Friday Bits
We had a couple of springlike days this week, and we headed out to the playground in spring jackets. Lucia had such a good time, running around without having her little fingers get frozen. Collecting sticks remains the primary playground activity, though she also went down the slide about a million times and ran back and forth over the shaky bridge with a little boy we know from music class. It’s so funny to me when toddlers recognize each other, especially, as was the case this time, when the toddler is with a sitter and not the parent I’m familiar with. “That’s Lucia,” I heard him say, and Lucia recognized him, too. They played and shared a snack until he left.
Greta spent much of our playground time napping. And being cute.
Greta proved last night to be quite the little strategist. Gone are the days of sleeping from 7 to 7. Now she’s waking up once a night at least, two times lately. And last night, she woke up at 4:30am. She didn’t cry—she just began doing her raptor screeches, happily awake. I nursed her and put her back in the bassinet; more happy raptor screeches. Then I put her in bed with us, cradled in my arm…and she fell instantly asleep for the rest of the night. She knew what she was doing, this little one. I love snuggling with her, but I don’t sleep very well when she’s in our bed because I’m super-paranoid about blankets or pillows drifting over her tiny face. So this can’t become a habit, tempting as it is.
I tried to cook three times this week, and three times it was unsuccessful. Monday I tried to make carmelized onion foccaccia, which I’ve made a hundred times, mixing the dough first in the bread machine. This time, instead of dough, it was a liquidy mess; I assumed I’d hit the wrong setting. Tuesday, I tried again. But after mixing in all the ingredients I realized I was out of yeast. I had to wait two hours till Andrew got home to put in the yeast. End result: another liquidy mess. Wednesday I made chili. But somehow I’d forgotten to buy crushed tomatoes. I used a can of whole tomatoes, chopped up. Not the same. Edible, but not delicious. What is wrong with me?? I’m lucky I could pour goldfish crackers into a bowl this week. Worse, I had to eat that chili Wednesday dinner, Thursday and Friday lunch, and Friday dinner. Enough chili. Enough, enough.
Lucia has taken to saying she’s going to the “market.” She carries around a lunchbox, or pushes her shopping cart, and announces that she’s going to the market to buy some vegetables. We’ve been reading a book lately called Red Wagon, in which a little fox pushes her wagon to the market to buy vegetables. Lucia definitely takes in what we read, I’ll say that.
Lucia has become a one-man theatrical act lately. Each day we watch an episode of Olivia, and for a while we were watching one where Olivia’s brother Ian pretends to be a ghost, scaring Olivia’s friends. Lucia frequently acts out large portions of this episode. “A ghost!” she’ll say. “Ian pretending to be a ghost.” Then she’ll gasp a few times, dramatically. “I see it!” she then says. Then she looks at me and explains, “That’s what Francine says.” (In the show, Olivia’s friend Francine announces she’s seen a ghost.) By the way: Lucia’s ghost sightings began long before she ever saw this show. But now all the ghost sightings seem to be part of her Olivia reenactments.
She also sits down in Greta’s Bumbo chair and then dramatically pretends to fall out. Every day she makes me laugh out loud.
The matching Piggies continue to be a source of delight for Lucia. If Greta makes any sort of fussy sound at all, Lucia jumps up and says, “Oh! Greta’s Piggy!” then runs off, finds Greta’s Piggy, and delivers it to her. Sometimes the Piggies sit on top of the pillows on the couch and gaze down at us. Lucia is very conscientious about making sure Greta has her Piggy when she goes down for her nap.
Lucia also gives Greta a pacifier now when she's crying. "Oh here, Greta," she says, running over with Greta's paw-paw and putting it in her mouth. And in the morning, when Lucia wakes up and I go into her room, her first word is usually, "Greta!" or "Greta's awake!" She loves her little sister, more now than ever, I think. Part of it is that Greta is doing more, like trying to chew on toys. "SHE'S CHEWING ON IT!" Lucia will exclaim when Greta lifts a toy near her mouth. Pretty cute.
Greta spent much of our playground time napping. And being cute.
Greta proved last night to be quite the little strategist. Gone are the days of sleeping from 7 to 7. Now she’s waking up once a night at least, two times lately. And last night, she woke up at 4:30am. She didn’t cry—she just began doing her raptor screeches, happily awake. I nursed her and put her back in the bassinet; more happy raptor screeches. Then I put her in bed with us, cradled in my arm…and she fell instantly asleep for the rest of the night. She knew what she was doing, this little one. I love snuggling with her, but I don’t sleep very well when she’s in our bed because I’m super-paranoid about blankets or pillows drifting over her tiny face. So this can’t become a habit, tempting as it is.
I tried to cook three times this week, and three times it was unsuccessful. Monday I tried to make carmelized onion foccaccia, which I’ve made a hundred times, mixing the dough first in the bread machine. This time, instead of dough, it was a liquidy mess; I assumed I’d hit the wrong setting. Tuesday, I tried again. But after mixing in all the ingredients I realized I was out of yeast. I had to wait two hours till Andrew got home to put in the yeast. End result: another liquidy mess. Wednesday I made chili. But somehow I’d forgotten to buy crushed tomatoes. I used a can of whole tomatoes, chopped up. Not the same. Edible, but not delicious. What is wrong with me?? I’m lucky I could pour goldfish crackers into a bowl this week. Worse, I had to eat that chili Wednesday dinner, Thursday and Friday lunch, and Friday dinner. Enough chili. Enough, enough.
Lucia has taken to saying she’s going to the “market.” She carries around a lunchbox, or pushes her shopping cart, and announces that she’s going to the market to buy some vegetables. We’ve been reading a book lately called Red Wagon, in which a little fox pushes her wagon to the market to buy vegetables. Lucia definitely takes in what we read, I’ll say that.
Lucia has become a one-man theatrical act lately. Each day we watch an episode of Olivia, and for a while we were watching one where Olivia’s brother Ian pretends to be a ghost, scaring Olivia’s friends. Lucia frequently acts out large portions of this episode. “A ghost!” she’ll say. “Ian pretending to be a ghost.” Then she’ll gasp a few times, dramatically. “I see it!” she then says. Then she looks at me and explains, “That’s what Francine says.” (In the show, Olivia’s friend Francine announces she’s seen a ghost.) By the way: Lucia’s ghost sightings began long before she ever saw this show. But now all the ghost sightings seem to be part of her Olivia reenactments.
She also sits down in Greta’s Bumbo chair and then dramatically pretends to fall out. Every day she makes me laugh out loud.
The matching Piggies continue to be a source of delight for Lucia. If Greta makes any sort of fussy sound at all, Lucia jumps up and says, “Oh! Greta’s Piggy!” then runs off, finds Greta’s Piggy, and delivers it to her. Sometimes the Piggies sit on top of the pillows on the couch and gaze down at us. Lucia is very conscientious about making sure Greta has her Piggy when she goes down for her nap.
Lucia also gives Greta a pacifier now when she's crying. "Oh here, Greta," she says, running over with Greta's paw-paw and putting it in her mouth. And in the morning, when Lucia wakes up and I go into her room, her first word is usually, "Greta!" or "Greta's awake!" She loves her little sister, more now than ever, I think. Part of it is that Greta is doing more, like trying to chew on toys. "SHE'S CHEWING ON IT!" Lucia will exclaim when Greta lifts a toy near her mouth. Pretty cute.
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