Daddy Day

Clara Jane woke up with a case of pink eye today, and while it would have been nice to figure that out before getting dressed in a suit, it wasn't too tough getting back into shorts and a t-shirt for what became Daddy Day!  We had a busy day, and it went something like this:
1. A trip to the post office to mail a couple packages for Daddy and to provide all the details about her nearly naked doll to the stranger behind us for Clara.
2. Back home.  Try the potty.  Nothing.
3. Put the laundry in.  Clara finds Froggy in basement and claims it "mine."  Drags Froggy hither and yon upstairs.
4. Snack Time!  "I 'ant 'oot snacks."  Fruit Snacks it is!
5. Meet people at door buying an old baby gate from us.  Sit on front steps looking cute (Daddy was there too).  Play on slide for a few minutes.
6. Try the potty.  Nothing.
7. Off to see Dr. Harrington.  Brought Baby with us.  No kittens found in ears, but pink eye confirmed and medicine prescribed.  Daddy: "Baby wears a diaper.  What does Clara wear?" Clara with big grin to Dr. H.: "Unnerware!"  Dr. H is very proud and excited for CJ.
8. Stop in bathroom.  Success!!!!! A little dribble of pee and a smiling Clara and Daddy!
9. To Target for meds. . ."It will be 20 minutes."  (Daddy in head: "It's always 20 minutes, even though it's called ahead, and I clearly have a two-year-old with me, and it's about 5 ml of fluid in a tiny bottle. . .How long can that take?  No one else is at the pharmacy waiting. . .I can make dinner for a family of four with two of them hanging on to my legs in 20 minutes. . .Argh!)  Walked around Target (no cart!), picked up some pictures for daycare, checked out the kids' books, bought new straw cups for kids, pulled off anything on a peg or shelf within two feet of floor.  Got meds and blew that popsicle stand.
10. McDonald's drive thru.  Hey, it's a sick day.  You gotta go for fun confort food.
11.  Eat together on picnic table in backyard.  Halfway thru "I peed" (Clara not Daddy).  Pick up all food so animals won't steal it, rush to sit on potty (still don't understand this need, but all the books say to do it).  Finish eating on porch. . .linger forever like I know its nap time.
12. Hear wood chipper start up across alley where house (and yard) being gutted...perfect timing, thanks!
13. Read Split! Splat! and off to nap.
14. Daddy do work emails, phone calls, book work travel, schedule handyman to install garage door, and paint another side of garage to the tuneful hum of the woodchipper about 50 feet away.  Oh, and the chainsaw again. . .that is even louder, thanks!
15. Check on Clara Jane.  Still asleep.  Prep snack.  Change out of painting clothes.
16. Wake up Clara Jane after 2.5 hours napping. (Daddy nervous she is lying in pool of pee, or will be soon.)  She is dry!  Rush her to potty. . .nothing.  Nothing?  "I all done."
17.  Eat snack.  Text Mommy that she was dry through nap. . ."I peed."  Ugh, girl sitting in pool of pee.  Off to the bathroom for the requisite visit.  New underwear.  Scream at Daddy for the pants he chose.  Daddy clean booster seat.  Finish Snack.  Drinks lots of water. . .hmmmmm.
18.  To the basement to put in laundry.  Discover Fire Fighter outfit, Minnie Mouse ears, buckets, and many other toys.
19.  Try the potty again.  Nothing.
20.  To Daddy's bike to go get Joe!  Clara sitting on towel just in case.
21.  Arrive at school, go use potty in Joe's room (kids outside).  Nothing.
22.  Collect Joe, back on bike, through the park, over the pond, across the RR tracks, past the beach, past the Bird (sculpture by a school), and home.
23. Kids in backyard doing bubbles.  Daddy making dinner.  Mommy arrives home (changes clothes), goes to see kids.  Beat.  Mommy carries a very wet CJ into house. . .(oh yeah. . .I was gonna say she probably needs to pee. . .bad Daddy!)
24.  Family all back together.  Eating dinner.  Eating a cookie for dessert. . .and. . .scene.

