Merry Christmas?

Our Christmas miracle: we all made it
to a photo! Even Lamby and Lamby's
toy bath duck.

"We're doing what?!? When?!?" Mary gasped when Joseph mentioned Caesar's census.

Sometimes, Christmas is wondrous. Other times, you give birth in a barn. This year, our Christmas fit somewhere in between these two extremes.

'Twas the weekend before Christmas when the Stomach Virus first made its way into our home. It's unclear whether Elise or I contracted it first (perhaps she simply gorged on a bit too much overripe pear?), but the effects were intense and long-lasting. Matt and I agreed it was the sickest we've been since childhood, or possibly ever. In fact, I was about to enlist a Christmas Emergency plan when Kalina finally woke up happy and energetic from a long nap, and didn't throw up. Whew! Glad that's over!

Working on Christmas dinner?

We set about making final preparations for Grandma, Grandpa Les, Uncle Brian, Uncle Chris and Aunt Laura to arrive. Kalina cleaned her room, and then redecorated it with some spectacular toy formations. Elise helped me vacuum and stacked candles.

And they arrived! Yay! Aunt Laura and Uncle Chris came first, and the girls were overjoyed to have two new  playmates. Stranger-anxious Elise managed a sweet little hug for both of them, even chasing Aunt Laura down at one point to administer the little squeeze. Kalina proudly showed off her basement, and Mommy sneakily cleaned up the "accident" that had happened only moments before our guests' arrival. Kalina hoped they would never leave.

It wouldn't be a Grandma visit
without oodles of storytime!

The next evening brought Grandpa Les, Grandma and Uncle Brian. Joy ensued. In the day that followed, we took a trip to a local nature center, the girls played, people chatted, delicious food was made and eaten, amazing boy and girl bonding outings were enjoyed--it was really starting to feel like Christmas!

Watching the turtles get fed
at the nature center.

But unbeknownst to us, we were harboring a sixth guest this whole time: Stomach Virus had stuck around! Aunt Laura was the first to be stricken, followed a few hours later by Uncle Brian. And the next day was Christmas Eve.

Jolly and somber shared quarters as everyone either suffered or soothed, while also beginning preparations on a Christmas feast. After all, Christmas is really about hope, right? We'd noticed the virus seems to strike at night, and we counted down the hours until the remaining three might succumb. "You probably have at least four hours left, Grandma, what would you like to do with the girls?"

Christmas cookies!

We exchanged some gifts early, in the event that Grandma, Grandpa Les and Uncle Chris might not be with us in the morning, and we skipped church, not wanting to ruin anyone else's Christmas by sharing close quarters. We also made Christmas cookies, artistically decorating each one even though no one had much of an appetite (except, potentially, Santa). We played "musical rooms" for the night so that the sickest people would have easy access to amenities. Kalina gave Lamby a bucket, and put Pink Bear on the pretend doll/animal potty she'd unwrapped. Almost as an afterthought, we did our best to get the girls excited for Christmas Day.

The next morning, Elise bounded out of bed at 6:30 (well, as much as a toddler can bound out of a crib, which is not at all without help, thank goodness). Kalina, who had spent the night in Elise's room and had woken up when Elise did, refused to follow until her clock turned green 15 minutes later (it turns green when she's allowed to get up). And then we all hung out on the hide-a-bed for a while, where Mommy and Daddy had spent the night, being the healthiest of all our guests.

Elise played for a good 10 minutes with
Grandpa and the animals.

Soon, conversation shifted to reindeer. Had they been on our rooftop last night? Neither Daddy nor Mommy could be sure if we'd heard them. Had Kalina? How would we know if Santa had been here? We would've had reindeer on our roof, Kalina pointed out. True. And also, the cookie we left would've been eaten. Had it been? It had! And what else would've happened? Kalina's eyes turned toward the stockings (with a little nudging from me), and in the half-light, we all gazed at the festive reindeer peeking out of the Kalina's, and the soft puppy peeking out of Elise's. How magical!

For a split second, anyway. It's hard to tell which girl dove for hers first--but what amazed me the most was that even without Aunt Nancy's adorable cross-stitched designs, they knew immediately which stocking belonged to each. I'd worried that one animal or the other would be the favorite favorite of both, but that was not the case--Elise only had eyes for the dog, and probably would've scaled the fireplace to claim it had I not whisked it down to her. And Kalina was beyond delighted with her new friend, Rudolph.

A new bathroom set for Lamby!

The littler girl could barely be bothered to show interest in the rest of her stocking presents--she'd received what she wanted most, and Puppy now shares the spot in Elise's heart previously held only by Pink Bear. And, admittedly, the bath toys and plastic bowls could hardly be considered competition. Once we got to the collection of wind-up toys at the bottom, however, we were all enchanted. The caterpillar really inched, after all, and the mouse hopped, the chick scurried and the butterfly flapped.

The 3 1/2-year-old was on her fourth Christmas, and eagerly destroyed her stocking. No paper was left unwrapped as she deftly uncovered her own set of bath toys, and a bath brush for Lamby as well as a headband. She knew the routine.

Notice Santa's empty cookie plate!

We then merrily counted family members as they arrived downstairs: Grandma made it through the night still standing! And here's Aunt Laura, back on her feet! And then Uncle Chris, and even Uncle Brian! But alas, it was not all good news: Stomach Virus had claimed Grandpa Les, albeit in a somewhat gentler form that mostly left him extremely drowsy and in need of a very long winter's nap.

But hope endured, and after a breakfast of hot cocoa and bacon (among other things), we managed to scrounge together for not only a family picture, but also presents under the tree. Even Grandpa Les made it! We may have hurried a bit through our unwrapping to make sure no one dropped off before we were done, and, in fact, Elise and Matt still have a couple waiting for them.

For some reason Elise wasn't
too happy about this picture.

