Sharp tongued

I get home from work and am changing, and Petra comes in and asks "When I'm taller, can I use the really sharp knives?" This, of course, implies now that she is using sharp knives, just not the REALLY sharp ones!

While preparing for Thanksgiving, Petra asked "Can I use the stove?" And the answer is "No!"

We're all rolling around on the bed, and Petra kneels between us, puts a hand on Mama and Dada, and says "Mine!" in a happy reassured tone.

Out of the mouths of babes

I picked Petra up at school the other day, and while there, a boy was laughing at me saying "You have no hair on top!" (no, no I don't). He even wanted to touch my head.

That evening I was relaying the story to Alison, and Petra said "You're my dada! Not the other kids. [squints an eye up] I'm keeping an eye on you!"

Petra found the tag from a recent bra purchase, and made it her "bookmark." She tucked it into the Mickey Mouse thank you card Grandma sent. It has pictures inside the tag, and she opens it up and reads "Boobs, Boobs, Underwear, Underwear..."

And out of the other end- Accidents every night when grandma was visiting last week. But none since she left. Petra "surprises" us by calling us into the bathroom and saying "Look, I went poop in the potty!" We are required to celebrate. And if it means no more diapers, Hurray!

Our viewers go wild!

Some of the feedback we got about Petra's robot costume:

That is too cute!

OMG!!! Soooooo cute!

She brings a smile to the face, that's for sure! I forget where you are
-- is it cold enough that she'll need tights to go trick-or-treating?

Did you make that? OMG so cute! She is such a pretty girl.

OK, that is a GREAT costume! Also, it proves beyond any doubt that robot
costumes aren't only for boys.

That's awesome, and she looks just thrilled about it!

That's a great costume!

That costume is AWESOME. And the girl in it is awfully cute.

That costume is so freakin' adorable!

That is awesome covered with awesome sauce.

That is freaking aDORable.

The boots are killing me! And her sweet smile too.

That is the smiliest robot I've ever seen.

Yes. And everyone knows that once machines have mastered human emotion
the human race is not long for this world.

That is AWESOME! The boots are fabulous!

That is exactly what a Halloween costume should be.

I, Robot

All hallow's eve-ish

Weekend Update

Petra had a busy but fun weekend. Saturday was Family Festival Day at the Getty, and Petra had great fun making a sun print and charming all the volunteers at that table. She also enjoyed a pear pastry, while Mama and Dada had some espresso and tasty coffee cake from the cafe (the coffee cake was still warm...yum!). While waiting for her sun print to dry, she checked out the other activities, and made a couple of postcards and a frame for her print. She had gotten up pretty early that morning (her plaintive cry of "I'm staaaarving!" around 6 am roused Richard), so she started to fade around 11:30 or so. She wasn't interested in doing her "pony dance" to the music, so we knew she was ready to nap and started heading for the tram. She was out before we made it to the freeway.

Later that afternoon, we headed over to a concert at Creative Seeds, where a chamber music group called Tonoi was doing a performance of "Madigan the Pumpkin". Petra enjoyed the music and the story, and thanked the musicians enthusiastically as we left. We had planned to head for home, but saw that the local neighborhood association was having a Halloween carnival that was about to start, so we headed over the that. Petra had lots and lots of fun on the giant inflatable slide; she was a little wobbly climbing up to the top of the slide the first couple of times, but was soon scampering up like a champ. She charmed the teenage volunteers by thanking them and offering them candy from a bag of treats that we were snacking on. Other highlights included a bowling game, and a "fishing" game, where she won a spider ring and a gummy rat, respectively.

We bought a few raffle tickets just to support the neighborhood association, and were pleasantly surprised to have one of our numbers called in the first drawing (good thing too, as we were getting ready to leave). We got to pick a prize from the prize table, and Petra chose a cute pink purse adorned with flowers. As we arrived home, we saw one of the neighbor kids and Petra invited herself over to his house. They played happily for a half hour or so, until it was time to go home so he could have his bath. We thought it would be a good idea for Petra to have a bath as well (twice a week whether she needs it or not!), but she didn't share our opinion. Note to self: put in earplugs before putting Petra in the water.

Sunday was a birthday party for one of the girls from Petra's class. Mama played chauffeur and Dada stayed home to finish up Petra's robot costume for Halloween. The party was great fun (ponies and a pinata! How will we ever keep up!), and we ended up staying longer than we expected. The attendees had lots of fun, and it was fun to meet other parents from school. The robot costume is finished and looks great - Dada did a spectacular job. Petra is excited and keeps asking if it was Halloween yet (and talking about Madigan the pumpkin). Just a few more days!

And then she was Three!

My goodness, she can't be three years old already, can she? Yes, yes she can.

