covered me with all her blankets, gave me one of her books and insisted I take a nap. I was just starting to get into the idea when she came back, announced, "My turn!" and wouldn't listen when I pleaded with her for more rest.:)
--After returning from grocery shopping, Rachel had a snack of cheddar bunnies, chocolate goldfish crackers and trail mix. Then she announced she needed to go to the airport, and went into her bedroom to get her Winnie-the-Pooh winter hat and pink gloves.
"I gotta go to the airport!" she said.
"Why?" I asked.
"'Cuz I gotta visit my people!" she answered.
"Who are your people?" I asked.
"I don't know," she said. "I don't know who my people are."
--Tonight I explained that I was baking chicken and pasta for the husband of a colleague of mine whose memorial I went to last weekend. I told this to Rachel about three times when she asked what I was doing. (A law school professor asked for food donations for Pat, the husband of Linda, my colleague who died. I promised to bring mine in on Monday. As soon as I finish this I'm going to bake a dessert, either tonight or early tomorrow morning).
As we were getting ready to go into Rachel's bedroom for Mommy books, she said: "After I go to bed, you can come into the kitchen and eat dinner with the person who died."
Um, I think she mixed things up a bit.
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