About Our Katie » April 2007 Journal Entries » AboutMyBaby - online baby scrapbooks, photo albums, videos, birth and pregnancy announcements

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Sat, Apr 21, 2007 10:00 PM
Lately Katie has assumed both strategic and tactical responsibility for her attire. The results often suggest that her parents may be (a) color blind, (b) poverty stricken, and/or (c) clinically insane.

The other day she appeared in a denim skirt with tights (her white ones with pink and purple "Hello, Kitty" graphics all over them) and white dress shoes. That all would've been quite cute, had she selected a pink or purple or even white shirt. Instead, she chose a striking--and clashing--gold top. This morning before gym, I heard Steve say, "Black on black?! Are you sure?" Apparently she was--and off she went, looking like a confused poet in a black turtleneck, long black pants, and surfer-themed flip-flops. Later, when the weather started heating up, she kept the turtleneck but traded in the black pants for some tiny denim shorts, and swapped the flip-flops for black patent-leather loafers (without socks).

Whenever I leave the house with her in one of her "ensembles," I always remind myself about a parenting anecdote I heard on the radio a few weeks back. An author shared a story of how he once "over-helped" his young daughter with her bathroom chores. After witnessing the scene, his wife pointedly asked him what he wanted more: a clean bathroom or a competent daughter. I'd take a competent daughter over a perfectly dressed one any day.

* * *

Katie is loving the warm weather and the many opportunities to play with "all duh bends in da neigh-buh-hood." But tonight she brought home an unwanted companion: her first splinter. I spotted it after her bath and did my best to get it out. However, I wasn't successful, and by the time I was done, she didn't want any part of the tweezers.

Oddly enough, she much preferred it when Steve used a needle to get under the skin and remove it. When he got the splinter out, she said, "Good job, Daddy!" as if she had done him a favor by giving him something to do. Then she spent the rest of the evening gently removing imaginary splinters from our hands with a brad.

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Tue, Apr 17, 2007 11:00 AM
I'm still trying to get caught up on all my work, so I don't have time to write in the journal. However, I have posted 40 photos in a new "Kentucky Trip" photo album. We had a great time!

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Fri, Apr 6, 2007 11:00 PM
Thursday after school Katie and I headed to a drive-thru car wash. We've been before, and I thought she'd enjoy the experience again. Plus, my car REALLY needed a bath. However, she didn't enjoy it one bit. In fact, she whimpered and cried and ended up holding my hand for the better part of the wash. As we pulled away, she said with disgust, "Car watch get me."

We didn't really talk about it after that. But this morning, it must've still been on her mind. While I was working in the study, I overheard her talking with her dad in the kitchen.

"Car watch make me cry," she told him, out of the blue. He then told her that we were going to take HIS car to the car wash--but this one would be different. We wouldn't ride through it; we would get out. She wasn't too keen on this idea until she saw what he meant for herself. She definitely liked that car wash better--except when she saw the workers climbing inside the car ("Dat MY car!" she protested).

At least five times throughout the balance of the day she rehashed the new car-wash scenario for us: "Katie go dib-bent car watch...Mommy Katie...GET OUT!"

* * *

Lately, she's been complaining incessantly about things hurting her ears. She'll cover her ears and announce, "Ear hoot!" or "Too noi-dee!" She was doing it so much that I was almost ready to call the pediatrician, or at least do some Googling about ear/hearing problems. However, Steve suggested to me that "You're hurting my ears" is something her teachers must say. Sure enough, when I asked her if Miss Karen and Miss Heather and Miss Jo say that their ears hurt, she smirked and said, "Lep!"

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Wed, Apr 4, 2007 10:00 AM
I was still asleep in bed this morning when I heard a little voice just on the other side say, "I ready go down-gairs now." I sat up and saw Katie standing there. She must've climbed out of her crib and then roamed a bit, as she also had her winter coat and snow pants. (We had put those away in a spare bedroom, or so we thought.) She then held out the winter gear and announced, "No out-dide!" ("Snow outside!") Of course, it wasn't snowing, but she proceeded to put on the pants and coat over her nightgown.

Before I even got out of bed, I called Steve to tell him the story. We agreed that he would disassemble the crib and move the double bed into her room next week (while she and I are in Louisville).

* * *

During her nap on Saturday, Steve and I attacked the toys in our family room. The decor had more than crossed the line to "Toys R Us showroom"--testing even MY tolerance for clutter. So we sorted through and organized everything--throwing out some items, setting some aside to pass along to others, and putting most of her toys into big storage bins in the basement.

When Katie came downstairs for the first time, she noticed immediately and seemed truly devastated: "Where toys go?" she whimpered.

The next day while I did some work, she and Steve were hanging out in the family room. He told her to go play. "I can't, Daddy," she said. "Toys all gone." He showed her the remaining items--her vacuums and blocks (now hidden in the closet), several Little People structures (now hidden behind the couch), and the big bin full of dolls and assorted clothes and accessories. She happily dove into that and discovered all sorts of treasures she didn't know she had (or had forgotten about!).

Mission accomplished!

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