Petra had a big party at home on Saturday (sandwiched between visits to Kaiser Wednesday and Monday, more on that later). She had about a dozen kids at the party (Jessica and Katie and Jenna and Eden and Erik and Landon and Bennett and Andres and Sophie and Jeremy and Julian and Jan and Tamryn) as well as assorted parents, and a couple of grandparents (hers and theirs). Quite a houseful. And mercifully un-themed. Just lots of kids playing and having fun and eating "strawberry heart cake" (Petra's pick), and beating the heck out of a giant Strawberry Shortcake pinata (a gift from Uncle Guillermo at year one, which has been waiting for Petra and gang to grow up big enough to really wail on it with a shovel handle).

It was a very busy Saturday, because her school also managed to schedule "Beautification day," when all the parents are expected to come and help do cleaning/building/painting for the school. Alison and I scrubbed the urine stains off 26 cots, stained (a different kind) wooden blocks, scrubbed bikes and generally had a wet time of it. Petra played with her friends, and left early with the grandparents (lucky they were there! They kept her (and napped) while we finished the party preparations, and brought her home just before friends began to arrive in the afternoon).

There was also a nice party for her at school Monday. She is well loved at school, and has lots of friends. Gold plated or not, she is loving her school and learning a ton (human body parts and the skeleton at the moment).

Now the doctor's visits. Remember the toe? Well, it was healing nicely, with 1/2 the nail grown back, when Petra and I went to the park (she was "sick" so stayed home, and the second Alison was gone, she was well again. I thought we had years before she figured out that trick!), where she played barefoot - up to the point I noticed blood and gore all over her toe! I cleaned and bandaged it (apparently stubbed badly, and tore the nail a bit), and she seemed fine until the evening. Then she was playing in her room when I heard a clang and a scream. She managed to drop a frying pan (toy) on her toe, and it exploded again, instantly soaking her sock in blood, and smearing Alison and I both in it as she struggled against getting bandaged up. Again, she was fine, and off she went to school the next morning, where she did movement class, and started her toe bleeding again. The teachers freaked and had us come pick her up early. Though I was pretty certain what the doctor would say, we felt we better take her in to urgent care. As expected, after a soaking and a cleaning, the doctor said "keep it bandaged. Soak it when you can." One amusing part of the trip- obviously the computer system was reporting her age as two. The nurse and doctor both took a look at that and asked cautiously "how long has she been two?" She is WAY to big to be just a two-year old anymore! Petra's been pretty much fine ever since (she actually insisted we go to Target to shop after the visit).


Today was the usual 3 year check up, and she gets all gold stars. Well, except for the "borderline obesity" warning. That was actually a glitch; when we came in for the toe, they weighed her but didn't measure her, so they had her 2 year-old height with her current weight (which happens to be 37.5 pounds, 38 inches tall). That made for an interesting BMI chart!

Now the fun stuff:

Somewhere, she picked up a southern drawl. All her vowels became vowel-Y-vowel (Hayat for hat, Miyine for mine etc.) Certainly funny to hear, especially since we don't know anyone with that speech mannerism!

When she and I were on a walk on her "sick" day, she said "I love spending the day with you Dada."

I walked into the dining room the other day, and was puzzled- where were all the chairs? She had moved them all into the kitchen to build a doctor's office where she was examining Linny, Tuck and Ming Ming too.

Did we mention that Petra is potty training herself? She decided that she wants to wear big girl underwear, and has pretty much stopped wearing a diaper. A couple of accidents in the first days, but she's pretty much dry now (even slept in underwear last night without mishap).

We've had a great month of arts and crafts at the Santa Monica farmer's market at Virginia park. Petra's made treasure chests and pirate maps, jewelry boxes, pirate hat, etc. It's nice living so close to the People's Republic!

Petra's planning on being a robot for halloween. We've got all the makings of a costume, and Petra even has picked up talking like a robot (how do you type to represent a super cute little girl saying "I-AM-GOING-TO-BE-A-ROBOT" in robot-speak?).

We had another visit to Disneyland to see Minnie. Petra had a great time (more rides this time, including flying in Dumbo with Dada). Minnie was a bit of a disappointment for her though. Last visit, she took Minnie by the hand and went for a walk with her, and had lots of hugs. This time Minnie was goofing off with Goofy (get it?!), and didn't really pay much attention to the kids, who the handlers herded through lines like cows at a slaughterhouse (OK, maybe that's not quite fair). A small stuffed Minnie to take home made up for it though, and her love is unbowed.

Why us?

Dada, why haven't you updated the blog in months?

Because we've been very very busy, sweetie.

Why have you been busy?

Because we've been doing lots of things, like traveling, going to parties, doing arts & crafts, recovering from colds, crushing your toe, and going to your new school

My new school? I love my new school! Are we going to my new school now?

No honey, we're going to your new school tomorrow morning.

Why are we going to my new school tomorrow morning?

Because now we're at home. Hey look, I see your friends outside; do you want to go say hi? Wait, come back here Petra!

----

While the above dialogue is completely made up, it's certainly true that Petra now asking "Why?" endlessly. Sure, we want to encourage a culture of inquiry, sometimes we also just want her to STOP ASKING WHY! "Why do you want me to stop asking why?" would be the response of course.