The tree held lots of treasures for Kalina and Elise (and the rest of us!), and all were a big hit, with the possible exception of the toy I'd sewn for Kalina (which I'm sure will grow on her!). Elise was enthralled by a ball track toy, while Kalina gave Lamby multiple baths in her new bathroom set (maybe now Lamby will smell a bit better?). Kalina also learned to play Jingle Bells on a toy piano/songbook from her musician aunt and uncle (who better to teach her?), and both girls zoomed back and forth through a new tunnel. Of course, Elise tried to get at Kalina's new toys whenever she could, and Kalina returned the favor. Unfortunately, in these instances the mood swayed a bit from the otherwise prevalent Christmas goodwill. Kalina had also made gifts for everyone, and the pride in her eyes as they were unwrapped was worth every bit of the, "Oops, let's not paint that!" involved in creating them. There were also a few presents for Lamby that consisted purely of scraps and trash with a bow and a label on them (how sweet!!).

Unwrap, play, unwrap, play,
repeat!

A light lunch led to a light naptime, which led to a lot of video game bonding among the guys, which was followed by our Christmas meal. Nine places were set; seven were filled, one of which was by someone eating mostly soda crackers; two were still not up to attending any area so laden with food. The five weary adults and two picky children did our best to do justice to the feast. Kalina mostly ate the almonds that were supposed to accompany a green bean dish (which turned into a green pea dish after I found I'd forgotten to stock up on the main ingredient), while Elise managed some sweet potato and a soda cracker. I let Kalina choose a Christmas cookie afterward so that it'd still feel like Christmas.

The afternoon slowly turned into evening, and we sadly said goodbye to Uncle Chris and Aunt Laura, albeit happy that both were healthy enough to make it to their next destination. We all then halfheartedly played with Christmas toys until Kalina requested to be put down for an early bedtime, stalled only a bit by some gentle playtime in her room.

But wait! Christmas presents weren't the only thing Uncle Chris took home with him--on a rather disastrous trip home that rivaled any flight we've ever complained about, due in part to flight problems and a labyrinthine airport parking lot, Uncle Chris also ended up coming down with Stomach Virus.

Christmas dinner! Ironic that one of
the reasons we got a big dining room
table was for this holiday.

As of this writing, Grandma is the only escapee. But will the virus strike its final victim tonight? And what of Grandpa Tom, Uncle Tom, Angela, Uncle David and Aunt Debbie, who will be visiting in the next few days? We await their fate, but can't wait to welcome them.

Meanwhile, we've spent the interim setting our washing machine to "hot" and Lysoling the bejeebers out of the house.

Not to mention playing with/negotiating over Christmas toys, as both girls found they could enjoy the other's presents almost as much as their own--so much, even, that taking turns was virtually impossible unless heavily refereed by one weary parent or the other.

It's a Girl-Lamb! The head of a
3-year-old and the feet of a lamb!
(See the tunnel?)

And yet, although we'll always be remembering it as the "Stomach Virus Christmas," we can't say it was a bad one, especially as seen from the girls' perspective. From games to stories to cooking (or "cooking," in Elise's case) to jumping on Grandpa's stomach until Daddy came to rescue him, it was truly a holiday punctuated with wonderful moments.

Merry Christmas after all!

Pediatrician visit!

Proud to be "trying on"
new PJs!

It wouldn't be Christmas week without a visit to the pediatrician, now, would it? Accordingly, we celebrated this rainy 6-days-from-Christmas Monday morning visiting the doctor to see how Elise is growing at 15 months. (I happen to think she's perfect, now let's see if anyone else agrees.)

Our last visit was little more than a week ago, as Elise had come down with a persistent virus of some sort. Proclaimed free from RSV, flu, ear infection and anything else that could be semi-serious, she was sent home to be kept comfy and recover. She hated the visit, and to ensure she would never have to return, she recovered quite quickly. In the nine days sense, she's suffered some sort of stomach virus (that the rest of us all had much worse), and is now coming down with a cold. Poor Elise--the irony being that she was deemed well enough for shots.

The toddler didn't seem to remember much about the doctor's office except for the nurse. She handled being weighed very well, as in, shrieking hysterically but not actually jumping off the scale. At 20.4 ounces, Elise is in approximately the 15th-ish percentile. And her height of 30.75 inches puts her around the 60th. We chatted about Elise's accomplishments, from stacking lots of blocks and using lots of words to learning to walk upstairs. Then the nurse was done (for a while) and left the three of us to wait for the doctor.

Kalina had been suffering from the stomach virus as late as yesterday evening, but woke up cheery and helpful, and not at all likely to mess up the waiting room floor, thank heavens. After eating two bowls of Christmas Grape Nuts for breakfast (Grape Nuts with red and green sprinkles, of course), she needed no other sustenance all morning, and cheerily fed every single cheddar snack bunny in my little Tupperware to Elise, thus keeping two youngsters happy for a good 10 minutes as we waited for the doctor, despite our cramped quarters in the exam room and the fact that I had, for the second visit in  row, failed to pack any special toys for the visit (seriously, you'd think I'd never done this before!). Elise was quite content to stuff her face with Kalina's help, but at my cautioning, the older girl made sure to ration the bunnies according to the fullness of Elise's cheeks. "Now, Elise, finish the bunny in your mouth and then you can have another one!" I heard her chirp at least once. Elise somehow managed to keep from rolling her eyes, but I couldn't hold in a chuckle.

Soon the doctor arrived, and Elise huddled quietly close to me while the doctor listened to her heart and lungs. Everything sounded perfect. The doctor asked if she'd recovered well from the last visit's virus, and I mentioned that yes, she had, but that she seemed to have acquired two new illnesses since then. That's my talented girl!

