Questions Coming Fast & Furious

Makela has been on a roll this week. Here are some of this week's doozies:

*Why do humans have bodies?
*Why do butterflies have wings?
*Why do humans have legs?
*What happens if humans DON'T have legs?

Question of the Day

Today's question is a thought-provoking one. Over dinner, Makela asked me this:

"Why do dogs not have eyebrows?"

Hmmmmm....I'll have to get back to you on that one, kiddo.

Boys are My Favorite

Makela said two funny things pretty early on today. First, we were waiting for a bus at Bondi Junction, when one pulled up nearby. Although it wasn't the bus we wanted, Makela said, "Oh -- it's a boy today. My favorite!" As in the driver. She's been noting whether a man or woman ("boy" or "girl" in her lingo) is the driver, the checkout clerk, etc. Sometimes she's asked why it's a boy or a girl this time. But this is the first time she's indicated that boys are her favorite.

"Hmmmmmm..." I thought to myself. So I asked her, "Makela, why are boys your favorite?" To which she replied, "Because I like the way they look."

Okay. Fair enough. At least we can probably rule out her being a lesbian at this point. Not that it would matter, but she seems to have indicated her preference early on in life.

The other funny thing that Makela asked is what I'd call today's "Question of the Day." We were at lunch, and we were discussing her potential Halloween costume. She's indicated Tigger until today, when she said she'd like to be a koala instead. She made the mental leap from koalas to kangaroos, and asked, "Why do kangaroos bounce all around?"

*************************************************************************************
Now on to today's adventures. We decided to visit one of our favorite spots -- Bondi Beach. We took the City Rail to Bondi Junction, then a bus from there to the beach. Makela just loves riding public transit -- it must be the sheer novelty of it all for a SoCal girl.

It was a cool day all around, but it was really windy by the water. The sand was blasting off the beach, so we steered clear, walking on the path closer to the street and across the parking lot from the actual beach path. Still, we did find a great playground next to the Bondi Beach Pavilion -- and Makela had a blast. That is, until she ripped open her scab from a boo-boo she earned earlier this week. It started bleeding pretty badly, although it wasn't nearly as awful as it first looked.

I grabbed the only towel I had brought, just in case Makela decided to wander into the water (thank you, Westin Sydney). Meanwhile, Joe went to look for some paper towels, ice, and/or band-aids. A few minutes later, I see him returning with none other than a member of the Bondi Beach Surf Bathers' Life Saving Club -- a professional lifeguard.
Turns out his name was Adriel, and he was a cutie -- and you'd think Makela would have appreciated it more, given her earlier comment about boys. However, she was in full meltdown mode and was flipping out about having her scrape washed out with antiseptic and then putting on a band-aid. ARGH. Adriel was just laughing, telling us that he'd been the same way when he was little. After Makela finally acquiesced, we went on our way again, snapping pictures of the gorgeous Bondi views and scenery.

Then we went for lunch at Nick's, right in the pavilion. I had the special -- grilled kangaroo over a pumpkin ricotta lasagna, and it was DELICIOUS. Joe had the king prawns and knew to order the cocktail sauce on the side this time (he'd ordered the same at our hotel earlier in the week, only to learn that cocktail sauce means some kind of Thousand Island-like dressing poured over the top -- NOT our American version of ketchup spiced up with horseradish). Makela was delighted with her fish & chips and her "lemonade" -- aka, Sprite. And her kids meal came with ice cream for dessert, which was a special treat for her.

The last part of our visit to Bondi was rather quick, since the clouds had rolled in while we were at lunch and the wind had picked up even more. But we walked south along Campbell Parade, the street fronting the ocean, and ducked into a couple of stores. One of them is a touristy sort of spot, called Between the Flags, but their products are good quality and partial proceeds go to support the surf life saving clubs throughout Australia. We were able to shop a bit, since they had a mini sandbox right in the store, which Makela did not want to leave. I just love stores like this -- nothing like having to drag your kid out after you're done shopping!

After we got back to our hotel, Joe took some time for himself, while Makela and I ventured down to the pool. Joe took her a few times earlier this week, and they'd both told me how complicated it was to find, given its location within an urban healthy club. But honestly -- you'd think a major hotel would NOT want to actually HIDE its pool! So here's how to get there from our room (I'm writing this down just for the sheer ridiculousness of finding it):

Take the elevator down to the 3rd floor.
Walk through the glass doors and across the "bridge" into the old wing of the hotel, located in Sydney's heritage building General Post Office, or GPO.
Meander through the old wing until you go through another set of double doors -- these are equipped with an electronic eye to let you through on this side (hotel key card required on return trip).
Take the stairs down one level, where you actually find the front entrance of the health club.
Sign in at the front desk before you do anything else.
Walk past the desk and take ANOTHER flight of stairs up one level.
Walk through the big open workout room (looks like they probably hold classes here).
Go through yet ANOTHER set of glass doors.
Make an immediate left and go through another glass door.
Take one last stinking flight of stairs up to where you finally find yourself at the pool -- all two lanes and 25 yards of it.

And did I mention it's not even heated??? *sigh*

Anyway, Makela doesn't care, and it's not really a big deal. But it IS kind of comical, especially since every trip that Joe and I have taken to the pool has included an encounter with other hotel guests wondering why they weren't given a map and a compass to find said pool....

Flying Foxes, Finger Wharf & Fishy Eats

Today was Joe's first day off from work, and since Makela and I had done touristy things all week long, we took the day to relax and stay low-key. After breakfast (Makela had two of them -- one with Daddy, then later with me), we walked over to the Royal Botanical Gardens and just meandered around, enjoying the gorgeous weather and surroundings. We really didn't have an agenda, so Makela took the opportunity to mug with some of the statues and to play pretend games (we stopped at one point to play "shopkeeper," one of her favorites where she sells us items from her store).

We stopped for a cold drink at the restaurant in the center of the gardens and looked up to find THOUSANDS of "flying foxes" in the trees above us. Translated from Aussie, that means bats! Big ones. And many were even flying around, looking for a nice branch from which to hang. So much for bats only being nocturnal creatures! Actually, it was pretty interesting, although a bit later we walked underneath some shorter trees filled with more bats, and let me tell you -- it smelled like guano! At least I'm attributing the pungent odor to that....

It was also fun to see all the spring flowers in bloom, given that it's fall back in San Diego. Tulips, cherry blossoms, azaleas -- you name it.

We made our way across the Botanical Gardens into an area of Sydney called Woolloomooloo. It used to be really run-down and seedy, but it's been undergoing a 20-year revitalization, and now it's home to an upscale hotel, harbourview condos, and trendy restaurants -- mostly on the "Finger Wharf." In fact, apparently Russell Crowe calls this home, as the owner of a penthouse condo on said wharf. We decided to eat there, having had several recommendations to try a seafood restaurant called Manta (and knowing that we wouldn't be dining there in the evenings with an exhausted preschooler in tow). It was good, but not the be-all, end-all that Joe and I had built up in our minds. Frankly, it was more pretentious than it needed to be. The hostess (Marie -- she sounded French) fell in love with Makela, calling her "the princess" and making sure she had two pillows on her chair to help her reach the table properly. However, our waiter was clearly annoyed with having to serve us -- the only family in the restaurant during what appeared to be a frenetic business lunch hour. If anyone is interested, their web site is http://www.mantarestaurant.com.au/.

After lunch, we made our way back to the Westin. I left Makela and Joe to venture down to the indoor pool, while I went out shopping. I ended up just looking, but it was nice just to be kid-free for a few hours.