Loves her tricycle and will get up & ride it from her room to our room first thing in the morning (California baby - already into the car culture). 6 months after getting a tricycle at Xmas, she still didn't seem able to ride it. Then one day she wanted to "ride" to the bakery. With a sigh (expecting to have to push the whole way) I put the trike out for her, and she climbed on - and took off like a shot down the street. I had to run to catch her. apparently she's been practicing at school! Sly trickster!

Did we mention that on the second day of school she was sent home with a notice saying a kid at school had hand, foot & mouth disease? Well, we thought we dodged the bullet but then while on a flight up to the bay area she started crying and holding her tongue whenever she tasted juice or fruit or yogurt. I was able to spot a blister under her tongue, and thought perhaps it was a burn from soup she had at school. She hardly ate a bite all weekend (COMPLETELY out of character for her). We were even considering taking her to the hospital, when on the 3rd day she suddenly started eating again. Turns out, another round of HFM was going around school. Lucky us! On the upside though, it also eliminated the Nuk in a relatively trauma free way. She wouldn't suck one while she had the sores, and never asked for one again afterward. Hooray!

We were in the bay area for Grandma Judy's birthday party. There was a band on a stage, and Petra decided that it was for her. She got on stage with the microphone and sang "Baa baa blacksheep" and "ABCD" until the band played her off. She also did the "Jump" dance and the Macarena (yikes!) with her cousins. She had an incredible pouty lip because she was removed from the stage after the dance.

We've had a couple of trips to the Getty this summer. One family crafts day where she made a crown of leaves with bobbly bugs on it, a picture frame, a postcard, and a butterfly. Another trip was for a kids concert with Elizabeth Mitchell. The music was fun, but Petra had more fun playing with other kids, like the girls on the next blanket who practically adopted her.

Loves her new school - lots of arts & crafts. Came home with a collage with pipe cleaners and googly eyes and told me "It's an insect. It has three body parts - a head, a thorax, and an abdomen." So smart and arty!

Petra's teacher says she is "the welcome wagon," introducing herself to everyone she sees and asking "what's your name?" She learned the names of all the new kids right away and has a good friend who she talks about all the time. She was sad though when some kids "graduated" to a different class in a different part of the facility.

Petra is in the Panda class, and is a "Blue panda." We'll hear her sing the class songs now and then ("If you are a blue panda, blue panda, blue panda; if you are a blue panda, time to go to lunch"). Riding home with Mama, she was singing it for the red pandas, and orange pandas, and blue pandas. But then we realized she was pointing at the banners for the Chabad telethon, which were like iPod ads - red, orange, and blue backgrounds with dancing Hassidim in black and white. Funny girl!

We're still working on potty training. She went most of one day in "big girl panties" without any mishaps (though she asked for a diaper around 4pm, she was getting pretty tired of the effort by that point I guess). Every night she goes before bed, and occasionally wears panties over her diaper (thought sometimes they are worn on the head rather than the bottom).

Sometimes, Petra is just too busy to even take a nap (gasp!). On that rare occasion, she did fairly well, but was obviously tired and fell asleep next to Mama listening to nursery rhymes around 6:30. Not a peep out of her all night, and she woke up at her usual time. Sleepy muffin! We run her ragged.

Petra is definitely a pre-reader. Especially any word with "P for Petra" in it. Her new favorite show is "Word world" and she sometimes follows along with words in her books. We swear there are times when she reads signs, but there is always some doubt because she remembers EVERYTHING, and if we read the sign to her a year ago, she'll remember it.

Over Labor Day weekend, Petra pulled my expensive, delicate, and heavy digital SLR camera off the desk and down onto her toe. Lots of tears, black toe nail. She was walking fine though, so we figured it wasn't broken. Two days later Petra and I were playing catch with a baseball, and it landed, of course, right on that toe. Splat! Blood on ball, blood on sock, crying baby. The good news though is this seems to be exactly what the toe needed to heal, and while the toenail is still black the toe is healthy pink again. I consulted with a pediatrician at work, and she confirmed that if we took her in to the hospital, they probably would have drained it themselves. Hurray, homeopathic medicine! She has worn a sock day and night for two weeks, crying "I might see my owie!" if we try to change it. One day we had to resort to a paper bag over her head to get the sock changed.


I sit by her bed and tell her a story with the lights off at night. I was lounging back on a pile of stuffed animals during the story one evening, and when I sat up to kiss her goodnight, I smacked my nose good on the headboard. Clearly it made an impression, because a week or two later when I dropped her off at school, her teacher said "I heard you hit your nose on her bed."

I don't think that word means what you think it means

Petra "adopted" one of Mama's crochet hooks today, and took it with her in the car to preschool.

She calls it "Hooky."

Preschool, by the way, is going very well now. She LOVES it, and especially all the activities she gets to do (dance, music, art, science etc. etc. etc.).

Book Learning

Things are going pretty well at the new pre-school. Petra has tons of fun with all the activities, and is starting to make friends (she talks about them at home sometimes, which is a good sign). There are still some tears when she is dropped off in the morning, and a little clinging at pickup, but we're doing pretty good.