Playing with Christmas candles

We talked a bit about Elise's eating habits, and the fact that it's okay to sneak veggies into her diet in any form or fashion (i.e., she doesn't have to voluntarily eat broccoli, and her lifetime eating habits will not suffer if she refuses to knowingly even be in the same room as it as a 15-month-old--it's easier if I just disguise the stuff), not to mention a little more fat. The doctor again recommended tofu for some more protein. We checked her teeth (she has six front ones and a couple molars that have broken through) and then the doctor very pointedly asked me if she's sleeping all the way through the night. I got the impression that there was a wrong answer, but I was just happy to be on the correct side of it.

The best news, other than a healthy child, was that this visit would finish her routine vaccinations! Now, all we worry about are her yearly flu shots, a TB test at four (really??), plus the repeat anemia blood draw I'm supposed to do but may conveniently "forget," seeing as the doctor didn't bring it up (yes, Elise is slightly anemic--we're working on it with a multivitamin and eggs and chicken nuggets and she'll be just fine). And then her kindergarten vaccines, but we won't think about those yet.

When the nurse returned for the shots, I inquired what their vacation schedule would be like over the holidays. My sympathy was equal to my relief when I heard they'd be working their regular Saturday hours on Christmas Eve, and would simply be getting one day off each for Christmas and New Year's. A shame for them, but I suppose you don't become a doctor or a nurse if you want a lot of time off. And we appreciate their dedication!

The shots were over quickly, and it seemed that the ibuprofen I'd given my poor girl before the appointment actually helped--Elise screamed a bit less than usual, if that's even measurable to a frazzled mommy, and returned to her cheery self in really just a minute or two. Although I'm not so sure how we would've fared if the nurse had come back into the room yet again.

Back at home, I unthinkingly let Elise wander around most of the rest of the day (excepting her 3-hour, yes, you heard me right, nap). I should've stuck her in a grocery cart instead. At the end of the evening, the toddler quite contentedly soaked her weary leg muscles by resting tummy-down in the bathtub. After nearly 30 minutes she still was only ready to come out at the mention of medicine, to which I quite distinctly heard a cry of relief. Poor girl must have really been in pain! To confirm, I asked her where it hurt, and she pointed directly at her right leg (the unlucky recipient of two of the shots). What a smarty at 15 months!

Celebrating Christmas

Is it just me, or does it look like Lamby
and Pink Bear are smiling too?

Confession: I've been excited for Christmas 2011 for about a year now. Kalina has been too, and Elise is just happy to be a part of the festivities, as festivities in general involve all kinds of sights, sounds, textures and tastes. Thank goodness we've had Easter, birthdays, hundreds of kitten/Lamby birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and other real and pretend events to pass the time.

But now the Christmas season is finally upon us, and we're stocking up on ribbon and sprinkles, making up new words to all the old songs, and trying to give Baby Jesus a boost in popularity when stacked up against present-doling Santa Claus. And we love it.

We began our festivities shortly after Thanksgiving with Christmas CDs and a pretend Christmas tree for the girls. Before this, I refused to let the girls ogle the Christmas decorations in stores too much. "We'll look at those when it's actually Christmastime," I'd say a bit more loudly than I needed to in front of managers. Kalina quickly decided that Rudolph was her favorite song (the second year running--and ever since she's had an opinion!) and that Jingle Bells is Elise's, which probably isn't too far from the truth, as the little girl often hands me a jingle bell toy and demands I sing the tune.

Kalina introduces Lamby
to the Christmas tree.

Our first Christmas tree this year was made of felt, with ornaments to match (see previous blog for picture). Kalina immediately adopted it as Lamby's Christmas tree, and we went around in circles several times to make sure she knew that no, it belonged to Elise and Pink Bear, too. The situation was remedied with the creation of a Lamby-specific ornament or two that Kalina can stick safely out of Elise's reach.

Our real Christmas tree came a few days later. A book we'd read about "The Littlest Christmas Tree" initially steered Kalina's search, until Matt adeptly managed to convince her to go toward the bigger trees (I think he, personally, was hoping for a 10-footer!). We came home with a nice one, and set out to decorate our house.

Look closely and you can see the
animals marching two by two,
bearing some reclining sheep.

The beads are always fun.
We made a train with ours.

The nativity scene again provided lots of hilarity. Why was Camel banished to the guest bathroom? Why were only the cats good enough to share the stable with baby Jesus? And why were the animals lined up two-by-two, carrying other animals on their backs, away from the stable? These and other eternal questions, are likely to go unanswered.

We love our tree!

Kalina loves our Christmas tree, and often insists we all say "good morning" to it when we descend the stairs first-thing. She has not named it (supposedly it doesn't get a name until Christmas), but has nevertheless adopted it as one of her good friends. Yes, the girl can anthropomorphize anything. And what about when Christmas is over? She's happy in the idea that the Christmas tree will be able to go out and play in the snow. Please, let there be snow on Christmas tree pickup day!

Decorating the tree became quite the challenge, as most of our shiny, glittery ornaments overpowered Elise's tot-sized willpower. But we managed, and I decorated in layers: the top third being the most special, most
breakable ones; the next third being ones that Kalina is allowed to touch but not Elise, and the lowest third--the sparsest of the three--being ornaments that Elise probably can't hurt, nor will they hurt her.

What a festive little cutie!

And then came the Christmas lights. In no more than a twinkling, Elise decided that the glimmering displays are the best things since sliced grapes. She spent full minutes staring at our neighbor's lights while I cooked dinner, and has since pointed out every decorated house she's seen with her characteristic enthusiasm: "Gah!!!" in a very high-pitched, adorable squeal. Grateful for the displays we've all enjoyed in years past (and especially the ones that weren't taken down until February), we figured that this year it was our turn. So we decorated, including wrapping some down the pillars in front of our house, and both girls have enjoyed seeing the different colors they can make their hands (and Lamby's paws). It's truly a magical season when your hand turns green.

