Out of this World Halloween

Petra had a great Halloween, as always. This year she was Saturn (well, OK, with some last minute accessorizing, she was "Princess Saturn"). Petra had Jenna (Tinkerbell) over to carve pumpkins and trick or treat with her. We gathered at a neighbors house to get pictures of all the kids, then started the invasion. One block down, one block up, and all the kids were done for the night.

Jenna and Petra spent the rest of the evening handing out huge handfuls of candy to trick or treaters coming to the house. By 9 we were all out, Petra was bathed and in bed, and out without a peep. Can you ask for a better Halloween?

And then she was FOUR!

Happy Birthday Petra!

I can't believe she's already four years old!!

Petra had a great party at home with dozens of friends yesterday, then today she went to Disneyland with her friend Jenna. The girls had a great time, with no meltdowns until just after we walked out the exit gate. We were all just stunned that they didn't fall asleep in the van on the way home (au contraire! They had dinner together and played for an hour before we could drag them apart and get Petra to bed).

Next year, we're outsourcing the birthday thing! The party went super smoothly, but the cleanup before hand was not fun. I miss Felicia, who used to come and clean once a week for us!

Ephemera, part 2

While picking up a cup of water following her first fun run "Phew! I'm evaporating!"

While riding the pony at the Farmer's Market, in between "Giddyup Pony" and "Yahoo!": "You know how you say Pony in French? Pona!"

Friday morning she woke up asking to see the pictures of the LCROSS satellite crashing into the moon. She was a little disappointed that the Hubble space telescope was not pointed at the moon to observe the impact. She also felt a little sad for Luna getting whacked, and had me sing a "poor poor Luna" song for her.

Ephemera

Mind like a steel trap: In March when we were in Mexico, Petra noticed (but never had) the mini boxes of cereal at breakfast. One of those happened to be Froot Loops. Just a couple of weeks ago, at the grocery store, Petra saw Froot Loops on the shelf. "Look!" she said, "It's the cereal from Mexico!" That girl does not miss a thing!

At school, they have reading stations, where they read a book while a CD plays telling the story. There is a "ding" every time the page should be turned. While Petra was in Mama's lap for books before bed, she had a whistle, and tweeted it each time Mama finished reading a page.

And on the rack at some store, "Look! It's Barack Obama!" Yes, it was an Obama action figure. Reader, or very good likeness for an action figure. You decide! Petra still claims she cannot read, but you tell me how "Rental Car Center" comes out of her mouth without her reading it on the shuttle bus signage!

Spaced

Coming home the other day, she looked out the window and saw a Red Bull advertising car. She asked "Look! Is that car carrying the Hubble space telescope?" There is certainly a significant resemblance! Petra's fascination with space continues. Not only does she know the planets (and everything about them), now she is learning all the moons as well (Ganymede is "large and in charge"). Ask her how she knows we're on Earth and not Mars, and she'll tell you "because there is a plentiful supply of surface water."

The last few days she and I have played "Skateboarding Saturn," in which I am a clueless Jupiter, and Saturn skates past and bumps me. She also has me tell her stories about the planets (playing baseball with meteors, going on picnics, whatever), and sing her a song about "Poor poor Jupiter" getting whacked by comets every night before bed. We will also sometimes play "gravity well" in which one of us runs past and the other tries to grab them in their "gravity well."

She is still a girly girl though (pink is her favorite color), and her grandma has been loading her up on her favorite princess gear recently (thanks Mom, really).

The princess has landed

After a visit to Grandma Kate in Eugene, we returned home and found a Cinderella tiara waiting for Petra. She was thrilled, but not as thrilled as she was when a Cinderella dress arrived today. She was so excited to put it on and, thanks to the miracle of iChat, was able to show Grandma that it fit and tell her how much she loved it.



We spent a week in Oregon around Labor Day. We arrived in Portland, and headed out to Art in the Pearl, which had art for us to look at, art stations for Petra to make art (she made a marionette and a fish print), and she got to paint a car for charity. The art show was in a park with a fun playground for her to run around in. She had fun on the monkey bars and only banged her head once.



We stayed at the Hotel Monaco, which did wine tasting in the early evenings, and also had an easel and paints set up. Naturally, Petra made a beeline for the easel and did a painting every evening.

Grandma Kate joined us on Sunday afternoon, and we also hung out for a while with our friend Patti and her son Noah. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to visit Patti & Andy’s café , but maybe next time.




We also visited the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry . Petra loved their Science Playground, but the Planetarium show was a bust. It was way too much for Petra and Alison carried her out after only a few minutes.