I don't know if it's related to the school or not, but we have a super reader! Well, she says "I'm just chatting," but it looks good!

Growth Spurt

Seems we are in the midst of another growth spurt. Petra said "I'm Hungry!" about every 40 minutes yesterday, which piqued our suspicions. We measured her and she's grown nearly an inch in the last month! This might explain some of the transitions difficulties as well, as the food is less frequent than she is used to at pre-school.

Today was the 4th day of transition, but in many ways was like starting all over again. A long weekend (lots of fun, museums, playing with friends, beach etc.) made her pretty much forget about the new school. She was pretty upbeat about it this morning though, and wasn't upset about going (and Dada taking her). I gave her lots of warning that I would be "going to a meeting" in a bit, but that didn't cut it when it was actually time for me to go (after her 2nd breakfast). There were big tears and clinging. I distracted her with a quick scavenger hunt to find the cots in the classroom, and then some sea-creatures bingo, and snuck off. I could hear her crying as I fetched my things from the car though, and that felt bad.

I spent the morning in the school conference room with another transitioning parent (child also in Petra's class) who was literally in tears several times about the transition, and who couldn't help but constantly go to peak into the classroom or play yard. I didn't get any work done, but I certainly feel better about myself as a parent of an independent girl!

Around 11, the teacher let me know that Petra had been OK, on and off sad, but easily distracted into new activities. Part of validating her feelings (one part of the 5 step conflict resolution method they use, and a phrase Petra has already picked up- "she didn't validate my feelings!") included Petra dictating a letter to Mommy:

"Dear Mommy:
I want to go home. When you pick me up I want to eat at my house. Then I want to play with you and Daddy. I want to do it NOW!!! I love you. Are you here yet?
Love, Petra"

Poor girl!

Just before lunch, the teacher told me that she wanted to send Petra home just before nap again. I offered the counter proposal of coming to the room after lunch, and tucking Petra in to see if she would nap, because I think she really wanted to sleep in the cots, and if she was comfortable enough to do that, she'd be making a huge leap. The teacher accepted this (Yay! Reasonable people!). When I got the call to her room, I got to the door, and the teacher said she was already lying down in the cot to nap. I decided to just wait outside, and if Petra wasn't sleeping, I'd come in to help her. But our girl is a champ, and after about 25 minutes, fell asleep! Good girl!

I immediately ran out for coffee and a burrito. I was starved and sleepy. The other parent had left before nap, and I needed a break!


I got back before nap ended, so waited outside until I saw Petra up (so cute taking her sheet off her cot and putting it in her bin to put away). She looked a bit sleepy, and even looked at me and then away before looking back smiling and saying "Dada! You're here!"

We stayed around for a bit, I helped her decorate a label for her bin, and sat with her during snack ("I'm still hungry!" was repeated at least 4 times between servings). Then she washed up and was ready to go.

We had a good drive home, and then read some books, and took a walk around the block with her riding in the wagon. We played some hopscotch and chatted with local friends until Mama got home. When a neighbor asked how school went today, she said she had fun and told about things she did. Yay!

We'll see what happens tomorrow with Mama in the room!

Third day

The third day of pre-school was somewhat better. Mama was on duty again, but was able to step back a bit more and let Petra play with the other kids more. Petra is still not interested in circle time though. When the kids went outside to play, Alison stayed inside and out of sight, and Petra was fine (though at one point, Alison could hear her asking a teacher "Excuse me, have you seen my mother and father?"

There was a bit of a meltdown, but Alison secretly stuffed a graham cracker and some grapes into Petra, and she was fine again. Alison was able to get away again for an hour or two all through lunch. It was Splash day, and Petra had lots of fun out playing though she really wanted a "water park with big waves" rather than sprinklers. She introduced herself to "those shy girls," and made some new friends, so that was a good sign. Though she initially says she doesn't like school, when we talk about it, she certainly has lots of good memories of fun activities and nice people. I'm hoping the good outweigh the bad soon!

Again, though, Petra was ready to nap with the other kids, but the teachers said "No" and sent her home. They've decided that we'll continue transition (and us missing work and burning vacation time) into next week. This doesn't seem like a great idea to me, as we now have a 4 day weekend, in which Petra will forget all about the routines she has been learning.

At least Petra took a good long nap, so she and Alison were happy when I got home (whew!). Thursday I'm staying home with her ("staff development day" at pre-school. Hmmm, they always seem to be just before long weekends. Go figure!).

School Daze

Mama was on call for this second day of pre-school transition. It doesn't sound like it went well. Petra is considerably more clingy with Mama than Dada, and wouldn't let her leave at all. The teachers were also not particularly helpful, not giving any guidance or talking to Mama about how best to help Petra make the change. It didn't help that when Petra started melting down at mid morning, Mama tried to help by giving her some apple. Of course, non-sanctioned snacks are not allowed, and a reprimand was delivered. Not particularly helpful, as they had no other advice on how to handle a hungry baby.