Later, we tucked Makela in bed around 6:45, and again, Joe sent me out for a nice dinner. At least nicer than the Pizza Hut I had last night. We're taking turns going out on our own -- last night, Joe had what he called a "fantastic meal" at an Italian restaurant called Machiavelli. Yes, we could hire a babysitting service to watch Makela. But call us old-fashioned or maybe just plain old overprotective, but we just don't want to leave her with a stranger.

Anyway, I ate at Sushi Tei, which Joe had tried for lunch earlier this week. It's a chain throughout southeast Asia, and this is their first location in Australia. It was fresh, the menu was vast, and the prices were unbeatable. I was feeling a little adventurous, so I tried my first eel roll. I've never wanted to try it until now, and it was delicious.

So now I'm back in our room, and Joe and Makela are both sound asleep. I should probably join them, so good night for now!

Visit to the Taronga Zoo

Today we visited Taronga Zoo. Silly me, I thought we might have time for something else before the end of the day. However, we spent the ENTIRE day at Taronga, although I'll admit we got a later start than I'd originally planned.

We walked down to Circular Quay, then caught the ferry to Taronga Zoo. We got off, then waited in line for the Sky Safari, an aerial tram that takes you up the hill to the "top" of the zoo. It was worth the wait -- what incredible views! And, just to prove that we really ARE in Sydney, here's one of our first pics of the day from the Sky Safari.
After we got off, it was non-stop animals all day long. Our first stop was Wild Australia, where Makela was immediately fascinated by the Australian pelican, due to it looking "just like Nigel from Finding Nemo." Next, we found kangaroos, wallabies, emus, and more on walkabout around Wild Australia. Then it was on to the spider monkeys, zebras, ostriches, barbary sheep (again, who knew these would be so mesmerizing, but Makela didn't want to leave them for a LONG time), chimpanzees, and giraffes. And I couldn't help stopping here and there, just to admire the stunning views of Sydney Harbour. The animals don't know how lucky they have it -- especially the giraffes -- just look at this view from their enclosure!
We took a break for a desperately needed lunch (at least on Makela's part -- she was a total grump until she ate something more than crackers on the go), and then we watched an elephant show in Wild Asia. All of the performing elephants were female, and most were rescued from various locations in Thailand.

After breezing by the gorillas, we headed into Kid Zoo, where Makela first played around on a really fun playground. Then we discovered the live animal encounters with two volunteers, who introduced Makela to a shingle-backed lizard, an Eastern blue-tongue lizard, a rabbit, and a guinea pig. We explored the Farm Yard a bit more, and just when we'd entered the barn to see what was inside, a zookeeper -- or Farmer Leana, that is -- asked if Makela would like to help feed the animals.

So off we went with Farmer Leana, first to the pigs, which Makela fed through the fence, along with several other children. They were a bit feisty with each other, so I can see why we weren't allowed in with them. Then Makela fed the turkeys, including some "poults" (aka baby turkeys -- and no, I didn't know that until today). Next, it was chicken feeding time, and Makela and two other kids (Zoe and her big brother) got to collect eggs from the henhouse. Our last stop was at the sheep pen, where Amy the goat got in on the action, mooching from her farmyard friends.

We soon found ourselves in the Bush Friends section of Kid Zoo, where Makela wanted nothing to do with the animals, but instead dove into the sand and proceeded to bury Mommy's feet. We ducked back to the Backyard to Bush exhibit, then found ourselves wandering by the "Spider Show" just as it was about to start. Strangely, despite my fear of spiders (I am getting better at tolerating them), I have a morbid fascination with them. And Makela seems to have a genuine interest in them, so we stopped to watch. Out came the Sydney funnel web spider -- the world's most venomous spider -- in a securely latched box of course. Also on display was a redback spider -- Australia's answer to the black widow. Then came a snake -- another diamond python, a female named Widdi Giddi. Makela loved seeing them all and was really happy to pet a second python this week.

Our last exhibit was the Great Southern Oceans, which showcased penguins and seals. We were both pretty tired, so we sped through it -- and I think Makela is a bit jaded on seals and other marine animals, with our Seaworld membership back home. In any case, we soon found ourselves headed for the ferry, but with one last plea in a sweet voice and using her best manners, Makela asked to go up on the Sky Safari one more time. I agreed, so long as we came down on it again. So we did, and it was again worth the trip up the hill and back.

We just missed one ferry and so waited for another to come along about 20 minutes later. As always, Makela was quick to make friends, this time through a window, as we were seated outside (her preferred seating area on the Syndey Ferries). There were two families traveling together with four young children, and Makela smiled and waved at them through the window. The oldest, and the only boy at about seven years old, started making silly faces -- of course I couldn't resist a few pics.

Then it was one final walk up Pitt Street to our hotel, with a stop in Pizza Hut one block shy in order to grab Makela's dinner. It was another fun day -- and I continue to adore Sydney and its people (although I did encounter a few tourists today who were not so polite as others I've met to date). And Daddy is now "off duty" from work, so we will be spending some quality family time together for the next week. Stay tuned!

Sydney Aquarium

Okay. Time to catch up on my blogging. So here we go -- a blow-by-blow of our adventures at the Sydney Aquarium on Tuesday, September 23rd.

Makela and I set off on foot in the rain. I thought about taking a bus, but honestly, it wasn't raining that hard, and Darling Harbour isn't all that far from our hotel. We made it without getting very wet, and started off at the aquarium, where Makela immediately spotted a life-sized statue of Bruce -- the great white shark in "Finding Nemo." After practically dragging her away from that, we started seeing some pretty unique animals, such as the platypus, Eastern water dragon, an enormous saltwater crocodile, water snakes, fairy penguins, and more. The aquarium also had great hands-on exhibits, such as their Southern Oceans touch pool, where Makela got up close and personal with sea urchins, sea stars, and shark egg cases. She thought the urchins were particularly interesting, since they turn their spines toward whatever is touching them in defense -- this time, Makela's index finger. And, without a hand-washing station or even paper towels to dry off, Makela came up with a "dry your hands dance" where she flapped her hands around in the air.

Next, we found a great tank full of all the "Finding Nemo" fish. It seems kind of obvious, but what a great idea for kids! Makela just adored it -- I think we spent at least 10 minutes watching these fish.

After we had our fill of the Nemo and his friends, we headed into the "Open Ocean Oceanarium," full of sharks, rays and sea turtles. As we walked into it, Makela started pointing excitedly and saying, "Mommy, LOOK! It's Mr. Ray!" Sure enough, there was a positively ENORMOUS stingray swimming right in front of us. We also found "Crush" and discovered how he sleeps (nose down, with his head kind of wedged under a rock so he doesn't float away while dreaming).

We then went on to the Northern Oceans habitat, which includes all of the Great Barrier Reef fish. Makela had more fun with another touch pool here, and started making better friends with the same education staff member who had been helping us at the Southern Oceans touch pool. Again, Makela had fun touching an anemone and more sea stars (including a big one called a cushion sea star -- think big, puffy pin-cushion and you've got the right mental image).

Our last stop in the aquarium, before heading to the cafe for lunch, was at the "reef theatre," a floor-to-ceiling wall of glass (on several sides) with classical music playing in the background. The final hallway around the side of this amazing exhibit had a plexiglass floor, which Makela found fascinating. She loved being able to lie down and look at the fish from above, including a shark.

G'Day from Sydney

Okay, if anyone has checked since my alert that I would be posting from Australia, it hasn't happened. Until now, that is. I'll keep this short, since it's nearly 11 p.m. local time, and Joe has been snoring for about 30 minutes already....