On Tuesday, we drove down to Grandma Kate’s house in Eugene. Petra had a blast playing with Grandma Kate, Janice, and Olivia, and even warmed up to their dog Sasha. After a few encounters with over-affectionate dogs in the past, she had taken to screaming and hiding behind the closest available parent whenever she saw a dog, but after a day or so, she was quite comfortable with Sasha, and even gave her hugs and kisses before going to bed.

As of tomorrow (the 18th), it will be 1 month till Petra’s 4th birthday. Wow! For months, she’s been talking about her “four-year-old birthday” and planning what she wants to do for her party. She’s very consistent about wanting a “strawberry heart cake”, but most of the other details change from day to day.

Cuddly

I was in my winter weight robe this morning (summer weight in the laundry). Petra asked why I had it on, and I told her. Then she said she had "some very important information" for me. She said she still liked my "old" robe, and then said (as she did it) she would climb in my lap and cuddle up and be cozy.

Such a sweetie!

National Night out on Crime

Petra participated in the National Night Out On Crime tonight, joining a bunch of our Neighbors United friends. It was the allure of the police escort that really got her involved.

She was a big hit. Especially when she stood in the middle of the crowd and said "I'm three and three-quarters, and I'm wearing a twirly dress..." and starts to spin and the hem goes out horizontal, "and I'm not wearing any underwear!"

Very big hit! A little embarrassing for Dada though. Next time I'm inspecting for undies before we leave the house!

Cranky and Sleepy

Petra fell asleep on the ride home tonight, and slept until 7pm when we carried her in. Then she was pretty cranky.

Trying to get her to eat dinner before cookies, she howls "I've had too many adults saying no!" and "That's not nice!"

Telling Mama "Your Mean!"

She also (sleep) walked through the house crying for a zebra puppet. We don't have a zebra puppet.

Poor tired girl! What did they do to her today?


Last Thursday was MUCH easier on her. I took her to work with me and she was a jewel. She charmed everyone, received swag at every desk, got snacks galore, and moved right in to a co-workers office, and stayed for over an hour playing at a 'desk' just for her (built of 2 boxes). On the way to the car at the end of a long day, she said "I had so much fun at your work today. I made so many new friends!"

What a darling!

She fell asleep on the way home from there as well!

And the weekend before was a REAL marathon - Family Reunion! Flew to Bay Area Thursday after work, spent the night with grandpa, then drove 6 hours to Humboldt county to "camp" with all the uncles and cousins. Three days in the mountains swimming, hiking, eating, and being adored by her relatives. Then a 6 hour drive, and flight back. She traveled like a champ, no trouble at all. I actually look forward to going on trips with her, because she travels so well!

The great internet famine

I'll blame this on the internet, and it's not a complete lie. 3 weeks with no network connection at all (thank you Time Warner Cable). Then success- reconnected. And then TWC cancels our account with Earthlink. A few hours on the phone with both, and voila! Back online. Until the next morning when it is out again. Another hour on the phone with both, and voila! 4 days later it is finally back again (for the moment!).

I'll also blame the Justice system. 9 days of jury duty! But at least I got to serve on a jury, rather than just sitting in the waiting room.

And now, back to what you really want- Petra!

Just so you don't think we were just sitting around doing nothing:

Disneyland on Mama's birthday, including staying at a local hotel so we could take a nap break before watching fireworks. We went swimming the next morning.

Landon's birthday at "My Gym," which Petra has decided is where she wants to have her 4th birthday party (which, by the way is "too long away" for her taste).

Katie's birthday, at which Petra and Maggie stuck their fingers in the frosting, just like last year!

Two nights all alone at home with Grandpa and Grandma while Mama and Dada skip town for Palm Springs? Check! Lots of fun and virtually no tears? Check! What a big girl we have! Page museum (sabre tooth cats! A lesson in getting stuck in tar), Buccatini, Dinosaur museum.

Los Angeles Art Walk, including murals in the park and chalk art on the sidewalk, and the Craft and Folk Art Museum.

Getty Villa (wreaths and clay "action figures") with Jenna, including a visit to see "Curly" "Hatty" and "Vasey" the three figures that appear on the Getty Villa advertising banners. Petra has developed a close relationship with on the commute to and from school.

Arts and crafts at Lakeshore learning center (stick puppets).

SoRo neighborhood street fair (bounce houses, arts and crafts, and "winning" a stuffed pig by popping a balloon with darts. Really, she just charmed the people until they finally gave her one (she did pop one balloon though, and was thrilled)).

And dozens of spur of the moment play dates with various and sundry friends.