After lunch though, Petra got her second wind and was happy again (gee, think she was hungry?). She played a bit, and then helped get the cots out, and was yawning and saying she wanted to nap, but the teachers said, no nap, take her home instead. I assume that they have some sort of transition plan, but they did not make any attempt to share it with Mama. Petra promptly fell asleep in the car, but woke up and wouldn't go back to sleep after getting home, so she was pretty unruly all afternoon.

Tomorrow, the teachers REALLY need to talk to us about what the plan is. We are pretty easygoing parents, we just need some guidance. Today they apparently started saying that transition would run into next week (which was never mentioned before), and we're going to have to scramble to find a way to do it when we're running out of vacation time! I can't say this has been the most pleasant experience for any of us so far!

Dada did take Petra for a long walk after dinner (her suggestion), and we talked a lot about her day, and she clearly did enjoy a lot of the day, and remembered songs and stories, and some of the kids she met. We're getting there, but it isn't easy!

Pre-School

Petra started pre-school today! For the last month or two, we had started thinking she may be ready for something more than the (spectacularly wonderful) home daycare that she's been in for the last two years (!?! Has it been that long?). She's been wanting "arts and crafts" and music and "experiments," and it just seemed that it was a little beyond the play and Backyardigans she was getting every day. Then out of the blue we were called by the fantastic preschool that we've been on the waiting list for since before she was born, and they had a spot. We were given the weekend to think it over, and it wasn't an easy decision. The preschool, setting, curriculum, meals (!) are all fantastic, but it meant leaving Karan (our wonderful daycare provider), and Alison & Petra would have to start commuting by car. No more staggered drop off/pick up by different parents. No more hour of Mommy time/Daddy time before and after "school." And we won't even talk about the $$$!

I took today off to accompany Petra to school. The "transition plan" involves the parents being available all week (though this is only a 3 day week for the school), so the child can go home at any time if they have had enough. Petra and I arrived at 8, and immediately bumped into Nathan's parents (Nathan and Makayla were Petra's friends at her daycare when she first started, but they moved away about a year ago). Nathan's at the school too, but a different class. Petra can see him during the playtimes (though we didn't see him today).

Kids trickle in over the course of a couple of hours in the morning. The classroom had several activities set up (play sand, watercolors, an "ocean" water table etc.), and Petra dove right in, though she essentially ignored the other kids. When she sat down at the breakfast table, she was told she needed to wash her hands, so she came right over to the kid size sink and scrubbed away (obviously, handwashing at home is hindered only by the height of the sink). She dished her own bowl of cereal, and ate it with MILK (highly unusual!). She told the teacher it was "tasty!", and told me she ate her cereal with milk on it. The teachers came around to chat with her on and off throughout the morning, but she mainly played on her own.

Circle time was the first evidence that there would actually be some transition stresses. She did NOT want to go sit in the circle with all the other kids, even when they all said "Hello Petra!" in unison to welcome her (she was playing in the water table with her back to them at the time). I sat in the circle, and eventually she came and sat on my lap for a moment, but then wandered off again. I could tell she was getting a little stressed because she pulled her Nuk out of her pocket and began fondling it, and eventually popping it into her mouth.

After circle time was potty break, and she dove right into that as well (well, sat on it at least, maybe dove is the wrong word). The teachers do quite a good job handling 20 kids going to the bathroom at the same time!

Then it was outdoor playtime (Petra had already been rattling the handles a few times wanting to go out). She immediately found a trike and began riding around. It was time for me to try leaving for awhile, so I told her I had to go run an errand, and would be back soon. She said "bye" over her shoulder as she headed to the sandbox.

I spent an hour or so reading and starving in a conference room. I peaked out and saw her finger painting once, but eventually the teacher came to say Petra was ready to go home. I went out and found her near tears, and she grabbed me and said 'Daddy I missed you!" poor dear. I'd never seen her so emotionally vulnerable. As we were walking away holding hands she was sobbing, and saying "Don't leave me Daddy!" It made me sad. We gathered her things and went and met Mama for lunch in the park. She was much happier by then, and partly attributed her desire to leave to some boy hitting her in the head. I personally think that it was also that it was past her normal snack time (11:30), and she was hungry! We're going to try to send along a snack for tomorrow.

We had a good nap together after getting home, and had a relaxing afternoon reading books and playing. She's been in good spirits ever since. I only hope that by tomorrow, she remembers the fun she had rather than sad parts. I had been thinking that the transition is probably harder on the parents than the kids, but I may have been wrong. She's a brave and strong little girl, but she isn't invincible! We'll help her along, and I'm sure she'll be fine within a couple of days. Keep your fingers crossed!

The little things

It's often the little things that make time with Petra so special.

Sitting on my lap on the merry-go-round, I kiss the top of her head. She turns her head to the side and gives me a kiss on the arm.

Playing with the curtain chains at Maison du Pain, counting "Uno, Gos, Tres, Ocho."

Instantly making new friends at the park, and then crying when having to leave them.

Knowing Mama & Dada's first and last names.

Dribbling water on her shirt, and crying "It's stained! I ruined my shirt! Take it off!"