We've been having a BLAST since we landed in Sydney early Sunday morning. Only problem with blogging is that Joe has had to prep for his depos each night, and I've fallen asleep before he's been done, until tonight.

I'll expand on our adventures later, but here's what we've done so far:

Sunday afternoon - walk down to Circular Quay and ice cream on the Opera House pier
Monday - visit to Koala Park Sanctuary in West Pennant Hills outside Sydney
Tuesday - Sydney Aquarium & Sydney Wildlife Sanctuary
Wednesday - Powerhouse Museum and Darling Harbour

Makela has gotten up close and personal with various animals in just a few short days. She has fed kangaroos, petted a koala, touched a goliath stick insect (yes, that's its official name), stroked a diamond python, and touched sea urchins and sea stars. She's also mastered the art of saying, "G'Day." And she's now asking where the "lift" is and for "lemon squash" -- also known as lemonade back in the States.



Tomorrow, it's on to the Taronga Zoo.

The Why of Water

Okay, today's question was a doozy. I need to look up a better answer to this one.

Just as we were pulling into the Dinosaur Park today, Makela was drinking her water, and blurted out: "Mommy, why is water wet?"

Oy vey. I managed to take a scientific approach, telling her that it's because of the way water holds together in each of its tiniest parts -- called molecules. Each molecule is made up of two hydrogen parts and one oxygen part. When they come together, they are a little "sticky" and feel like a liquid.

That's the best I could muster on such sudden notice. It seemed to placate Makela. For now, that is. For now.

Makela's First Day of Preschool

Today was Makela's first day at the La Jolla YMCA Preschool. Hard to believe she's already three and a half, but here we are.

I was pretty sure that Makela would have a good day and would adjust well to being away from home for a full day. Sure enough, from the moment we walked into school (with Makela insistently bearing her gigantic rest mat on her own) at 9:10 am, she was in her element.

After arriving and putting her lunchbox and tote on the wall hooks near the front door, Makela bounced into the school room and greeted her teachers, Miss E.J. and Miss Jenna. They told her about her journal, labeled with her name on one of the tables and asked her if she could find it. To which Makela replied, "My letters are M-A-K-E-L-A!" -- and then she found her journal right away and started coloring in it enthusiastically. Mommy and Daddy were left behind, as she was now completely absorbed. We managed to distract her enough to say "goodbye" to us, and we made our exit. I didn't cry, but I couldn't resist taking one last picture as I left the door to her classroom, leaving my baby girl for her first day of preschool.

The day passed quickly enough for me, and I got SOOOO much done! I did some laundry, checked my e-mail, deep-cleaned the master bathroom, and organized and put away a few things that hadn't managed to find a proper storage home yet. Oh, and I got in a workout at the Y, too!

Even though I could have picked up Makela as late as 4:00, I went over a few minutes early, eager to see how she did through the day. I was particularly interested to hear how she handled nap time, having to stay quiet and with other children sleeping around her.

The children play on the preschool playground at the end of their day, and I found Makela hard at work in the sandbox and was able to sneak in and snap a few more photos before she noticed that I had arrived. When she did see me, her first words were, "But I want to stay and play longer." Not "hello." Not "Hi Mommy!" Just a declaration that showed her complete lack of interest in seeing me again.

I told her we could stay another five minutes, so I took the opportunity to talk with Miss Jenna about how Makela's first day went. And from the report I got, Makela was a star student! Miss Jenna said that she did great, even at nap time. Of course she didn't sleep, but she was quiet and only asked about when she could be done once or twice. Jenna said to me, with a big smile, "Makela is a great kid. She has quite the personality." Then she added, "She's not afraid to tell you what's what."

Eventually, I managed to pull Makela away from the playground, although in the end, she was really quite tired and came to the car resigned to her homeward-bound fate. And for the rest of the evening and all the next day, all we heard were variations on a request to return to preschool asap. What follows are snippets of our conversations:

Makela: "When do I go back to preschool?"
Mommy: "On Thursday. The day after tomorrow."
Makela: "When is that? The day after this day?"

Makela: "Can I go back to preschool tomorrow?"
Mommy: "No, honey. Not until Thursday."
Makela: "But why?"
Mommy: "Because we only signed you up for Tuesdays and Thursdays each week."
Makela: "Why?"
Mommy: "Because you are just starting preschool. We'll give this a try and we'll talk about it."

Makela: "Why can't I go to preschool EVERY day?"
Mommy: "Because you don't need to go every day."

And Mommy really doesn't want you to be away at school every day. Not just yet.

Compliment of a Lifetime

Okay, I realize that some friends and family who read this blog will once again think I'm a crazy mom who just can't stop raving about her child. But honestly, this is feedback from a wholly unbiased source, and I just have to relay this story.

It was Wednesday of this week when I had a complete stranger say one of the nicest things to me about Makela. She had convinced me to go to In-n-Out for lunch, since we were in the middle of running a bunch of errands. It was easier to eat out than go home and then go out again to finish them.

So there we were, eating our lunch, and having a great time while doing so. Makela was in a particularly sparkly mood, which of course always helps. But I was shocked when an older, white-haired gentleman, neatly dressed in khakis and a button-down, stopped next to me, gently put his hand on my shoulder, and said the following:

"Not only is she a lovely child, but she is the most well-behaved, animated, and beautiful little girl you'll ever see in this world. You are a very lucky woman."

I was stunned. And ready to burst with pride. Sure, it's great when people tell you your kid is cute or adorable (FOUR other people told me similar things during this same visit to In-n-Out). But this man's compliment touched on Makela's behavior and personality, which most people don't comment on -- either because they don't take notice or just focus on her superficial qualities. And I would rather have a sweet, funny and well-mannered child, rather than one with just looks. But boy, it sure doesn't hurt to have it all....

Question of the Day

Today's "Question of the Day" is brought to you by the letter G and the number 4. So there we were, in Whole Foods, rounding the corner near the seafood department and produce, and what does Makela ask me?

"Mommy, do giraffes have tummies?"

Out of nowhere. After I recovered from my initial thought of "where on earth is THIS coming from?", I told her that yes, they do.

Then Makela said, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, honey. I'm sure. Are you?"

When she replied, "no," I reassured her by saying, "Don't worry, Makela. Giraffes do have tummies."

"Okay," she answered, and that was that.

The Purple Inverticle

Okay. Makela has been talking about this for several weeks now, so it's time to put it in writing. I just *have* do a scrapbook layout on this subject! Here's the story, in her own words:

"Mommy, when I grow up, I'm going to drive a purple inverticle. [Inverticle means convertible, in Makela-ese.] It's going to have TEN seats, and be purple on the inside AND the outside. Everything in my purple car is going to be purple! Purple seats, purple lights, even the windows will be light purple."

According to Makela, it's already at the "car store," waiting for her to grow up. And "it's also upside down right now, because they are putting on the tires."

The detail with which she embellishes the story increases every time. She is so funny about this purple car. When we actually see a purple car on the road (it's more common that you think), she just about loses her mind. We even saw a bright purple VW bug one day, one of the newer models. It had a license plate that said "I LOVE PURPL" ("LOVE" was actually a heart symbol). It just cracks me up how these seemingly little things just make Makela's day.

Sunshine After the Rain

Do you ever have one of those days? Well, it's been one of those weeks. It's just been a disaster, mostly in just little, annoying ways. Or maybe it's just that I'm the one feeling like a walking disaster area.