And the sad news, Jessica Judy, Petra's favorite friend at school, has moved to Washington, DC. Petra handled it very well, but she talks about moving to DC so much that even the teachers are asking us if we are moving! I did promise that we could do a visit next year (?!), and maybe throw in a visit with new cousin Saoirse as well.

Space

Petra is fascinated with astronomy at the moment. Last weekend she and I went to the Griffith observatory, where she spent most of her time chatting with the planets ("Hi Pluto! You're so small!"), and charming the docents. We managed to miss the planetarium show (the real reason she wanted to go), but didn't mind at all, she was having so much fun. When she did tire of it, she asked to go to the giftshop, where she bought a set of glow-in-the-dark planets to hang from her bedroom ceiling (her "planetarium"), and has me tell stories about them every night. We finished with lunch at the "Cafe at the end of the Universe." A great day for Daddy and Daughter!

The visit to the observatory just stoked her interest in planets. She has pretty much memorized the lyrics to "Interplanet Janet," including all the facts about the planets, and integrated the sun song as well (hydrogen fusion into helium!). We've spent hours online watching space videos (she likes the astronaut losing her toolbag). She's learned about comets, the origins of the moon (you have to love a theory called "The Big Whack"). She also learned about the controversy surrounding Pluto being demoted to "dwarf planet." Pluto is her favorite planet, so we had to go into detail on this one. I tell you though, if I have to see/hear the "Poor Pluto" song one more time I might scream!

After watching some NASA video and animations she even did a great drawing of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet crashing into Jupiter (I'll have to post an annotated version later, but trust me, those are comet fragments on the left page (tails pointing up), and Jupiter, with the cloud stripes and big red eye, on the right, with "scabs" all over it where the comet hits). I'm so proud of my little astronomer!

To feed the obsession, yesterday we went to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory open house. Within minutes of arriving, she was explaining planetary theory to the JPL staff ("Pluto's not a planet anymore! Jupiter is a GAS GIANT!"). She had a great time seeing robots, "visiting" mars, and seeing the Mars Science Lab being assembled. She collected a full set of the special space collector cards that NASA had for the event, and asked good science questions too! She even took a short break to play the roll of Mars rock and have a rover drive over her.

All this learning isn't enough for Petra. She also needs social events, so last weekend we also went to the Festival of Books with her friend Jenna. The prime driver for this was a personal appearance by DJ Lance Rock and Brobee. The girls loved dancing to the music as DJ Lance spun tunes, and then they waited patiently in line to have him sign their DVDs and books. He's a cool guy, very friendly, and just about exactly our age as well (as we found out googling him later). He even paid his dues working a day job at Amoeba records in Los Angeles!

Signing off,

Hair!

Last Sunday, in between egg hunts, Petra's hair was getting in her mouth yet again. As she fished a strand out, Alison asked her if she would like to get her hair cut. For the first time, the answer was affirmative. Of course, it was Easter Sunday, and it seemed unlikely any haircutting establishments would be open, we decided to try a DIY job. Alison zipped inside for the scissors and a towel, and between the two of us we seem to have done an okay job.































She seems pretty pleased with the results:




























Then, it was back to egg hunts:

Happy Easter

Yesterday was spent playing with Jenna, hunting easter eggs, and decorating bunny cookies. No nap though, so Petra passed out within minutes of Jenna leaving (about 5:30). Of course, at 5:30 this morning there are calls from her bedroom "Is it easter? Did the easter bunny come?"

Yes, the easter bunny did come.

Anatomically Correct

Petra was choking a bit on a grape last night. To make sure she could talk (and thus breathe) I asked her "Did it go down your esophagus or your trachea?".

She answered, a bit despondently, "My trachea"

She was right of course!

Barefootin'

Faithful readers may remember the Great Toe Incidents of last fall (mentioned here, and here). While the toe has been completely healed since before Christmas, to Petra it was still her "hurt toe", and she refused to look at it, would not go barefoot, and needed a bag on her foot so she wouldn't see it while in the tub, even though, after a while, she didn't remember which foot was supposed to be the afflicted one.

Fast forward to our recent parent-teacher conference in mid-March. One of the topics discussed was The Toe: one week, her creative movement teacher wanted all the kids to take their socks and shoes off to prevent slipping during class. Petra refused; her teachers tried to convince her to take her socks off, but she firmly and tearfully refused. We were concerned because we were leaving for Mexico soon; it's harder to enjoy the pool and the beach if you need socks and/or plastic bags on your feet! So, we made a plan with her teachers, and were ready to pull in the center director as backup (she had helped Petra during the Second Toe Incident, and every time she saw her, Petra would tell her that her toe "still hurt"). That night, Dada was getting Petra ready for her bath, and used a combination of distraction and bribery (flowery flip-flops!) to divert her when she would normally ask for a bag on her foot. Lo and behold, she went the whole bath with her feet uncovered, and later, we heard a sound we hadn't heard for months: the slap of Petra's bare feet on the floor. What a lovely sound!