Although I'm not big on the, "Be good, because Santa's watching!" type of child-rearing, I have found that Christmas makes everything nicer. For instance, toast is much more fun when it's cut into a festive shape (or a cat) and decorated with a smattering of green and red sprinkles (Christmas toast!). Same with applesauce. Same with who knows what else. It's easier to get Kalina dressed when I can point out green or red in her outfit, easier to motivate her out the door to Target when she knows we might see some Christmas decorations, and easier to get her to quit whining when I can just drown her out with festive holiday music (true story). Elise, too, can be easily distracted by anything Christmasy. It helps.

Our somewhat fuzzy family photo.

And the treats! And crafts! Kalina and I have loved baking spritz cookies, cupcakes, peppermint brownies, white chocolate pretzels, and more. She's devoured her first candy canes, and has also put together some festive Santa, Rudolph and candy cane crafts. Although not quite ready for crafts and baking yet (but happy to ride on my hip to watch the activities), Elise shares in the fun by stacking and restacking Christmas candles onto candle holders, and carrying around our snowglobe while I keep a hand under it at all times (I really need to find a heavy duty plastic one). What fun.

At this point, Kalina believes in Santa (as well as Baby Jesus), and has visited him twice in the mall--which for her, means waving from afar. We even waited in line for her to stand back and wave, and he's indulgently waved back while she grins ear to ear, but refuses to actually go up and say hi. That's the closest we've ever been to a Santa picture; I wasn't even going to try with Elise. But how does Baby Jesus stack up in our preschooler's mind? I made sure Kalina knew the story, that it's Jesus' birthday, and that he was surrounded by farm animals. This, and the fact that Kalina is into babies right now, have certainly given Jesus a boost. In fact, she's even raced our little nativity Jesus around in his manger as though he's riding in a car, which is a sure sign of affection, right?

Aunt Nancy's Christmas box
becomes a boat. Would she
rather it arrive with presents
or a couple nieces?

We've done quite a bit of Christmas wrapping, making and shopping, including a legendary run to Michaels during which I managed to shop for stocking stuffers without either girl noticing too much. Kalina loves to wrap presents, and in fact, surveyed her family members to discern their favorite colors to use for bows. She also had fun choosing the labels and lining up the packages in a very straight line under the tree. Elise has miraculously left all of them alone, although she occasionally, and very gently, undecorates the tree.

Beautiful little girl attends
ballet with handsome
Daddy!

Finally, Kalina got to see the Nutcracker! With Daddy, as Mommy was at home with a stomach virus and Elise. She liked getting dressed up in her Christmas dress, she liked the ballet, she liked the Christmas tree, and she liked the ice cream Daddy bought her on the way home. I didn't get much out of her about the experience, except that she shared her ticket/seat with Lamby; enjoyed the music, dancing, and Christmas tree; and that she didn't see a nutcracker on the stage, except the one a girl dancer was holding. But that's pretty good for a 3 1/2-year-old.

And there's more in store: Christmas Eve church, more baking, more wrapping, family arriving, and, of course, the presents. I'm pretty sure it will continue to be a wonderful Christmas for our whole family.

Playing nicely

Pretending to decorate our
pretend Christmas tree.

At least once a week, we clean the playroom (formerly, the family room). That means putting every single toy in its place (or close enough), under penalty of timeout or a favorite toy being hidden away (which Kalina always needs to know every detail of--will the Camel and Skunk puppets be in a box? In a closet? Who will be able to reach them? When will we get them back? Will they be scared? You're missing the point, Honey.). We do mini cleanups in the interim, but the weekly cleaning is particularly serious, as once the floors are cleared off, the vacuum will be coming through. VROOOMMM!

The vacuum, by the way, used to be enough to convince Kalina to clear every single toy away. But after seeing Elise snuggle up to the large appliance, help me push it and squeal with glee every time I "vacuumed her toes," and observing that no harm came of it, the 3-year-old forgot her fear in lieu of a teensy bit of jealousy, and joined in the games.

It now take about 15 minutes to vacuum two rugs once the toys are picked up, as each girl needs plenty of turns to push the heavy beast, and yet I want to clean every single inch. Among the three of us, we make it a pretty inefficient process, but it gets done. Weekly.

So you can imagine my smile of dismay as I see the playroom regain its clutter within an hour, or first thing the next morning. 

Smile of dismay? I can't help but smile--while Elise wanders around methodically testing each and every object she can reach, including all the combinations of objects, Kalina has only one purpose for the toys: taking care of Lamby or taking care of Elise. 

I occasionally look up from making breakfast, or cleaning up lunch, to see Elise happily wading through a pile of toys, which Kalina adds to fast as she can. And then in a sweet little voice, "Here Elise, look! It's a bowl of ice cream for you! Look! Have a taste!" or "Elise, I'll let you play with my horsey!" To which Elise is often oblivious, which deters Kalina virtually not at all.

Sometimes Kalina invents a new game, which Elise invariably adores. Once it was throwing soft objects over the recliner. Would I have objected a year ago? Yes. Did I smile and commend Kalina for being careful to only throw soft thing when I saw it a week ago? Yes I did. They were cute, happy together, and not really hurting anything--and I could get the dishes done.

No, of course it's not all fun and games. Kalina enjoys mentally labeling toys as hers or Elise's, which can be cause for conflict: "This toy doesn't say Elise anymore, now it says Kalina!" she'll joyfully tell me when she wants to play with Elise's toy puppy. To be fair, it goes the other way, too and the bigger girl at times graciously assigns her own animals to the littler one, who sometimes accepts them only with suspicion (will they be grabbed back?). Kalina has also learned the arts of trading and taking turns--sometimes, anyway.

Elise enjoys the entertainment of an older sibling, and has already learned how to feed Pink Bear (Elise's version of Lamby!), pour her a pretend glass of milk and give her a drink, give her rides on various vehicles, including a bean bag chair that she pulls along behind her, and much more. I envision lots of stuffed animal birthday tea party picnics in the girls' future. Cute!

And this is why our rug is always messy, and why I don't put a stop to it.

Our Thanksgiving Trek

My two Thanksgiving
turkeys.