Example 1. Somehow I managed to knock the Brita pitcher on to our stone tiled floor, thinking it had survived unscathed, even though it all poured out, leaving a small lake forming in the kitchen. However, I later discovered the pitcher leaking from a crack down the side -- and filling all three fridge shelves with another small -- albeit shallower -- lake, which then ended up cascading on to the aforementioned kitchen floor. At least it was water. Which leads me to....

Example 2. Upon opening the refrigerator door one morning, the small bottle of A-1 Sauce literally jumped out of the door shelf, shattering into itty bitty pieces on the now very much despised stone floor. Luckily, no one was hurt. Most of the A-1 landed on the tiles, but my right foot and lower leg were covered in the stuff. And while A-1 may work really well for steak, I was pretty sure I didn't want to go around smelling like a barbecue for the rest of the day. Once I gathered up all the glass shards, soaked up the excess A-1 with paper towels, and did a lightning quick mop job with the Swiffer, I washed my right foot and leg in the bathtub. On with my day, right?

Mostly. Later, while playing with my friend Kathleen and her boys, I suddenly realized I could still smell A-1. And then I saw it. Several spatters of brown, sticky sauce on the back of my LEFT leg. You'd think I would have noticed.

Example 3. Makela has decided that 8-9 hours of sleep is quite enough, thank you very much. At least on two or three nights each week. RRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIGHT. So she has been a total crank most days, and it doesn't help that Joe is now in his fourth month of two back-to-back trials, so I've been with Makela nearly 24-7 during that time. So Mommy's patience is worn thin.

Thank goodness for friends who have helped us escape each other, like my new DG friend Patricia, who suggested we go on a picnic yesterday at La Jolla Cove. It was a gorgeous day, and Makela is enchanted with "Miss Patricia" and her elderly dog, Chancey. Makela and Chancey played on the grass, then I took Makela down on the beach, where she frolicked in the water for about 30 minutes. After that, Patricia suggested that we go get ice cream, which of course absolutely made Makela's day. Who can resist chocolate ice cream with crushed Oreos mixed in?

And then there's Gram. She has come to my rescue many times recently. Even if it's just allowing me to get to a Weight Watchers meeting or sit at Starbucks for an hour, it's been sweet relief. Thank you, Mom Reid. You are the BEST.

So all of this brings me to today. Makela woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and it just got worse and worse through the day. She really is well behaved most of the time, especially when we're out and about, but there was no pleasing her today. Even at music class, which normally keeps her enthralled, she was grabbing my egg shakers and dancing scarves while saying "Mine!" Suddenly she was two years old again.

At around 2:45, Makela finally fell asleep, after crying and screaming bloody murder about how she wanted to be done with her quiet time. For at least 10 minutes. I'm afraid the neighbors must have thought I was torturing her. I had to wake her up an hour later, since I had to run an errand and didn't want her to sleep too late in the day.

She woke up a different child. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy she was to get motivated (half-asleep as she still was). We ran our errand, I realized I'd forgotten her Little Einsteins lunch box with snacks in it -- and her sports bottle filled with water, but only after I'd already suggested we go to a park to play. She asked for Dinosaur Park, so I thought we'd give it a shot, and we had a terrific time. We played with her soccer ball, and we met a new dog friend -- a beautiful boxer named Bella.

Since I was just not looking forward to cooking at home and realized that I hadn't eaten much today and was therefore STARVING, I suggested that we go out to eat to celebrate the turn-around in her mood and to have a special "Mommy and Makela" dinner. We went to Red Robin, of course. Makela adores their Cheesy Mac-n-Cheesy. And she actually asked for apple slices to go with it, all on her own! Yippee -- no talking her down from ordering french fries!

And Makela was delightful all during dinner. I had to ask her to lower her voice a few times, but she was just happy singing and making silly faces at me.

But then, to make all of the above chaos completely, 100% worth it, Makela uttered the sweetest, most wonderful thing she's said in a while. She looked at me, her eyes got really big, and this is what she said:

"Mommy, when I grow up, I'm going to have a purple house. And it's going to be right next to your house. And we can have white windows, and you can open yours and you can talk to me every day."

It's moments like these when I am absolutely stunned by how lucky I am. It's been a rough week or so. But if this is what comes out of it, I'd do it all over again.

Music & Lyrics

Lately, Makela has been singing EVERYTHING. Instead of just talking, she'll put everyday conversation into "songs" that she makes up. Or sometimes she puts new words to music she already knows.

For example, a recent favorite has been a song called "We're going to the Y." It's to the tune of "Farmer in the Dell." And she also has a made-up song about visits to the beach:

We're going to the beach.
We're going to the beach.
We're going to the beach, beach, beach, beach, BEEEEEEEEEACH!

Here's another favorite song that she keeps repeating, with the same music and (mostly) the same lyrics -- we call it the "Curious George Song":

It's Curious George's birthday
He was born this day
He's a good little monkey,
But always very curious....

And of course, my personal favorite, which Makela made up while on the kiddie swings at Nobel Park a few weeks ago:

Bumble cookies flying in the sky
Bumble cookies wearing t-shirts and hats....

Not sure about her future in the music industry, but the kid's got personality, you've got to give her that!

Leaps & Bounds

Sometimes it feels like Makela makes a giant leap forward in one way or another, and there I am to witness it, right as it happens. And sometimes it just happens without my even noticing right away, probably because I'm with her all the time and can't see the progress on a daily basis. It's funny how it seems as if I wake up one day, and suddenly there's a big change in my little girl.

Today was one of the former occasions. We were at Seaworld with our playgroup today, and just before we left, I took her to use the bathroom. Without warning, Makela announced the following: "Mommy, I'm going to do it all by myself." I thought that meant that she wouldn't need me to help her pull her pants down and/or help her up on the seat (both of which we've been working on). But NO -- she meant the WHOLE thing. Before I'd even finished saying, "Okay," Makela was closing the stall door on me, and then it was latched. She was SOOOO proud of herself, giving me a play-by-play commentary that the whole ladies room could hear. But she sure did it -- she went, wiped herself, and didn't even freak out because of the "augo-mag-ick" flusher. "I did it!" she proclaimed, beaming from ear to ear as she exited the stall.

Of course, Daddy pointed out what's next -- that Makela will want to go into the whole restroom by herself. But THAT'S not gonna happen anytime soon. It's one thing to be independent, another to be reckless.

I also have to mention another one of Makela's recent big changes. This is one of the gradual ones. Relatively speaking, that is.

Over the last month or so, I've found myself putting more and more of Makela's clothes into the current "outgrown" box. I knew she'd been growing, but didn't think much of it until I realized that some of the fairly new things in size 3/3T were suddenly not fitting her anymore! She just started wearing size 3's around her birthday -- how could this be happening?

Well, I'll tell you how. Makela was more than happy to oblige when I suggested we measure how tall she is at Target last week. They have these little height charts on the sides of some of the clothing racks. So she stepped in front of one, and I was positively SHOCKED to see that she was standing at 39.75 inches! She had a shoe with a small heel -- maybe 1/4" high. So I rounded down to 39.5 inches, which is STILL a whole 1.5" taller than she was at her three-year check-up at the very end of January!

Several people have commented on how tall she looks all of a sudden, especially some friends we hadn't seen in a while. But honestly -- 1.5" inches in about 2.5 months?!? Makela gives new meaning to the phrase "growing like a weed!"