She happily went barefoot as often as possible during our recent trip to Mexico (more on that soon, I promise! For now, you can see pictures on Flickr), and now all we have to do is to keep cameras, toy frying pans, and baseballs away from her toes. Piece of cake!

Blurbs

Petra stayed home with Dada and a fever on Monday (both of us with the fever). She watched "Cars" (well, part of it, and snoozed in my lap for the rest), and she really liked "Lightning the Queen." The minivans that won't ask for directions also made an impression. She told Mama "You would ask for directions, and I would ask for directions, and Dada would ask for directions, and Piper would meow for directions and the fish would glug glug for directions!"

Just to be sure she'll do well next Birthday, Petra was chatting about grandma and said "Grandma is the best!" (I won't say WHICH grandma though!).

I had a light bruise the other day from Petra kicking me in the face during the night. Sometimes she comes and climbs in with us, but often seems to sleep perpendicular to us. Alison gets the head butts, I get kicked in the face or kidneys.

Petra had a great time at the aquarium with her cousin Adia. Such a meltdown when it was time to leave (well, it WAS way past bedtime).

Petra is very excited because now she has her own "Little book." She's got her passport, and is ready for a trip to "Circus camp" in Ixtapa. We ALL need a vacation!

We have a new cat- "Cooper." He is a very sweet "Kitten" that is already bigger than Piper. He lets Petra pet him and plays with her (and climbs on her lap if she will sit still long enough). He is a very purry boy, and Petra is thrilled. Piper, not so much.

What's a Parent to Do?

I know, don't even start with the "You haven't updated the blog since...." I have a very socially active 3 year old, so I don't get a lot of time that isn't devoted to play dates, arts and crafts, bike rides or Backyardigans.

So, what's been going on?

Petra is now completely independent on the potty. She tells us "Leave me alone" if we try to keep her company. We don't complain.

Petra has a "Big girl bike" with pink streamers and training wheels. Now, if we only had bikes so we could keep up with her. We haven't had time to shop for them!
We visited the Getty Villa for art, music, and story time (arts and crafts including making a bead necklace and a Greek helmet).

Oh yeah, and there was this Christmas thing that she was all excited about for some reason. We continued our tradition of walking to the nursery and bringing a tree home in the wagon. Petra insisted that we get a small tree so she could decorate the whole thing (and that's pretty much what she did. Great job too!). The advent calendar kept her primed all month long ("Can I open a little door now?"), and she wanted it to be Christmas every day (heck, with Petra, it IS Christmas every day!). She scored big, of course, with a digital camera, iPod (w/aforementioned Backyardigans videos), and baby doll and stroller being big hits.


Somehow, Petra has managed not to get bored, even over the break when school was closed. We've had playdates galore with Jenna, Jessica, and Katie. She also had unscheduled run-ins with Eden, Emma, Abigail and more. Farmer's Market for the big tree and the pre-Christmas shopping scrum, Franklin Canyon for hiking and "fishing" (Petra wanted to catch "a whopper"), World City Chinese Puppet theatre, Japanese new year's with arts and crafts (Petra made a Daruma and an Origami crane decoration), Disneyland for the Christmas parade and fireworks, Friend's birthday parties, Natural History museum (where she made an undersea diorama, and was spooked by an 8 foot T-Rex that wandered into the room. The life-size puppet made her bury her head into me, and she kept it down until he left), Christmas lights festival (and closing IKEA afterwards!), Work Christmas parties (where, of course, she was adored).

We spent New Year's eve with Jenna & Family (and traditional Japanese new year's food. Yummy and weird at the same time! We celebrated live with New York, but the girls didn't get to bed until 10pm! They loved the party horns, and my ears still ring (and not just from the Champagne).

Petra (with some coaching) managed to lure a shy cat to her to receive a petting. She started out too eager, and the cat kept running away. But she showed great patience, and was able to sit still and stay quiet enough for the curious kitty to finally come and bump her. She was absolutely thrilled. There are only 3 other cats she's ever managed to touch- "The Ambassador" who will let ANYONE touch him, Zoe a sweet catloaf if ever there was one, and Rockstar, who said "Pet ME!" then scratched her. She liked this one much more, and named it "Kitty."