Thanksgiving! It's been a big year, to say the least. Watching Elise grow into a toddler and Kalina into a surprisingly vibrant preschooler,  moving half a country away for an exciting job opportunity for Matt and seeing my book (albeit not my name!) in print have been some very real highlights. For these, and many, many other things, we are very grateful.

And we're also thankful for the family we now live within driving distance of. Or, as I was thinking last Monday evening, "driving distance." 

I'd spent the previous week preparing for the nine-hour trek north, plus the ensuing return trip, which would span two days and include a hotel stay. By the time I'd carefully secured everything from cold treatments for the whole family (including our humidifier!) to umpteen car ride distractions and snacks, I was unclear whether we were venturing to Minnesota or Mars: either way, we were prepared. I later learned I'd forgotten only one thing: swimsuits for Matt and I, but it didn't matter as the hotel's luggage rack ended up being entertainment enough for all of us. More about that later.

An indoor park in Minnesota.
Look, no coat!

Both girls entered the trip giddy with excitement, emitting cute-to-shrill screams every time I mentioned we were going to go visit Grandma and Grandpa. Clearly, we were making the right decision in taking this trip. For her part, Kalina carefully planned all of Lamby and Costume Cow's care for their stay at the Grandparents' house, even contacting Grandma once or twice to make inquiries about their accommodations. All conversations at home centered around, "Let's talk about what Lamby needs at Grandma and Grandpa's house!" To which I'd reply, "Alright, well, she'll need ____ (food, water, toys, pasture, snuggles, etc.)," and to which Kalina would return with a well thought out, albeit long-winded and not always rational, solution.

Out of the car and into a
tunnel!

We left promptly at 7:00 a.m.--and would've been out the door at 6:00 except Elise had been sleeping in the previous five days and we wanted to take full advantage of that. Although the little one was a bit grumpy at being stuffed into a cold car first thing in the morning, Kalina was all smiles, gripping Lamby and chattering happily about the nap Lamby was taking on her lap. 

By the end of the first hour or so, though, the bigger girl had realized that when we said it'd be a big trip to Minnesota, we meant it'd be a lot farther than the grocery store and even the zoo. Her smile faltered. I whipped out the first big car surprise--special markers that only color on special pictures of Hello Kitty. Eight minutes later, we'd tested all the colors and were looking for something else to do. How do I break it to a three-year-old that that was the something else? This became a common theme of the trip; I'm pretty sure she expected me to hand back a live kitten or its equivalent.

A brave girl and a brave lamb.

My biggest worry, however, had been entertaining Elise. How do you keep a child, whose main entertainment nowadays usually comes in the form of carrying handheld toys from one place to another, content for 9+ hours at a time while confined in a carseat? I counted on lots of napping, plus lots of snacks.

As it turned out, Elise surprised me on two counts: 1.) After the occasional "Am I really still in my carseat, and will a few high-pitched protestations change the situation?" the girl would calm down and quite contentedly fiddle with a book or toy for longer than I would've guessed possible. Her favorite activity was reading books upside-down and in fact, over the course of the trip she probably spent a good four hours with an upended board book in her hands. Another favorite? Spotting semi trucks on the road. "Tuh, tuh!" She'd tell us every time she noticed one. 2.) Over the three long legs of our trip, ranging in duration from nine hours to four hours, some of which was at night and each of which encompassed a naptime, Elise slept a grand total of about two and a half hours. This overlapped with Kalina, who slept about an hour and a half, by about 15 minutes total. And yet, we survived.

The best seat in the house.

But really, the drive went great, and about every hour someone commented on how glad we were that we weren't in an airplane, and how lovely the barren Iowa fields looked (we're truly midwesterners at heart). We zoomed through cornfield after cornfield, Matt driving and evaluating both crops and deer movements (or, more commonly, lack thereof) and me spending most of my time turned halfway around in my seat digging through toy/snack/book and CD/DVD bags and solving minor disagreements. After only two 15-minute stops, we arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's house in record time.

And yes, the drive was well worth it! Kalina was over the moon with "her" room at Grandma and Grandpa's, which included a real big girl bed, a bed for her animals and even the litter box she'd requested before her arrival (for the kittens, of course). Elise was simply happy to be out of the car and allowed to toddle around at will. She soon claimed a pint-sized blue chair and four squishy balls as her own, as well as several teddy bears that she and Kalina both negotiated for the entire trip.

Thanksgiving dinner!

In addition to playing at Grandma and Grandpa's, we also explored the woods, which Kalina was not only happy to hike through, but also to lead me and Grandma through very gently, pointing out sites like a mouse hole and fallen logs, making sure we never stumbled and occasionally asking if our legs were tired. How sweet! 

And we explored the area library, which connected to an amazing indoor park, complete with a giant slide playground. Kalina set foot in a bounce house for the first time ever, and ventured down some fairly impressive (for her) slides, while Elise climbed on rocks, navigated an obstacle course of hanging bumpers, sailed in a pretend boat and pointed with frantic excitement at nearly everything.

One last story before taking off.

We also hosted Thanksgiving dinner for lots of Odegaard relatives. Kalina helped Grandma make placecards and get the dishes ready (or did Grandma help her?). Elise ran up and down the hallway, enjoying the sounds her feet made. When the guests arrived, Kalina greeted them with, "Happy Thanksgiving," at which point both girls would gleefully "gobble, gobble, gobble." What a duo.

As far as the meal was concerned, Kalina and Elise thoroughly enjoyed the rolls. Kalina ate the marshmallows out of a salad and then stuffed herself with turkey while Elise turned her scrunched up nose up at both without so much as a curious nibble. *Sigh.* Maybe next year my youngest will eat protein. The littler one did, however, manage a few bites of sweet potato and fruit before ending her meal, a feat rarely achieved by her big sister. (Everything was absolutely delicious, by the way!)