The Chef & The Cook

It's been a while since I last posted. I really need to make this a daily habit. Especially after reading this really cool book by one of my favorite scrapbook designers, Cathy Zielske, called "Clean & Simple Scrapbooking". She is amazing, and now I'm totally inspired to write more and refine my scrapbooking style. Not only that, but she has the BEST ideas on how to organize scrapbooks and the layouts within them, particularly when scrapping out of chronological order. I haven't quite been able to break out of my chronological chains yet, but I may just get there now. Geez -- I think I need to go thank this cool scrapbooking guru on her blog. Take a look if you like. Cathy's blog is at www.cathyzielske.typepad.com.

Anyway, I'm tired and thinking very randomly tonight. My thoughts are scattered. But I know I need to write down a few of the recent things about Makela. Otherwise I will completely forget them, and I can't let that happen!

The first one happened last Thursday evening, as Makela and Joe were busy cooking in her play kitchen, after I'd left for my Weight Watchers meeting. Apparently, Joe asked Makela if she wanted to be a chef when we she grows up. So here is what she said in reply: "Yes, I want to be a chef when I grow up. But now I'm little, so they call me a cook."

Another funny thing happened a couple of weeks ago, when Joe was talking to Makela about using a telescope. I didn't catch the whole conversation, but I heard him telling her about using this versus just "the naked eye." Without pausing for even a second, Makela looked at her Daddy and asked, "Which one is the naked eye?" Of course Joe had to explain that this was just another one of those weird expressions that grownups use....

Makela Speak

Kids say some funny things. I especially enjoy the misspoken words that Makela says.

Just this morning, as I was getting dressed and ready for the day, Makela asked me what I was going to do next. Before I could really say anything, she answered herself by saying, "Mommy, you need to put in your eyetacks."

There are tons of other examples. Makela commonly uses the "f" sound instead of "s" and the "v" instead of "b," and sometimes the "g" sound instead of a "t." A few of my favorites:

She sings about the "Itsy Bitsy Fider" -- and how it "went up duh water fout."
She calls her cow "Buh-tello" instead of "Vitello."
Vanilla sounds like "baninna," as in "baninna milk" from Starbucks.
Instead of "supposed," she says "fost" (rhymes with "most").
Her first six syllable word, "automatically," comes out sounding like "augo-mag-ig-ly."

Easter SUNday

It was a fun Easter Sunday. Makela was in a terrific mood all day long. She loved her Easter basket and had fun hunting down the candy-filled eggs that the Easter Bunny hid for her throughout the living room. And at Gram's suggestion, we ventured out to the beach this afternoon after quiet time. Daddy had to return to work around noon, but the three of us girls had a grand time at La Jolla Shores -- we had to wait FOREVER for the cars to move in the parking lot, but then ended up with a PRIME parking spot.

We had fun building another huge sand castle (several times), complete with surrounding moat. We played in the warm sunshine and in the water -- it actually wasn't THAT cold after you got used to it. As usual, Makela would have walked to Hawaii if we'd let her. And we played some "football," although it mostly consisted of Makela throwing or kicking the ball away from herself and chasing after it, calling "I'll get it! I'll get it!"

Makela also said something very funny relatively early on in our beach adventure. We were working on our first version of the sand castle, and she was happily splashing in the moat and playing with her watering can. Suddenly she looked at me, her eyes big as saucers, and said, "Mommy? Maybe someday we can have some ocean next to our house. AND some sand!" Gram was right there next to us, and she looked at me and grinned, then said, "Makela has great ideas." ;-)

"D" is for Daddy

Date: Friday, March 21, 2008
Time: Approximately 5:00 pm
Location: Home, sitting at the little white craft table
What: Makela wrote her first letter!

I was minding my own business, trying to get some desperately needed laundry done by hanging up some damp clothing to air dry in our bedroom closet. Just around the corner and outside the bedroom door from me, Makela was busy working at her craft table. While I was hanging things up, she told me, "I'm making a happy note. It's for Daddy." Then, after a short pause, I heard this: "I'm writing a 'D' for Daddy." I figured she was scribbling her usual "writing" on her artwork. So imagine my shock when I finished the laundry, rounded the corner to take a look, and saw an actual "D" written on her page!

Are three-year-olds supposed to be teaching themselves to write? I'm guessing probably not. This kid continues to amaze me.

Makela at Three Years & Two Months(ish)

Since I'm also using this blog to refer back to when scrapbooking, I wanted to put down some adjectives that came to mind about Makela today. It was a LONG day at that. We are in a bad sleeping phase again.

With that in mind, at three years and two months (or so), Makela is:

Artistic
Musical
Intense
Passionate
Stubborn
Energetic
Funny
Afraid of monsters in her room
Athletic
Coordinated
Left-handed (we think)
In love with books and words

Makela Hatches Another Question

Another day, another amazing question. Well, it was actually yesterday, but here's the story.

Makela bounded into our room yesterday morning and jumped on the bed. Daddy was wearing his old, favorite t-shirt with the sharks on it. Although Makela knows what it says, she asked about it again. Daddy told her: "Guess which one's the lawyer?" Then Makela pointed to the one wearing the tie and said: "Dat one." After a long enough pause to make us think she had moved on to another line of thought, Makela came out of left field with the following question.

"Daddy, do sharks hatch or are dey born?"

After Joe picked his jaw up off the covers, he looked at her and said, "That's a really good question. Both, actually. Some sharks hatch out of eggs, and some are born live. It just depends on what kind of shark it is."

Not to be sidetracked, Makela then pointed to Daddy's t-shirt and asked, "Which kind are dese?"

"I think these are born alive, Makela."

While Makela definitely surprised us, she has been really interested in learning about different animals this week. We checked out a book called "Verdi" by Janell Cannon, who also wrote the classic "Stellaluna". It's all about a baby python that grows up but doesn't grow old, and the back includes information on how snakes hatch. And I had a big conversation about birds and how they hatch out of eggs. As an aside/one final note, Makela also asked me while looking at the windshield from her carseat yesterday, "Mommy, why do birds poop in the sky?"

Chicken Pox Dots

Well, unfortunately, it appears that Miss Makela has come down with a case of chicken pox. A very mild case, but it seems to fit all the symptoms nonetheless.

The nurse I talked to on Sunday said that the most telling sign of it being chicken pox would be the appearance of new spots for the next 4-5 days. The spots would all look different, b/c they would be in varying stages. Sure enough, yesterday I found one new spot almost on top the very first one, plus several on her left ear and hairline under that ear. AND yes, they looked different than the older spots, which are starting to look kind of crusty. Makela has also complained of a sore throat and bad itching yesterday, so she was on Motrin and Benadryl. No fever at least.

Today is now Tuesday, and no pain today, but she is itching again. Only one new spot so far today, under her right ear near the hairline. The two overlapping ones on her face are bright red and now resemble a music note, oddly enough (an eighth note, to be precise). Fitting, given Makela's penchant for all things musical.

All I can say is thank goodness for the vaccine. If she hadn't had that, the chicken pox might be REALLY nasty. And yes, the nurse confirmed that kids can still get chicken pox after having the vaccine -- it just tends to be a mild case like this one. I've seen some horrible pictures on WebMD and other med sites, wanting to find more info yesterday before the nurse called back.
Apparently it's going around San Diego right now, and it's highly contagious. Makela probably picked it up from touching something at story time or the park or the grocery store -- could have been ANYwhere!

There was one funny thing that Makela said in the context of having chicken pox. Last night, as we were getting ready for bed, she wanted more anti-itch cream on her "dots." She was naming all the places I needed to apply it, and then she said, "And my lines." Huh? I wasn't sure what THAT meant. Turns out she meant her HAIRline(s), where several pox had appeared yesterday.