Being a different character every 15 minutes (Ho ho the monkey, Uniqua the Sheriff, Pablo the bandit, Mr. Spiffy, Plex the robot, Super Red etc. etc.).

Drawing "stories" about the beautiful princess and the mysterious mermaid.

Giggling like a maniac everytime you get to "Goose" in duck, duck, goose.

Precocious

While we were all out playing on the sidewalk the other day, a woman comes walking along and nearly bumps into Petra. "Hi!" Petra says. "Is she always this friendly?" the woman asks. "This is my family," Petra continues, "and this is my bicycle, it has streamers on the handlebars." "Wow!" the woman says, "Is this your house?" "Yes," Petra answers, "It has a blue door, and you can go in and out of it!" "She is the most precocious, verbal baby I've ever seen!" says the woman, and walks off.

That pretty much sums up Petra, and at least 3 different strangers this week have said so. Here we thought that Petra was normal, and other kids her age were just a little slow, but no, it's our baby that's the freak. This is why we are going to put her into the UCLA early education program (pre-school) at the end of the month (after 2 years on the waiting list). She just wants to do so much more than just play at daycare. She loves doing arts and crafts (including face-painting, as you can see), she loves to dance (the peanut butter stomp is a current favorite), sing, and "do experiments." She's also pretty good on the mechanical bull.

Joys of Fatherhood

Lying in bed this morning dozing with Petra while Mama was in the shower. Hairdryer noise starts and Petra throws her arms around me "Dada, I need you!" I give her a hug and say everything is OK. She says (a la Corduroy) "I've always wanted a father." and then "I love you Richard." (cue melting heart).

And then tonight while doing finger paints- "Daddy, this is awesome!"

Party Time

Katie's 2nd birthday party was this weekend, and the little girls had a grand time. Highlights included 3 little girls jumping on the couch, sitting on potties together (to no avail), and sticking fingers in the Elmo decorated cake ("How does it taste?" we ask, "It tastes like Elmo" Petra replies). Petra didn't conk out until after 9pm (thanks partly to the sigalert on the 5). Right back on schedule the next morning though (darn it, I wanted her to sleep in a bit!).

Surprises

You never really know what Petra will say next!

Walking home from daycare: "It's a beautiful sunny day. Perfect for the beach. We'll take our beach towels, fancy sun hats, and magazines, to catch up on summer fashions!"

We ask, "What do you want to do today?" and she answers "Let's go to Ikea!"

Lying in bed with her, trying to squeeze out a few extra minutes of sleep. She squirms and crawls a bit, and suddenly there is a burst of light as she turns on the lamp and yells "Surprise!"

"I'm soccer team one Petra! You're soccer team two Mama!"

"Dada, draw me being an architect."

(in a winsome half sad voice while cradling an object) "I love my [sea turtle; yellow fork; hippo; Candyland game; etc.] very much!"

"I'm going to drive an ice cream truck!"

In a stern, commanding voice "Piper, no piping!" as the cat approaches her dinner plate (we say that sometimes when the cat is meowing to get outside).

Long time no see

Sorry, Dada has been a bit busy with work, and Mama had a cold.

Thank Alison for this post! She and Petra kept busy while I was at a conference at Asilomar last week.

You may have been wondering where we’ve been; between travel and work and illness it’s been somewhat hectic recently.

The last week in April, we did a trip up to the Bay Area. Alison had a conference on Friday, so she spent the night up there and Richard & Petra flew up to meet her the next morning (Petra was a darling for the flight. No trouble at all). After a happy reunion, we drove to Grandpa and Grandma’s house for an early lunch and then on to Santa Cruz (with Petra sleeping the entire drive) to see Auntie Kirsten, Uncle James and Cousin Adia. Adia played shy when we arrived, and didn't say a word for quite a while. When she did speak, Petra (who had kept up both sides of the conversation) said with surprise "You can talk!" Petra had a great time playing with Adia; they splashed on the slip & slide, played princess dress-up, and played in Adia’s room (the princess palace).

Sunday, Richard had to leave early for his conference, so Adia & Petra went to the park and watched the horses at a nearby stable in the morning. Right around naptime, Grandpa and Grandma arrived to take Alison & Petra to Asilomar and Petra slept most of the way there. Timing long drives to nap time is definitely the way to go.

The last time we were at Asilomar, Petra was just over 6 months old. What a difference two years make! This time she had lots of fun running around the lodge, playing pool and ping pong. Well, not exactly. She had fun rolling the pool balls around the table, and was excited about holding a ping pong paddle and the ball (and even throwing the ball across the table as a serve). We managed to keep her banging on the piano to a minimum, and she was even serenaded by a conference attendee.

She spent Monday afternoon with Grandpa and Grandma while Alison had a chance to explore Pacific Grove and its many antique shops and thrift stores. Alas, no luck at the former, but she did manage to find some great stuff at the local thrift stores, including a much-needed longer pair of pants (due to a recent growth spurt, most of Petra’s pants are Capri-length now), a cool dinosaur shirt, a souvenir Monterey shirt with an otter on it, and a stuffed sea turtle- all the souvenirs from the aquarium, without the price!

