quotes

"What that could be?"
"I have idea. We go camping in nature."
"I'm not Nelope, I'm mommy." (dissolve into giggles)
"Mommy. I have sprise for you. I love you."

A long but happy day.

 Oinkster in Eagle Rock

followed by total mayhem at home

and much dancing

and cookie eating

and bouncy house joy.

Mike worked late, so P. and I hit the town.

New Girl

P. starts preschool on Monday. I'm incredibly nervous, but I think she is probably ready. In the last few weeks, she seems like a new, much bigger, person. Fake crying is in. Asking for hugs and kisses is in. Picky eating is in. Dancing in costumes is in. Going outside is in.

When I have friends over, and we aren't paying adequate attention to her, she says "STOP TALKING." I am not a fan of this, and it's the main source of time-outs. Which, just for the record, are the most useless technique for modifying my daughter's behavior. I have seen other kids respond to time-outs. Just not my kid. But I persist, because what else to do?

car parts and playground

rainy day

hello kitty

this magic moment

The other night we threw down the "Almond Milk" gauntlet. No "Almond Milk" unless she finished her dinner. And by finish we meant eat all her rice and at least one bite of tofu and one bite of greens. Screaming, tears, desperate attempts to get each parent to understand the injustice of the other parent. "Daddy!!! Mommy said nooooo!" "Mommy!!! Daddy said eat tofu!!!" Big, big rolling tears. Finally, dinner was abandoned and she went to bed with water.

Yesterday, she said she wanted to dance. She put on her ballet costume asked for "dancing music" and then made precise circles around the apartment while making complicated faces that I'm pretty sure come from her Odissi Dance youtube clips.

She is still, as these things go, not especially verbal, but when she does talk it's very precise and the grammar is really strange. We have all been so sick for the past week, and most of her conversations involve imaginary trips to the doctor. "I am the doctor. You are sick? OK. Here is medicine. You feel all better. Desmond go to doctor. He feels much better. Orange doll is doctor. OK. Here you go. Now you feel much better." And so on.

playing with pins

fairyland

practice

art museum

famous cucumber salad

Joshua Tree

2013

We are deep into the world of short sentences that end with question marks. "I go Grandma's house, see everybody, OK mommy?" "I eat candy for dinner, OK mommy?" "Mommy and Nelope go bouncy house tomorrow, OK mommy?"

Bay Area Dreaming