Helping Grandpa clean up
the blocks he was playing with.

The next day, after some sad goodbyes, we headed back down to Iowa for a whirlwind visit with several family members and friends. A four-hour drive seemed easy, and mostly was, and we soon landed at Uncle David and Aunt Debbie's house, where Grandpa Hanks, Uncle Tom and Angela were waiting. The kids played with toys and/or, in Elise's case, sat tiredly on Daddy's lap watching football. Old pros by now at sitting, they happily navigated not one, but two restaurants (one for supper and one for brunch the next morning) with some entertaining/wrangling help from Daddy. 

In addition to catching up, we also convinced Uncle David to perform his famous elephant noise for the girls, who happily joined in. And to think I used to be afraid of it!

Look! Kalina's not sitting by either
parent! What a big girl!

At the hotel, two sleepy girls found a second (or third, or fourth, or eighteenth) wind as they enthusiastically raided the hotel room for anything of entertainment value. Kalina got a lesson in using the "old-fashioned" phones, the likes of which she'd never seen; Elise tested her pack and play (with help from Kalina); Elise colored on herself and me with the pen I was using to write down some directions; and Elise "filled and spilled" the free toiletries into and out of the ice bucket, etc. I had to laugh at my good-natured little tornadoes. The pre-bedtime crazies culminated in a ride up and down the hallway on the luggage rack, after which both girls settled down remarkably well and slept just fine.

Elise tries out her bed,
with lots of toys from Kalina.

The next big event, after Mommy sneaked out for some early Christmas shopping with Aunt Debbie, was brunch with Uncle Alan and Aunt Diane. Kalina cheerfully re-introduced Lamby, and Elise graced them with some of her, "I'm bright and happy as long as I'm in Mommy's arms" smiles. The little one did consent to be held by both for a total of about 30 seconds. 

And then we once again hit the road, making one final quick stop at a friend's house in Pella. We saw Curtis, Jess, Isaac and Lily before heading home.

As expected, the homeward trip was the most long difficult, as no more naps were to be expected in the 5 1/2 hour trek and the road was rainy and dreary. Actually, the mood was pleasant until about 4:30 p.m., when the sun all but gave up its somewhat weak attempts to illuminate a mid-winter world below dense cloud cover. Poor thing, I think we almost burned it out. I used its last rays to eek out a few more stories, until Kalina had to squint at the illustrations and I could no longer make out the words. 

Kalina and Lamby practice sleeping.

We raised our spirits with some kids music before resorting to bottomless snacks/supper and Veggie Tales to carry us through the rest of the drive. Kalina and Lamby peacefully passed out around 7:30, even amid Little Sister's 45 minutes of wailing/screeching. By 7:45, both kids were asleep, and we arrived home 15 minutes later. Matt had the car unloaded by the time I put all the sleepytime articles in place. Neither child was happy to be awakened to be put to bed, but survived the transition well enough.

To add festivity to festivity, Grandpa Hanks followed us home to stay a couple days. He and the girls played endless games of "Hide the Thimble" and "Fall back and stand me up" before his trip, too, was over. 

Ready for a ride (except
Matt).

Our Thanksgiving trek passed by in a bit of a blur, but it was a happy blur, and we promised everyone we visited to stay a bit longer next time. The promise holds true: we fully intend to see a lot more Iowa cornfields and midwestern friends and relatives--and for this possibility, we are truly thankful.

Last day of Preschool

A "chair ride."

I know what you're thinking: "Wait, Kalina's not really the preschool type. We thought you were going to wait until she was, oh, say, eight to send her."

And you wouldn't be wrong. While Kalina loves all the typical preschool activities, with the exception of following along during fingerplays and action rhymes, she's still fairly adverse to other kids and being anywhere that Mommy (or Daddy) isn't.

But when a "gentle separation" preschool at the local amazing kids' museum, for ages 2 1/2 to 3 1/2, for an hour weekly, that I could attend with her for at least the first 6 sessions of 9, for a reasonable fee, came into my notice, you can see why I couldn't refuse to sign my girl up. After all, eventually we're going to have to make the break. And besides, Kalina really could use some work on her action rhymes. Here's the rundown:

Behind the scenes: I cautiously began talking up preschool a few weeks before it began. We visited the kids' museum and played, so Kalina would know it'd be a fun place to be. We discussed the fact that she'd have a teacher to help take care of her (Kalina's really into being taken care of), and she'd get to do cool stuff. Even as cool as painting and crafts. I let her know I'd be attending with her, but that her animals would need to ride in the stroller. However, she'd be able to bring her Pinkies along. All of this was acceptable to Kalina, and we set out with a happy attitude.

Preschool Day 1: We left Elise in Grandpa's capable hands to go play in the rest of the museum, while Kalina and I, with probably equal levels excitement (a lot!), headed off to find her classroom. As we waited to go in, we eyed the other kids (Kalina with suspicion, me with high hopes for a future bestie for my girl), made name tags and scribbled with colored chalk. Soon enough, the door opened and Ms. Dorie's sugary sweet preschool-teacher voice invited everyone inside, and the kids to each sit on a colored shape in a circle.

And off we went. Kalina, being one of the oldest, was also one of the more proficient, and she stunned her mommy by participating a little. After a short "circle time," with a book and a song and such, the kids were invited to play.

What a playground! The teachers, obviously braver than I, had set up easels with paint, a play-dough table, a craft table, a "sensory" table with gelatin to poke and squeeze, plus lots of little games and such. As they're paid to clean up after my child, I suppose they didn't mind it quite so much.

Kalina sat down at the play-dough table, and probably would've stayed there the rest of the class had I not prodded her toward painting and other activities. I did feel a bit guilty for directing her play in such a stimulating environment, especially when I'm trying to teach her to be more independent. However, that feeling was overridden by the fact that we could get painting out of Kalina's system without me having to deal with the mess. And we have plenty of play-dough at home. Besides, I wanted to play with some of the other stuff, too.