3. Froggy

9. Target.  A nice little seat, thank you!

11.  Finishing lunch on porch.

18. Fire Fighter Clara Jane!

18.  Minnie Mouse driving a truck on Halloween.

18.  Helping with laundry.

20. Off to get Joe!  (Holding Walrus)

Like a Rainbow

The caterpillars have been out in full force here in Minnesota.  There was some local news story about this phenomenon, but as is sometimes the way of local news, the story was long on obvious observation, and short on explanation.  In any case, when Joe finds one, he picks it up gently, and in cupped hands, carts it off to "a safe place."  The other morning, while Julie was brushing her teeth and washing her face, Joe padded into the bathroom to pee.  While he was getting that done, he started talking to Julie about the caterpillars (that first pee of the day of his is pretty lengthy).  Julie was, admittedly, not listening especially closely.  She was thinking about whether Joe's--stream, if you will--would drift in the midst of his caterpillar chatter (it didn't), and then whether he pull his underwear and pajama bottoms up on his own, or if she would need to remind him (she did).  She was also, after all, trying to brush her teeth and wash her face.  That's when, just before Joe padded back to the breakfast table, quite literally as he breezed on out of the bathroom, she heard him say something about caterpillars--or inchworms--"yeah, just movin' like a rainbow."  Well, good morning, Starshine!

Stay-Home-Day Fashions

Joe requested a stay-at-home pajama day this morning, which worked out well since we weren't wanting to go far with Clara anyway, and we figured after the first (probably inevitable) accident, she could just motor around in her pajama top and underwear.  Despite the fact that it was a perfect eighty-something degree day, Joe wanted to wear "cozy" pajamas, by which he meant those with fleece pants and a long-sleeved shirt.  Clara did in fact motor around most of the day in her pajama shirt and undies (and ponies), but when we biked to Whole Foods after her nap, we put her in some biker shorts.  So that's how they came to be in these fashion-forward get-ups, which is what they were wearing to greet our backyard dinner guests, Marco and Lily and their handlers.

Thighmaster, Baby.

Keep dreaming, boys.

Slave to fleece.

We are under the table.  Naturally.

Joe: It's tough.  Being this cute.  Isn't it?
Clara: It really is.  It really, really is.

Potty Progress Report

Well, Brigade, Our Birdie has been in Big Girl Underpants since after music class and nap on Saturday.  She has had countless accidents.  But--but!--she tinkled on the potty once.  It was this afternoon when she--amazingly!--woke up from her nap dry and clean.  Julie took Birdie to the potty, where Birdie sat, and then was suddenly audibly peeing.  Brigade, you should have seen the face that turned toward Julie.  Oh!  She was SO proud.  Julie was, too.

Our sense is she understands that peeing and pooping are things that are meant to happen on the potty, but that she doesn't quite have it figured out that she herself is the master of the impulse, the slight hold, and the release.  All of which, to be fair, are tricky.  But that's o-kay.  We've got time, and plenty of underwear.

But it'll be pretty great to see that I'm-peeing-in-the-potty! smile again.

BIRDIE POOPS ON A POTTY!!!!!

Birdie.  BRIGADE!!!!!  Are you sitting down?  Because that's what Our Girl did at KinderCare at approximately 5:30pm, on the potty, where she POOPED!!!!!  That's right, Birdie Brigade!  Here you are looking at the face of a girl who took care of business.  The hair style alone, with its single, almost-a-side-pony, with the almost-a-mullet hanging down says "Today was tough, but I am tougher.  And I pooped.  On the potty."

So!  We arrived at KinderCare at about quarter to six.  Clara was already in the consolidated pick-up room.  Ms. Emily (one of the toddler teachers) was headed out and immediately said, "Clara pooped on the potty.  At about five-thirty. . ." and this is where this reporter lost track of what Ms. Emily was saying because Birdie was at the door and we were all acting like crazy dopes talking about poop and potties and what all with Clara and Ms. Katie (one of Clara's toddler teachers) and Ms. Emily.

So Brigade, oh we're gonna get all crazy excited about this and take it to mean that Birdie is saying, "Get your game faces on.  Because I'm gonna bring it.  To the potty."  In plain English, what we're saying is that after music class this weekend, we're puttin' the Birdie in undies and seein' where we go.