Favorites

Well, if for no other reason than I'd like to remember these, I thought I'd note some of Makela's current favorite things.

Favorite color: Purple!
Favorite foods: Pasta with "mato" sauce, macaroni & cheese, In-n-Out cheeseburger with ketchup and grilled onions
Favorite books: Curious George, Curious George Goes to the Beach, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Cinderella
Favorite Disney princess: Cinderella
Favorite characters: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse & the rest of the MM Clubhouse gang; Little Einsteins; Curious George; Charlie & Lola
Favorite songs: You Are My Sunshine, Itsy Bitsy Spider, ABC Song, Hey Ya Na (from our music class)

Hugs & Hearts

Today rates as one of the best Valentine's Days ever. It was low-key, but full of love and hugs from our little Valentine.

The day started with Makela's alarm going off at 7 am and her bounding into our bedroom with a cheerful "Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!" She was more than happy to plant big kisses on us and share some hugs first thing.

All through the day then, Makela kept throwing her arms around me and nuzzling her face against mine, saying "I'm giving you some love." And at one point, she asked me, "Why do hugs feel so good?" Makela also decided that big kisses are really just "hearts," so she kept telling me she wanted to give me another "heart." Then I'd get another big, wet one planted on me.

Finally, I was leaving her room after tucking her in and saying goodnight, when I heard her sweet little voice one more time. It was an amazing day to hear these last words of the day from Makela: "I love you sooooo much, Mommy."

"I Have Dots"

"I have dots. What are these dots?" Makela said, in between whimpering and wailing after her 20-minute nap late Thursday afternoon. I thought she was imagining things, or maybe pointing to the bruises on her knees. Then she started scratching and wailing louder about the "dots." I took a closer look at her legs, and sure enough, what did I see but big ugly, red splotches with raised bumps and welts.

Then I hiked up her jammy shirt (Makela has taken to facing quiet time in her pj's lately), only to find LOTS more of these splotches with what looked like nasty hives inside them! They were EVERYwhere -- on her belly, her back, her legs, and then some appeared on her cheeks! EEK! I couldn't believe what I was seeing -- this kid has been SOOO healthy, and now this? After our previous week of putting the "fun" back in "bodily function?"

It was about 4:30 when I reached the doctor's office and spoke with a nurse, and by 5:00, I was on the phone with Dr. O'Dea. Again. She told me she thought it was indeed hives, based on my description, and to give her 1/4 teaspoon Children's Benadryl. But just to make sure, we scheduled an appointment for the next day.

Although she was much better by the next morning, in we traipsed to the sick kids side of the pediatrician's office. We'd only just visited the well appointment side on Tuesday, for Makela's three-year check-up. She was pronounced healthy that day, although she's lost some weight recently (down to 30 pounds 6 ounces, or 50th percentile; also 36.5" for 45th percentile in height). And Dr. O'Dea also put her on a mild laxative called Miralax to help with her continued constipation. Now, on Friday morning, Makela pronounced to all who would listen as they came in and out of the office: "I have dots." With a huge smile on her face, of course.

After taking a look at Makela, including a slightly different rash that I'd uncovered on the back and side of her neck, Dr. O'Dea decided that we were looking at a virus. It turns out that there are a number of viruses that can cause hives in small children, and secondary rash fits the bill as well. That explained Makela's runny nose the last day or so, as well as the fact that she hadn't come in contact with any new foods or materials that might have caused an allergic reaction. So Dr. O'Dea told us that the hives might come and go for a while, and to continue treating it with the Benadryl as needed.

Sure enough, by bedtime last night, Makela was coughing. And by this morning, it was a wet sounding cough, and she had a fever of about 100.5. So joy of joys, Makela is on a splendid anti-viral, pro-pooping cocktail of Children's Benadryl, Children's Motrin, and Miralax! Poor thing.

But curious as always, Makela wanted to know this morning why she was sick. And her daddy, too -- he's feeling rotten with his own pestilence of sore throat, fever, and cough. So I explained that they both caught germs that were making them sick, but their bodies were fighting it.

I had to go out later, and apparently Makela kept talking about germs with her daddy while I was gone. Joe told me that she asked him, "We both have germ, Daddy?" And then she added, "I no like germ. I want germ to go away." You and us both, kiddo.

All Pooped Out

Oy. What a week. It's been a crap-tacular one.

WARNING: What follows is graphic in nature. Read at your own risk. This is what happens to you when you become a mom -- nothing (and I mean NOTHING) bothers you anymore, and suddenly talking -- and, apparently, writing -- about all sorts of bodily functions is completely normal.

It all started when Joe got out of dodge on Monday morning (first NYC, then San Francisco on Thursday night and Friday, then Reno for a depo on Saturday). Not that he did so by choice, but boy did he miss the fun this week!

It all seemed fine when we left to meet Aunt Elissa and Davia at an indoor mall with a playground, since we were rained out of our zoo excursion. I think it was the calm before the storm. First, Makela was hardly interested in the playground, asking to go to the bathroom almost immediately. So we went into Penney's right next to the playground and found the ladies room -- on the EXACT opposite end of the store, of course. No luck -- Makela completely freaked out on the potty, saying "My hiney hurts!" The only thing I could figure was that she was constipated, especially once I realized it had been nearly two days since her last poop.

Okay. No big deal, right? Well, lest you think that Makela is always sunshine and roses, read on. She did okay during most of lunch, but she only picked at her pasta, which is normally one of her absolute favorite meals. But then she started to melt down and wouldn't listen, and after a couple of warnings, I told her she couldn't go on the carousel (another mall perk). So Davia and Aunt Elissa went off to ride, while we went into some kid-friendly stores. After that, it went from bad to worse.

It was time for all of us to leave, but Makela wouldn't get in her stroller, and she wouldn't stay with me. She fell down on the mall floor and started to throw a fit. So I picked her up, plopped her into the stroller, and when she refused to sit down and practically fell through the front under the stroller bar, I buckled her in with the seatbelt. Well, that just set her off ROYALLY. Makela proceeded to scream -- a bloodcurdling, hoarse, how-dare-you-do-this-to-me-you-evil-Mommy-scream -- "I don't want to be buckled!!! I don't want to be buckled!!!" Over and over it went. All through the mall, while other mommies looked on with a knowing "Oh dear God, I've SO been there" smile on their faces; older women gave me the "Oh thank God, I SO don't miss that" look on their faces; and a few people looked at me like I had one pissed-off demon spawn riding in my stroller. Oh, and there was one group of young parents with the dad carrying an infant, and he just looked plain impressed with Makela's dramatics, saying "Damn! Look at her GO!" to his companions as we passed.

I don't remember much of the rest of the day after that. Honestly, I think I might be blocking it. But after much gnashing of teeth and drama and angst, Makela finally pooped at 9:33 pm that night. In the potty, no less. Sweet relief, right?

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT.

So fast forward to Tuesday night. Makela had been saying, "My hiney hurts!" off and on all day. I figured she was just sore from the previous night's pooping of what might as well have been a rock. But by about 7:30 pm, it was clear that it had gotten much worse. And once she started saying that her lower back hurt, I realized that she hadn't peed since about 9 am. After talking to the after-hours advice nurse, it was time to go the ER. I called Gram to come along for moral support, and off we went.

I'll make this part of the story short. We spent about 3.5 hours at Children's Hospital, complete with catheter insertion for a urine test, x-ray of Makela's belly, and follow-up enema. NOT pretty and NOT fun. But it was necessary to determine that she indeed had a mild urinary tract infection and her bowels were blocked -- and thus needed UNblocking.

