Two episodes of crying -- but not what you'd think

First, we went for a walk after her afternoon nap and lunch. It was about 5pm and overcast so we just went to walk around the surrounding blocks. When we got to 46th Street, we heard some drums and I thought it sounded (correctly) like a marching band. We ran down towards where the sound was coming from and lo and behold a young drum corp was coming down the street.

Carolina was delighted and so we waved and walked along the remaining portion of the "parade route". It wasn't much of a parade but something to do with Jesus on the cross and stopping at the local Episcopal church. The drum corp had about 20 members and they were all between the ages of 8 and 12. They were pretty good, and Carolina kept saying "mas! mas!" after each set.

When the playing was over and everyone was filing into the church entrance, Carolina started bawling. Hysterically. She was so loud, people a half a block away were looking our way. It was because the music stopped and there wasn't going to be more. She was so terribly disappointed that it took her 2 blocks to calm down. Poor musical kid.

Tonight she played her first video game with her Papa on the Wii: Super Mario Galaxy. She had such a good time that when Papa turned off the Wii, since it was bath time, she started crying. The kind of crying you might hear if she hurt herself and wasn't terribly injured but very "sentimental" (as my husband would say in Spanish).

First nap without a pacifier!!!

Totally unplanned, Carolina didn't ask me to get her "chupon" when we changed her into pjs for her nap, and I forgot to offer it.

She normally remembers after books, when I put her in the crib, but today she didn't. when I got her up she was very groggy and asked for it. But even then, just for a few minutes.

I seriously doubt this is a new trend, but at least I know this too has a shelf life.

Minnie Mouse plays with us

My sister got Carolina a large Minnie Mouse statue/piggy bank earlier this week. Carolina loved it so much, she carried it around with her for a bit (it's pretty heavy) and then while we were playing with some wooden puzzles -- the kind that have spaces to put wooden shape pieces to complete the puzzle -- Carolina decided that Minnie would help us. So she had Minnie sit RIGHT NEXT to her and talked to Minnie the whole time.

"Minnie hep?" (Minnie will you help?)
"Minnie wheh iz ova? You find it" (Minnie where is the oval? Oh you found it!)


In fact, Minnie was so good at helping, I ended up asking Minnie if she could do the hard ones that Carolina had previously had trouble with -- and she could!


It was great to see Carolina doing more complex things when she thought she was helping Minnie play with us. I don't know what to make of it but it was fun.

Mama, poop!

Now I realize this isn't the first time she's alerted me to a poop she's done shortly after she's done it, but today was different.

We were at the park and she was playing in the dirt with a stick ("draw-en mama!") and I was sitting on a nearby bench. After about 5 minutes she walks over to me and says "Poop. Mama, poop!" So I said, "Ok, let me check." She walks closer and leans a bit forward (so I can look at her diaper) and I say, "yes! let's change you."

"Ok, mommy. Change you." And walked over to the stroller bag where she knew the mini diaper bag was. We changed her and I told her I was very proud of her for telling me right away. She looked very proud.

She did this with the babysitter yesterday, too. If she keeps this up, we can start potty training. This and getting her to sit on the potty without being afraid of it. All in good time...

More please!

Just yesterday, for the first time, Carolina exclaimed happily "More, please!"

It was just after her nap and as part of her post-nap meal, which is like 1/2 lunch, I gave her a little bowl of chocolate Lactaid ice cream. She had a wee bit of trouble spooning it up but mostly got the hang of it, and was clearly getting VERY COLD. I figured she'd be done after the bowl, but lo and behold when the last spoonful went it she said (very clearly), "Mo please!"

So I gave her another half a bowl, which she didn't quite finish but was delighted to have it as part of her 'lunch'.

Later that afternoon, while we were at the park, she was going up to different kids and saying, "Hi!" Sometimes she'd also point to me and say something that was mostly indecipherable but included "Mama" or "Mommy" -- as in, that's my mom over there. By introducing herself to other kids she ended up playing with an older girl, who is about 8 and lives in the building next to ours. The girl was swinging Carolina very high on the swing and Carolina was laughing and screaming with the utmost delight. I was listening carefully for any signs or sounds of fear (as I was very nervous) but she was more than fine. She even learned how to say "More high! More high!" to go higher in the swing.

She was also very disappointed when the little girl had to go home with her mother. She looked at me and said "Mo girl! Mo kids!" I had to explain that the little girl had to go with her Mommy, to which Carolina looked at me and said quite emphatically, "No home mommy. No home. Mas! Mas!"

So I pushed her a while longer but it wasn't the same.

We had been at the park for over an hour and a half yesterday, and last night she was exhausted and slept well.

No no blah blah blah

This week she's started saying "No [whatever the last thing you just said]."

So, yesterday's examples:
Do you want to go to the park? No park.
Let's brush our teeth. No brusha teeth.
Want some dinner? No dinner.
Let's go upstairs. No uh-tairs.
Want to watch Caillou? No caillou.
Come on, walk up the stairs. No wahk uh-tairs.
Say hi to papa (on the phone). No papa phone.

This is all followed up by possibly doing the thing she just adamantly said "No" to, or could be followed up with stamping of feet and crying or whining.

She's even said "No cake". But I still think that was a mistake. She never turns down cake. At least only when there are new toys and a friend to play with, then she MIGHT say no and mean it.

Nap time? No, singing time!

Today, Carolina decided that it wasn't QUITE nap time -- even though she was tired. So after reading a few stories, while she mostly jumped on the bed while I read, she laid down with her baby doll in the crib and I walked out.

I then hear her little voice, pretty loudly, singing:
Fee-fi fiddly-i-oh, fee-fi fiddly-i oooohhh (repeat)

As that was the song we were singing together when I was changing her into her pajamas for nap.

Then after a few renditions, she fell asleep.