On Tuesday, Alison & Petra went to the aquarium with Grandpa and Grandma. We got there just as the otter feeding was about to start, but Petra was more interested in seeing the penguins. She played in the touch pools, and “swam” through the kelp forest. There’s a great kids’ play area at the aquarium, and she took full advantage of it. After lunch in the café, we went over & saw the jellyfish, which she found fascinating.

What could be more exciting than the aquarium? Getting to see a fire truck up close! When we went to dinner, we noticed a fire truck parked near the barbeque area at Asilomar. After dinner, we went for a walk on the beach and flew a kite, but it was much too windy for Petra, so we came back just as the firemen were coming out from dinner. They saw Petra admiring the truck, so they opened the door and let her sit behind the wheel. This stunned our normally chatty muffin into near-silence, but she certainly had a great time.

Petra was a big hit at Asilomar, and all Richard's colleagues adored her. Stories are still told about her wandering through the dining hall with a banana in her mouth like a dog bone.

The next day we flew back home. Petra didn’t get a long enough nap, and all the excitement finally caught up with her once we were in the car heading for home. She fell asleep in the car at around 5:30 and didn’t wake up until 6 am the next morning!

Random acts of Petra-ness:
Running through the house in her superhero cape calling herself "Zoom Zoom"
Helping me prepare green beans by breaking them in half and putting them in the colander (her word, not mine).
Going into hysterics because we wash her face (covered in pink marker) "I want to be the pink girl!!!"
Going to the art museum each week (she's a "NexGen" member) so she can do arts and crafts at the Boone children's gallery. See the video.

Be sure to see all the latest video at http://www.youtube.com/petravids

Wonder Pet-ra

Wet Pants Silly Walk

Mish-mosh

On Sunday, Richard had an all-day retreat, so Petra & Mama went to the farmer's market for the pony ride & petting zoo. Once again, a big hit; though this time there were a couple of kids who were put on the ponies but had to be quickly removed due to Pony Trauma (aka inconsolable sobbing). After borrowing a kid-sized shopping cart, we wandered through the market, enjoying a bagel and some strawberries. After we were done, we went to the petting zoo, where Petra held a bunny and some chicks, and wandered around petting the various animals. She was thrilled about petting the bunny; she said it was "very soft", which is high praise from her, and was excited about petting the cow.

2nd year molars are mostly in now. She never made a peep about them until today when she was acting cranky, and I mentioned that maybe it was her teeth. She immediately started complaining about how her teeth were hurting. Too clever at picking up things like that!

We picked up a couple of smocks at a sale (one for her, one for visiting friends), and spent the afternoon fingerpainting. Jenna, her friend from daycare, came over another day and had fun fingerpainting as well. Unfortunately, the afternoon Jenna came over was a day Petra refused to nap. This is Not A Good Idea. She did fairly well till about 4:30, and then the meltdowns began. Petra ended up conked out by 6 pm (90 minutes before her usual bedtime) and slept till 6:20 the next morning.

One morning, Petra was getting ready for school and said, "Let's do ballet." I wasn't sure what this would entail till she continued by saying, "Hi-ya!" and doing a karate kick. Sounds like a new exercise craze to me!

At the farmer's market a woman said "what a sweet little lady." To which Petra replied "No, he's Richard, he's my dada!"

Over the weekend, she found a toy sword that makes a clanging noise that we got back when the "Lord of the Rings" came out, and had a grand time roaming through the house whacking it on things. She vanquished her robot costume as well as

Petra peed in the big potty. Big celebration. But no repeats (yet).

Chasing Piper around the house holding some dry cat food saying "Piper, I want to feed you!"

Ponies and Trauma

Beverly Hills being Beverly Hills, the farmer's market there has a pony ride and a petting zoo once a month. Last month they weren't there (Petra had a great time shopping anyway), but this month- score! Petra was the smallest girl on the pony ride (and they were all girls), but arguably the happiest. She kept up a non-stop monologue the entire trip. She had the operator laughing as each time she came around the ring she'd be chatting at him about how she was riding a pony and holding the "handle bar" etc. etc. etc. She wanted to ride again after shopping, and even the petting zoo didn't appease her.

The trauma part, however, didn't involve not getting to ride the pony again. For a day or so Petra kept grabbing her crotch and crying "ouchy ouchy!" We didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so thought it might be a urinary tract infection. We went to Kaiser, and the pediatrician wanted a urine sample, and said the quickest way to do it would be with a catheter. Well, Petra didn't much like this idea. She screamed and cried and fought off Me, Alison, and two nurses! They had to give up because they couldn't hold her down long enough to insert the catheter. Poor baby! We had to go with plan B, which involved a glue-on plastic bag. Petra didn't like this much better the "funny diaper pokes me!" Rather than sit around the hospital waiting, we went home, where she had some Mac and Cheese for comfort, then slept on the couch with Mama for 2 hours. Then she sat on my lap watching Wonder Pets until she cut loose (more than 3 hours after leaving the hospital), soaking me and getting only an ounce into the bag (enough for the tests at least). We dropped the sample at Kaiser, and Petra was so cheerful that we went to the beach, played in the park, and splashed in the wet sand. No mention again of "ouchy." The Pediatrician called us and told us everything was normal in the tests. D'oh, trauma for nothing! Poor baby!