We spent all day Wednesday and most of Thursday resting on the couch. I think Makela watched more TV this week than she has in all her life.

Today dawned clear and bright, and Makela was in a sunny mood to match. And then suddenly we went from very little poop to entirely too much. The pipes are clean, and they were flowing freely today.

We went over to her friend Genevieve's house for a playdate, and she had two normal poops. Slightly unusual that they were earlier in the day than her norm and only about 30 minutes apart, but no big deal. We had a great time playing -- Makela found a Santa hat, put it and Genevieve's pink back pack on, and declared herself "Makela Santa." She even delivered presents to Kristen and me, telling us "Don't open dem til Kih-mus." Then we went home, ate a bit of lunch, and it was time for quiet time.

About an hour into quiet time, Makela came to her bedroom door and declared that she had a poopy diaper. (Mind you, she's been in pull-ups since this whole bowel saga started.) Well, that was an understatement. I zipped down her "facesuit," as she calls it (her "spacesuit" jammies are the one-piece kind with feet), to find poop oozing out of the left side of her pull-up and smeared down her leg and underneath her bottom. I hadn't seen anything like this since she was a baby! It took about half a Costco slab of wipes and one nasty trip to the laundry room, but I got her clean and into a new "spacesuit" and back into bed.

You'd think my tale would end there. But, alas, no.

After quiet time, a trip to Whole Foods, one more viewing of the "Doctor Daisy, MD" episode of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," a dinner of macaroni & cheese and apple slices, and finally toy parade, it was time for a nice bath. So in she went, happily starting to play with her Bathtime Elmo and Bathtime Baby. Makela has recently taken to pulling the shower door closed -- it's the kind that slides back and forth. She told me she was "hanging Kih-mus lights and putting up a Kih-mus tree" with her tub crayons, as she drew on the walls and shower doors. Suddenly I heard her yell, "My hiney hurts!" Followed closely by, "There's poop floating in the tub!"

The music from "Psycho" now blares briefly in my brain. NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!

How can this be? We made it through an entire infancy without this sort of incident. But there it was, and I couldn't ignore it. Makela had pooped in the bathtub.

I started scooping toys out (not that many tonight, thank goodness) and drained the tub. From there, once the shrapnel was all washed away, I ran more warm water and scrubbed down my little girl. The towels and washcloths are currently in their second run through the washing machine, and the tub is soaking with lots of water and bleach.

So here's to a poop-free, quiet, solid night of restful sleep. And here's to Joe coming home. SOON. Please. Mommy is all pooped out.

Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Okay, so this is from yesterday morning. But it's cute, and it involves the question of the day.

I was getting a muffin for Makela's breakfast, and as she watched me, she noticed something about them. "Muffins match my cupcakes!"

I agreed with her, saying that both muffins and cupcakes are made using muffin tins. Of course Makela's next thought was a question: "Why is it called a muffin tin?"

My answer: "Because the person who invented the muffin tin decided to call it that. When someone invents something, it means they make it for the first time."

"Oh," she said. "Who made that muffin tin?"

Now how am I supposed to answer this one? There really is only one answer for her: "The Muffin Man, Makela."

What's Your Name?

We made more friends at the zoo today. Or at least we saw some old friends, but now we know their names, since Makela is obsessed with knowing what to call all creatures great and small.

We now know that the alpha male orangutan (identifiable by his big, round cheeks) is named Clyde. He has a VERY playful adult male offspring, named Satu -- meaning "first born" (not sure of the language -- Swahili perhaps?). He is father to Chinta, only four years old and still very small. Satu and Chinta play all day long, except for when Chinta goes inside and the siamangs come out into the enclosure -- then Satu plays with THEM. We also saw Indah, Chinta's mother, and she mostly just hangs out in a tree or a hammock all day, only coming down when Chinta "screams bloody murder," as the zoo employee told us. And the elderly female of the bunch is Janie -- she is about 46 years old and was born in the wild. She used to get out and walk around the zoo, mingling with visitors, but the enclosure remodel and her age now prohibits this.

Today was also a good day in the petting paddock. Makela actually ASKED one of the goats his name. Seriously -- she walked up to him and looked him in the eye, saying "What your name?" I had to tell her that he speaks goat, and not our language, so that's why he couldn't answer her. But the zookeeper kindly introduced us, and thus we met Firecracker, one of the goats, and discovered the rabbits' names: Darth Vader (black -- go figure), Luke, and Leia. Makela also tried showing another goat how to play with a ball attached to a chain, after he scratched his face on it. Not sure that he was all that interested.

Makela was also thrilled with her "treat" that she earned for sleeping through the night. She wanted a chocolate ice cream cone, specifically from the zoo, so that's why we went in the first place. She enjoyed every lick AND the sugar cone! Along with her hot dog, few potato chips, and animal cookies, it made for a super healthy lunch today! Okay, not really. But a kid's gotta live once in a while, no? Plus, she chowed down on some "California Cuties" in the morning (the clementines that are so popular here right now), along with a whole bunch of blueberries later in the day. It all balances out, right?

Chickens & Stars

Aaaaaahhhh. I love it when Makela gets enough sleep. Our new sleep chart is working -- not 100%, but she is sleeping SOOOO much better now. Which of course means that Mommy is sleeping better, too.

Can't say the same for Daddy, who is working like a dog these last few weeks. He *might* be averaging about four hours of sleep per night, and that's probably a generous estimate. He's been rolling in around 2:00 a.m. most days, and last Thursday he pulled an all-nighter. But at least he can sleep when he IS home.

So Makela's birthday party was yesterday, and it was a lot of fun. She was exhausted last night, and she slept for 12 hours straight -- 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Yippee! And when she woke up this morning, she was happy as could be, and she stayed that way almost all day. In fact, I found myself laughing at or with her most of the day.

It started with our conversation over breakfast. Makela started talking about her friend Alice, who she plays with and who works at the library. I had absolutely NO idea who she was talking about, thinking "Huh? Did I miss something while I was hunting down those 'No David' and 'Charlie and Lola' books?" The only people we've talked to at the library are the two older men at the front desk, one of whom resembles a gnome.

Then it occurred to me who this might be. I asked Makela if this was her imaginary friend, and she told me "Yes." Later in the day, I learned that Alice wears a pink dress, has brown hair, and was going to be moving in with us tonight after she finished working at the library. Then plans changed -- as of bathtime, Alice was still not here, as she had decided to live at the library instead.

Last week, we first learned of imaginary chickens living in Makela's bed. Joe and I decided that those chickens probably explain her disturbed sleep -- it's hard not to wake up with all that clucking and pecking going on around you!

How did we learn of said chickens, you say? Well, Gram and I were headed home with Makela in the back seat last Thursday evening, and all of a sudden Makela starts talking about how she has chickens at home. I asked where they were hiding, and she said, "In my bed!" And then she told us, "I got them at a store called Babies & Big Girls R Us!" This struck me as pretty funny, since we'd only just visited Babies R Us that morning, shopping for a baby shower gift.

Back to today's antics. At playgroup this morning, which was held at one of our favorite parks (aka "Dinosaur Park"), Makela wanted Miss Kristen to push her (and of course Genevieve wanted me to push her -- monkey see, monkey do). She was chatting away, telling Kristen ALL about her new friend Alice. It was just a gush of words -- I'm not sure she took a breath for several minutes. I looked at Kristen, then looked at Makela and said with a grin, "Do you ever stop talking?" Makela got a coy look on her face, then said while giggling, "Noooooooo." Then she added, while looking up at Kristen, "I never stop moving. And I never stop talking. And I wear Mommy out." That last part is from her book "Olivia" -- about a little pig who reminds me WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY too much of Miss Makela!