Fortunately, Kalina didn't seem to mind being gently nudged toward the easels (she practically took off running, in fact), and neither did the teachers who had to clean up her splatters after she filled two large sheets of papers--and a decent portion of the plastic-covered floor--with brushfulls of paint. And then we played in the sand table, and then it was time for everyone to help pick up before more circle time to conclude the class. I wished it could've lasted all day.

The topic for the day, by the way, was colors. Kalina has had a good handle on her colors for almost two years now, but she never minds a review. And she was extremely excited to receive a laminated yellow color square, in addition to a backpack, to bring home to practice with.

I was probably more relieved than I should've been to see that Kalina was not the shiest child in the room. One boy was afraid of songs and stories, and had to be taken out for a while. Others cowered in their moms laps (which, admittedly, Kalina probably would've done a year ago). It was nice to see how far we've come: very.

Preschool Day 2: The next week, we learned about apples. Which meant, in part, that Kalina picked all the clothespin apples off of a pretend tree, and then played with play-dough while I put them all back.

In fact, as I remember, all the kids surged toward the play-dough table, it being the only thing they really recognized, and brightly colored, at that. I began to wonder if Kalina would remember that there's more to preschool than play-dough, which happens to be my "I'm desperate to cook dinner" activity at home. I hoped she'd move on, and eventually she did. She was overjoyed to receive a red color square, running it to me for my protection as soon as it was in her hand (even though class wasn't quite over yet).

During this class, I chatted with the teacher about strategies for "gentle separation." She suggested I step out a few times to visit the bathroom, etc., so Kalina could get used to it. Seeing that Kalina was already doing just fine, I welcomed the opportunity.

Preschool Day 3: Next, we talked about Fall. Out came the parachute at circle time, and the kids poofed  fake leaves into the air. Kalina had more fun watching than participating, but at least she was having fun. The girl didn't even blink when I told her I had to leave the room for a few minutes to check Elise's diaper, nor did she blink when I came back. I later asked her if it'd be okay if I left for longer, and she responded with suspicion. Could Mommy have an ulterior motive for this class?

Preschool Day 4: Prior to class, we talked about how eventually Kalina would head to preschool alone, with just the teachers. "And the teachers will help me reach high things and wash my hands," commented Kalina. "Yes!" I exclaimed. "They would be happy to help you do those things!" And we practiced asking for help from teachers. "And if Mommy is gone forever, I will just play with the teachers," decided Kalina. I assured her I'd be back, something I'm not sure she entirely believed.

While we were waiting for class to start, Kalina played with blocks with a classmate. Yup, that's right! She played with another child. They built bridges together.

Preschool was all about farm, and Kalina was in her element--she's pretty much an expert on animals and their noises. I stayed out of the room for about 15 minutes, and Elise reaped the benefits--we got some good-quality goof-off time together.

During circle time at the end of class, the teacher allowed each child to choose a farm animal puppet to play with. Kalina decided on a tiny donkey (a baby donkey, I'm sure). The teacher then led the kids in a rousing game of put the animals to sleep, and then wake them up with lots of farm animal noises. Kalina participated for the first round, but thereafter refused to wake her donkey up. I guess it needed its rest.

Preschool Day 5: On this day, about Pumpkins, Elise and I actually explored another part of the museum for a while. Kalina again loved class, and especially painting a pumpkin with purple sparkly paint at the beginning.

Preschool Day 6: Halloween was the theme this week, and Kalina was proud to tell everyone she was planning to be a duck. By this time, I was able to leave the room for most of the playtime, staying only for circle times. And when I returned, I could tell Kalina had had a great time by the paint splatters covering her clothes, shoes and hands (which I could tell had been washed all by herself). Kalina was given a pipe cleaner spider to bring home, and chanced to find another left in the lobby. What a day!

Preschool Day 7: The next week, Kalina was sick, but was up to attending a class later in the week instead. This class was full, and the teacher seemed a bit stressed rather than cheery (couldn't blame her). I stuck around as much as I could with Kalina, but Elise made it a challenge to stay in, as her stroller was quite in the way this time. So I popped in and out, and solicited the help of one of the teachers to try to keep an extra special eye on my oldest. I think Kalina enjoyed the train theme, and tolerated the strangeness of the kids and different teachers, but it was probably not her favorite class. Still, a good experience.

Preschool Day 8: After circle time on this food-themed day, I got to watch Kalina dive into a baby pool of pretend "spaghetti and meatballs" with several other girls. And at the end, one teacher mentioned that Kalina acted goofy during class. Could it be that my girl was actually comfortable enough to be herself?

Preschool Day 9: On this last day of class, we talked about turkeys. Kalina had practiced her "gobble gobble" ahead of time, a skill that she was not the least bit hesitant to show off throughout class. She all but snuggled up right next to Ms. Dorie for circle time, forgetting the formality of carpet squares altogether, and once circle time was over, played next to the same troupe of girls she had the previous time (with the teacher's help, of course. Kalina also managed to find at least a few of the turkeys "hidden" around the room (she found at least two during the five minutes I watched, anyway), firmly and confidently stuck feathers into a nylon-covered styrofoam ball to create a turkey, and she appeared to be an expert at navigating the different activities. At the end, the girl even proudly taught me how to play turkey bowling.

This blog with be incomplete without special thank-you to Elise, who weathered her confinement to the stroller for these classes remarkably well, considering the veritable playground that surrounded her each time. She hardly shrieked like a wild monkey at all. In fact, at first the littler girl simply enjoyed watching the teacher and the other kids. As she aged developmentally, however, and grew increasingly bored of acting the part of the patient observer, she did begin to demand more. By this time I was able to take her out of the room to entertain her, and once I handed her off to Aunt Nancy. And I occasionally let her hug a giant Elmo in the classroom (Elise, not Aunt Nancy).