Petra and I cut school on Valentine's day and played together. We had brunch with Eden in the morning, then visited Mama's work for a party, then to the park where we met MiraZoey (and traded email addresses for playdates- they are both within a month of each other in age). Then a good nap and a trip to a farmer's market for kettle corn and tamales for dinner. Yum! A good birthday for Dada.


Silly things she is saying now:
"Oh my gosh!"
"But why not?" (we hear this a lot, it's frequently used instead of "No!")
"This is my favorite ..... I love it very much!" (often used for toys that she has never seen before)
"Let's have a sleepover with Jenna!"

Petra is just shy of 3 feet tall now, and over 32 pounds. Oh my back!

Random Cuteness

A mashup bedtime story mixing the Backyardigans and Katamari Damacy left Petra laying in bed telling me she was "Thinking about the King-about-the-cosmos and the little green guy the prince." So cute, at least to me.

We got her a little tent at Ikea, and she's been "camping" with us and all her friends (stuffed animals). We all pile into the little tent, and she'll curl up in our arms and chat.

The last couple of nights she's asked us to get in the tub with her. She likes to do her "trick" where she slides like a seal down our knees onto our stomachs. She got rug rash from my leg hair. Ouch!

Her favorite YouTube video at the moment is a fan vid of They Might Be Giants' "Robot Parade". She's liked the song since she was a baby (?!), but loves the robots in the video now.

She still loves Plex from Yo Gabba Gabba, though she doesn't seem to be so enamored of them anymore. I made her a quickie robot costume and mask from an old box and some packing material, and she liked that. I can't believe I don't have spray adhesive in the house to huff, ummm, I mean to put tinfoil onto the costume with.

Kittens & Books

This morning, while watching YouTube kitten videos Petra started singing "hundreds of books, thousands of books, millions and billions and trillions of books!" I suppose she is mixing up two of her favorite memes- cats and books, which come together in "Millions of Cats."

Cars are also a hot item. Walking home from daycare yesterday, she saw the car and went "my car!," did a little dance, ran up and gave it a big hug and a kiss! So sweet!

Special Guest Blogger!

I'm a bad parent! So, the good parent has thoughtfully provided the blog update that I have been too busy/lazy to write! Thanks Alison!

It's been a busy month—sorry for not posting more frequently!
Grandpa and Grandma Judy came down for a visit during the second week in January. Petra, as always, was thrilled to see them, and we had a delicious dinner at our favorite local restaurant, Bella Roma SPQR. Petra ate most of a dish of olive tapenade and sat on Grandpa's knee and helped him eat his pasta. The last time Grandpa & Grandma Judy were in town, they got her a cool pair of blinky shoes, which she has since outgrown, so they got her a new pair, which she loves.
Grandma Kate also came down from Oregon for a visit. Over the 3-day weekend, we did a quick getaway up to Lake Arrowhead. I had a conference at the UCLA Conference Center last June and thought it would be a fun place for all of us to go, so when we found out they were offering special rates during their off-season, we decided to give it a try.
Petra was excited about going to the snow, until she actually experienced it. There hadn't been any snow for a couple of weeks up in the mountains, so it was more ice and slush than powder. "It's cold and wet," was her opinion, though she did enjoy smushing snowballs with her toes. Sledding only ran about 4 runs, then Petra told us "I want to go to Peet's Coffee!" and wouldn't sled any more.
There were lots of kids staying at the center, and Petra had a lot of fun going up to different children and saying, "Hi, my name's Petra. Let's play a game!" After dinner one evening, all the kids found themselves in the library at the lodge and started running around in circles and playing together.
She also had fun with the fruit bowl at the lodge. She ate bananas, pears, and red and green apples with gusto. She also plunked at the piano in the lodge, and said "The pinano is my favorite instrument!"

On Sunday night and Monday morning, it was snowing! Petra was excited, but still didn't want to touch the snow or play in it very much, though she giggled when Dada made a snow angel and pretended to throw snowballs at her.
Once we were back home, she had fun with Grandma Kate at the Zimmer Children's Museum. They ended up going two days in a row, and both times, Petra didn't want to leave!
Back home, Petra had lots of play dates, with Jenna and Katie coming over on different days, and staying until everyone was tuckered and melting down. Lots of fun!

End of an Era

Or at least a year. Despite the trauma of the beginning of the year, 2007 was pretty good to us. We finished it out quietly, celebrating New Year on Halifax time. We spent today gardening, fingerpainting, and transforming Petra's crib into a "big-girl bed!"

Not being a mathematical genius, I just can't figure out how this is Petra's 4th calendar year, but she's only 2 years old!

And finally, Welcome Andres! He's managed to get 2 calendar years under his belt, and he's only a day old! Petra already can't wait to play with you!