There were also lots of questions today, as always. One of the first ones that stands out in my mind was asked on the way home from playgroup.

Lately, Makela has been fascinated with babies and why they are small, why they can't walk, why they are born, etc. We've explained that babies grow in mommies' tummies before they are born. I forget how the conversation started today, but from the back of the car I heard, as we were rounding the corner at Genesee Avenue, "Why do babies have to be in mommies' tummies?" I compared human babies to baby birds: "Babies start out VERY small. They need protection at first while they grow, so they have to stay in their mommies' tummies until they are strong enough to live on their own. Just like baby chickens. Baby chickens have to live in eggs until they are strong enough to hatch."

I think she got it -- she then said, "And like baby ducks." I agreed, reminding her that all birds hatch from eggs. I asked her if she could name other kinds of birds, and she rattled off geese and seagulls and something else I think.

Honestly, is it my imagination or are these sort of questions coming a bit early? I was thinking we'd have to answer these in another couple of years, at least!

The other questions that I loved from today were MUCH easier to handle. Granted, they involved some astronomy and physics lessons, but hey -- I'll take that over the birds and the bees!

We were on our way home from Costco around 5:30, and Makela spotted something, saying "What's that up in the sky?" I realized what she was pointing to and told her I thought it was an airplane. "No, that's a star, Mommy." I explained that it was moving very quickly and was super bright, so it probably was not a star. Makela paused and asked, "Why are there stars?" After THAT explanation, she had still more questions for me: "Where are the stars? I can't see them. Why can't I see stars now?" After all, the sun had gone down -- where were they? Of course it wasn't quite dark enough, with the sky still relatively light, so I offered to show her the stars once we got home. She ended up not wanting to see them after we unloaded our cold groceries, since it meant having to abandon all her new birthday toys. But Mommy was game!

Desperately Seeking Solid Sleep

Another day, another sleep-deprived mom and kiddo. Makela has NOT been sleeping well since we got back from our trip back east at the end of November. At first we chalked it up to her being out of routine, on a different time zone, blah, blah, blah. And it did get better for a week or two. But the last couple of weeks have been rough again. It might be because she's using the potty now, and that's a HUGE change for any little kid. However, it's time to put the excuses aside, because we are all SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO freakin' tired!

Of course, Joe is also worn out, but for reasons that are (mostly) work related. He has a trial starting on Feb. 20, one which "only" has about $1.6 billion on the line. Yes, you read that right -- BILLION. So he's home this week, but working around the clock, and he starts traveling again nearly non-stop until the trial starts. Needless to say, it would be nice if he could get some rest when he IS home.

Anyway, so we opened our trusty copy of "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" and read the chapter on preschoolers. Sure enough, it gave us some ideas.

I put together a "sleep chart" for Makela during her quiet time today, and Joe came home for a bit before bedtime so that we could both talk to Makela about some new "sleep rules." So we told her she has to stay in her bed and not leave her room after we tuck her in at night and at quiet time. If she wakes up, she is NOT supposed to come and get us or cry and scream until we go into her room (except in an emergency, of course, although I'm not sure that Makela understands that concept yet). Should she come out of her room, we are going to put her back in her bed without talking. Joe and I explained that talking makes her wake up more, so the less we talk and the faster we get her back in bed, the easier she will fall back asleep.

Makela and I also bought a new alarm clock at Target today (she picked it out -- it's purple, with Dora and Boots sitting on top), so we explained that the clock has to say "7:00" before she can come get us in the morning. If Makela stays in her room ALL night, until 7:00 am, she will get a sticker to put on her chart. And, each time she gets five stickers, she will earn a special treat from Mommy's "stash." If Makela can sleep completely through the night without waking up at all (not likely at this point), she will earn a BIG sticker to put on her chart and a special treat right away.

Makela seemed to understand all of this and got really excited about the stickers and the chart. We put it up on the back of her door, so that she can see it when she's in her bed. She also loves her new alarm clock. She told us that she's going to "sleep ALL through the night."

We shall see, of course. But it's a start. We are hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst -- at least for the next few nights. And of course you are all waiting with baited breath....

On another note, today was full of smaller questions. Mostly just me answering a question that Makela's already asked, followed by "why?" and then another answer, then "why?" and so on. Here's a sample dialogue from our late afternoon trip to Target, which started as we returned to the car:

Makela: "Why are those lights on?"
Mommy: "Because it's getting dark outside."
Makela: "Why?"
Mommy: "Because the sun is getting ready to set."
Makela: "Why?"
Mommy: "Remember Mommy explaining to you how the sunset works? The sun is setting because the earth turns around every day, and so now the sun is disappearing below the horizon."
Mommy: "Okay. I remember."

***Several minutes pass now, and we are on the freeway headed home, when Makela looks out her window to the west.***

Makela: "What's that blue stuff over there -- in the sky?"
Mommy (after a minute or so trying to figure out what she's talking about): "That's a little bit of light left from the sunset."
Makela: "Why?"
Mommy: "Because the sun is so bright and strong, it takes a while for the light to completely disappear after the sun goes down."
Makela: "Oh. [PAUSE] It's a good thing the lights are on, Mommy."

At least it SOUNDS like she's getting it....

Go, Zamboni, Go!

Okay, I'm tired. Makela has not been sleeping well the past few nights, and with Joe out of town as well, it's made for some serious lack of sleep.

So I'll keep this short. Makela's big question today was, "Why do I have teeth?" Again, over a meal, but at least it was lunch this time, so I wasn't completely pooped!

She also enjoyed watching the zamboni do its thing on the ice rink during lunch. (Yes, we have an indoor ice rink in San Diego -- I know what some of you are thinking!) After clarifying how to say "zamboni," she kept chanting, "Go, zamboni, go!"

One other cute thing today. As I was saying goodnight after snuggling, Makela looked up at me and asked in her sweetest voice, "Will you stay with me forever and ever?" Yeesh. Can this kid work me, or what???

Belly Laughs at Bedtime

For the second time in about a week, Makela fell into a fit of hysterical giggles at bedtime. This is AFTER we read stories and climbed into bed to snuggle, and not just any minor little snickering. I'm talking full-on BELLY LAUGHS, complete with snorts (she got that one from her mommy).

I can't remember what set off the giggles last week, but tonight it was Makela asking to share my pillow once I settled in for our nightly snuggle. After I agreed and shoved the Elmo pillow over, she smiled and said, "I love sharing people's pillows, 'cause it's SO fun!" I gave a little chuckle, saying "I know honey," and then she just lost it. Needless to say, it didn't take long for Mommy to join in the belly laughs, either....

After I left Makela to read herself to sleep, about five minutes passed. Then she was at her door, telling me she needed to "go pee." Well, who am I to turn this down? We're on DAY #5 of big girl underpants!!! So we went into the bathroom, she did her thing ("something happening," as Makela likes to say), and as she started to wash her hands, she proclaimed with a HUGE smile on her face: "I'm pretty silly. And goofy." I started laughing again, and of course the giggles struck her again -- this time in front of the mirror, which was just too hilarious for her to handle. I thought Makela was going to fall off her stepstool, she was laughing so hard.

And now for the question of the day, which Makela asked at dinner: "Why do we have to eat?" Opting for the purely scientific reason over an existential discussion, I explained that all animals and people need to eat so that we have energy to live. For some reason, Makela then said, "Just like Aunt Lydia. And Josh." OH-KAAAAAAY.