Petra-fied

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?

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!

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.

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!

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).

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.

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!

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!

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!

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.

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,

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:

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.

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!

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!

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.

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."

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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."

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.).

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!

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!

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!).

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!

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!