Carolyn

Big Girl Rainbow Bed

Sarah Milestones

It was a traumatic shopping trip – for me, at least – but Carrie finally picked out her big girl bedding. (Asking a 3 1/2 year old to make a decision is like catching rain in a colander.) Keep in mind that she has a lavender, green and white room.

Meet bold rainbow stripes:

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Actually, in a strange sort of way it actually works. Once we get the rest of the room set up (which will have to happen after the baby’s room is painted) I think it’s going to be just fine. It’s just a little…bright…right now. Her alternate sheet set is dark green with white polka dots, but she wanted the flower sheets first.

I did have some second thoughts and some tears of my own earlier when I was folding up her crib/toddler bedding and she had a meltdown over her “baby” quilt… “But Mommy, that quilt still fits me and this one is too big for me because I’m still little!” But she went to bed without complaint and fell asleep quite quickly, so I guess it’s all OK. We’ll see in the morning, because I’m more than happy to get it back out if she’s not ready to part with it.

The Life Guy

Sarah Carolyn

So today there was a substitute for one of Carrie’s swim teachers, a male lifeguard. At one point Carrie wandered away while they were in the wading pool area, and slipped. Of course the lifeguard picked her up very quickly and she was perfectly fine.

After, in the locker room, I asked her what happened, and she told me, and I told her she probably shouldn’t be wandering away from the teachers during class. Her response? “That’s OK, Mommy, the Life Guy picked me up!” No fear, this one.

Kite Flying & Bubble Guns

Sarah Carolyn

Yesterday was a nice, warmish, windy day, so we got out Carrie’s kite. After figuring out we put it together wrong (the directions were about as clear as mud) my brother and I got it up in the air. But Carrie really wanted nothing to do with it while it was airborne, so instead she spent the afternoon running around with a bubble gun, terrorizing the flowers (she said she was watering them) and getting soap on everyone’s shoes.

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Maybe next year she’ll actually want to fly her kite instead of shooting bubbles at it each time it plummets to the ground?

Fun Conversations

Sarah Carolyn

Carrie: “I love you Mommy!”
Me: “I love you too, sweetheart, but what about Daddy?”
Carrie: “Well, I love him too, but, you know, not all the way up to my eyebrows.”

—

Me: “Carrie, what should we call your little sister?”
Carrie: “Top!”
Denis: “Ok, see, ‘top’ isn’t actually a name, it’s a word, can you think of any names?”
Carrie: “Maybe…bottom!”
Sarah: “That’s not a name, either, silly!”
Carrie: *thinks hard*
Carrie: “Eyepatch!”
Me & Denis: “Eyepatch?!?”
Carrie: “Yeah, ’cause then she’d be a baby pirate, and when she cries she’ll say ‘arrrr'”
*my mom interjects*
Grandma: “So the baby’s name is ‘top eyepatch bottom the baby pirate’?”
Carrie: “Arrrrr!”

3.6 Years Old!

Sarah Monthly Updates

Dear Carolyn,

Today you are officially three and a half years old. I don’t know where the time has gone, I think just yesterday you were six months old! You’ve gone from being that little baby who was just starting to eat solid foods to a big girl who loves to help us cook in just three short years.

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Your reading is coming along amazingly. In a month you’ve gone from three letter short vowel sound words to understanding the whole “silent e” thing and figuring out a few sight words like “the”, “and” and “to”. You sit in your carseat while we’re driving and just test out sounds and sound combinations – a lot like you did when you were a baby, but much more sophisticated – “b..uh..k, book! b..oo..t, boot!” You also like to experiment with spelling words on the refrigerator…let’s just say, your spelling is quite creative – although I can pretty much always figure out what words you’re trying to make.

Sleep is still pretty elusive these days. I’m starting to think you’re outgrowing the rock hard mattress on your toddler bed, because you comment on how comfy and cozy our bed is when you crawl in with us every night. I just have to find some new furniture for you, and then we’ll switch you into a twin bed. This way we won’t have to buy a new crib mattress, anyway.

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I can’t believe what a big girl you’re becoming. When I wake up before you and you’re sleeping in our bed, you look so…old. Well, not old, but I can see in your face the young women you’ll become in 15 years or so, much more than I can see the baby you were just a few years ago. And yet, you’ll always be my baby.

Love, Mommy

Zoo!

Sarah Carolyn

Today Carrie and I went to the zoo. I haven’t been to this zoo since I was quite small – we used to live just a couple of blocks from there, so I guess we used to go a lot. As an adult, I don’t like zoos. (Animal Kingdom at Disney being the one exception to that, because of the huge, expansive habitats that animals are in, instead of tiny little cages.) But I thought I shouldn’t deprive Carrie of the zoo experience just because I don’t like them.

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And she did have a good time, although I’m *really* glad we brought the stroller, because the elephants were quite a walk to get to…and then an uphill walk to get back. Her favorites? The penguins and the geckos. Oh, and when I let her pick something out with the remainder of her Easter spending money from various relatives, she decided she wanted a mama and baby monkey set.

Conversation at 2 AM

Sarah Carolyn

Carrie: “Mommy, I can’t sleep, my imagination keeps waking me up.”
Me: “Sweetie, those are just dreams, it’s OK.”
Carrie: (thinks for a bit) “Mommy, you’re silly! Dreams and imagination aren’t the same!”
Me: “Fine, then just tell your imagination to let you go back to sleep please, because it’s 2 AM!”

Horton Hears a Who

Sarah Firsts

I took Carrie to her first movie today, Horton Hears a Who. Aside from the fact that she’ll tell you she really, really, really didn’t like the bird, I think she liked the movie overall. I’m glad we were the only two people in the theater, because there were a few times I had to keep up a running commentary about how things were just pretend and there was a happy ending to keep her from wanting to leave. I’m pretty impressed at how well she can describe what the movie was about, too.

And I’m probably dating myself, but talk about sticker shock…a matinee ticket was $7. Seriously, I remember when matinee tickets were more like $3.50, and evening shows were $5. And we won’t even talk about popcorn prices… You know what? Netflix is worth every penny!

First Dentist Appointment

Sarah Firsts

Carrie had her first dentist appointment today. She has 20 perfect teeth, and was so well-behaved and compliant that the hygienist and dentist were both floored. What can I say? I have a brave kid. She even admitted to me on the way there that she was a little scared, but you totally wouldn’t know it based on the way she acted.

And it didn’t hurt that they rewarded her with a Belle toothbrush and a sparkly tiara after. Watch, she’ll be asking to go to the dentist next week too…

Swimming Lessons

Sarah Firsts

Carrie had her first swimming lesson today. And she LOVED it! It’s really more of a water safety/comfort kind of class than an actual learn-to-swim class, but I think there’s some value in her learning to have a healthy respect for water from a teacher as well as at home. Now she can’t wait for summer when our pool is open and she can go swimming a lot, and I’m trying to figure out the logistics of achieving that goal while first being extremely pregnant and then having a newborn that shouldn’t be out in the heat for so long… It’s going to be an interesting summer!