Also, I did pack for Elise like I was packing for a week's stay in a bomb shelter, with her favorite snacks, toys and books to distract her. In fact, I packed it all in a separate bag, which meant that every trip to preschool we brought two bags, any rain gear we needed to carry, plus Kalina's artwork and handouts. It barely all fit in my broken-down stroller, and usually by the end was trailing on the ground through the museum, garnering raised eyebrows and sympathetic looks.

What a perfect first preschool experience for Kalina! And would you believe I completely forgot to get pictures? Never mind: she's enrolled in next semester's "big kid" class, where she'll attend for a whole 1 1/2 hours instead of 1, and enjoy a snack. And don't tell her this quite yet, but parents aren't supposed to attend this class, so Kalina will weather it on her own. Won't she do just great?

Going out to play

A wagon ride! Girls in matching,
adorable outfits!

It's that time of year again. The brilliant leaf colors pointed out by me and ignored by both kids every car ride (someday they'll appreciate them!), the frantic searching for outerwear that fits and isn't stained, and the forced trips to the park to "store up" outdoor fun before winter's chill hits for real. Ah, fall.

One of many benefits of being a stay-at-home mom is that on glorious days, whatever the season, I generally get to go outside. In daylight, and to play in grass, or leaves, or snow, or whatever's out there. Depending on the rest of the day's activities, and the general mood of the children, this may mean we don't actually make it past the doorstep until 5:00 p.m., and must return into the house 15 minutes later for diaper changes, forgotten stuffed animals, dinner prep, and whatnot, but it's more than many people get, and I'm grateful for it.

Aunt Nancy and Kalina
showing off their animal
face hats.

I have a rule that as long as everyone's healthy (and often even if not), and it's not absolutely sopping wet or below freezing cold, or meltingly hot (and usually even then, if only so we appreciate the inside of our four walls that much more), we will be spending a portion of our day outdoors. Matt, being outdoorsy himself and no doubt hoping his girls won't turn out as "soft" as I am when it comes to bugs, dirt, and whatnot, seems to fully support this. So out we go.

Sometimes we call it "getting the mail," or at other times, in accordance with a strange old family saying handed down through my dad's family, "getting the stink off." Either way, we're outside. [Side note: the other day Kalina insisted that her kittens had already licked the stink off of her. Nice try, Sweetie, but you're still going outside! Now, march.]

While Elise enthusiastically pounds on the door at the mere mention of "outside," Kalina often has to be prodded through it. Sometimes I bribe her with the promise of a wagon ride, or wax paper on the slide (thanks, Grandma and Grandpa! :) ) or a "snack picnic." Sometimes these don't work and, well, I simply have to prod.

Aunt Nancy and Elise goofing around
with a giraffe.

On the best days, we head to a park. Being in a new locale, we keep discovering new ones. Ranging from fabulous to somewhat sketchy, they at least ignite the inner explorer in each one of us. But that brings up new challenges, mostly to the tune of, "How do you keep two small children from becoming dangers to themselves and each other six or more feet in the air, especially when the oldest insists on clenching several stuffed animals under her arm and occasionally on you acting out scenarios using them." How?

When Elise was still tiny, it was easy. She'd sit happily in her stroller, or submit to being carried in my mei tai, or even hang out on a blanket, while I kept a careful eye on Kalina. Of course, during this phase Kalina mostly disliked parks of all kinds and often vied Elise for the stroller. At which point I'd let the baby dangle from a swing (during this time she liked swings, as long as they weren't swinging) and let Kalina sit in the stroller, and there we were, at the park. Whee!

Our first trip to the zoo here,
and the hippos decided to
spar. Elise and I were both
entranced.

As Elise grew, she began to want to crawl around, too. And eat the mulch. My strategy was to barricade her on some playground platform so she didn't get too dirty/munchy and hope Kalina didn't do anything too scary, or ask me to perform too many kitten puppet shows. This would generally work in 30-second increments.

Next, Elise wasn't content to merely crawl around parks, she desperately wanted to walk and climb stairs. Problem being that she couldn't walk--not alone, at least, or effectively tell a 3-inch drop from an 8-foot one. She also developed more of an opinion in the direction she wanted to head. Kalina, meanwhile, decided she liked parks again, as long as I was playing with her. During this mercifully short-lived phase, I attempted to steer a somewhat unwilling Elise in safe directions, usually toward Kalina, while cajoling the bigger girl's requests to, "Make the kittens not know who will catch them at the bottom of the side," with lots of, "I'd love to, Hon, just a minute!" I'm not sure any of us really had any fun at the park during these outings.

Our current park phase has both girls exploring happily on their own. Elise, who still hasn't developed a healthy appreciate for heights, scales anything she possibly can and crawls through the narrowest tunnels, nearly oblivious to the fact that I'm often in hot pursuit right behind her because otherwise I won't make it to the nearest dropoff before she does. Kalina, on the other hand, now slides, climbs and ventures away from the playground with only Lamby for company. Which is just wonderful, I think, even as I chase her down while holding Elise so that the little one doesn't get herself into a sticky situation without me around to rescue her. Sometimes this little dance we do has me getting more exercise than both of the girls combined, a fact I probably don't appreciate as I should. Occasionally, though, if Elise takes an interest in gathering sweetgum seeds or Kalina takes Lamby to try out the swings, I get to focus on just one child, or simply keep an eye on both of them. How peaceful!

We're all warily intrigued by a colder, snowier winter than we've been used to, and unanimously voted to purchase a bright pink plastic sled at Target the other day to try on our backyard hill at the first falling of snow. Kalina is already making big plans to bring her kittens and Peep, the penguin, outside, while I'm mentally stuffing each of them into a nice, dry Ziploc baggie for the adventure. Elise has already practiced walking around in Kalina's rainboots, which I'm sure will prepare her perfectly for wielding her own size of snowboots around the yard.

And so our outdoor adventures will continue. Rain or snow or shine, like them or not. Fortunately, we usually do.