Today Tess and I met her friend Elliot (and his mother) for a playdate at the park. We used to see Elliot every week when we were doing regular playdates throughout the winter, but it had been 3-4 weeks since they'd played together. Amy, Elliot's mother, had set up this date with me because despite the long absence, Elliot had been talking about Tess and missing her. Tess was equally delighted to hear that she got to see Elliot.
After about 30 minutes of play, Elliot really wanted Tess to sit down with him and eat some sandwich. Amy told me that they had made that sandwich together that morning to intentionally share with Tess. Elliot helped spread the almond butter and jelly, talking about Tess the whole time. Normally he eats some and then puts some in the tupperware, but because he was going to share with Tess he put the whole thing in the tupperware without eating a bite. And when he opened the tupperware and offered Tess the first piece, you could see how excited he was to give it to her.
Sadly, Tess doesn't really eat sandwiches, and after one bite, she wasn't that interested in it. Poor Elliot tried to get her to sit and eat with him a couple more times throughout the morning, but never with any success. Still, it was so sweet.
****
Tess is become especially fond of her little friend Sebastian lately. Ime, Sebastian, and Tess go through different phases of pairing off or playing together. For a long time Tess was too little to actively engage in play with Ime and Sebastian. Then Ime and Tess tended to play together for a while. But lately, Tess and Sebastian have a rapport.
Sebastian likes to make houses or boats or cars with his table and chairs, and he only lets Tess come inside. He pretends to be a goat, and Tess feeds him milk from a bottle. Or they sit and have little conversations about what is good to eat with chocolate. (Things like poop and Mama and broccoli. So funny apparently.) I tried to capture one of those conversations on video, but only caught the tail end of it. I'll include it here, but it's a pretty boring video, sadly. But you can get a feel for how crazy Tess is for Sebastian attention.
And here's another video I took of the three of them last week. It also didn't turn out to be the greatest video footage, but last night, Tess was watching it on the computer, and she acted out the moment when Sebastian turned to her and said, "I like it," over and over again. That moment of attention from him just made her so happy as she watched this video repeat for as many times as I'd allow.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Big Girl
Last night Eric was holding Tess wrapped up in a towel after bath. "I have a baby," he told me as he cradled her.
"No, Dada. I not a baby! I a big girl," Tess corrected him.
That night, as I was putting her to bed, she told me, "Mama I getting bigger! Bigger and bigger."
Today after nap, I said, "Should I get my big girl out of her crib?"
"I not a big girl," Tess said in a melancholy voice.
"Oh," I replied. "Are you my baby? Or maybe my little girl? Are you a baby, a little girl, or a big girl?"
"I a little girl," she decided.
So that's where we stand for now. We'll see if it changes tomorrow.
"No, Dada. I not a baby! I a big girl," Tess corrected him.
That night, as I was putting her to bed, she told me, "Mama I getting bigger! Bigger and bigger."
Today after nap, I said, "Should I get my big girl out of her crib?"
"I not a big girl," Tess said in a melancholy voice.
"Oh," I replied. "Are you my baby? Or maybe my little girl? Are you a baby, a little girl, or a big girl?"
"I a little girl," she decided.
So that's where we stand for now. We'll see if it changes tomorrow.
"I frustrated"
Tess has a very short fuse. Small things frustrate her with great intensity. Several times a day she will just scream out in frustration because a toy won't do something she wants it to do. (Usually something that breaks the laws of physics.) She now tells me, "I frustrated!"
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Reading Dr. Seuss
A week ago we got five Dr. Seuss books from the library, and we've been reading them lots this week. Tess really likes the rhymes, rhythm, and pictures in his books, but her specific reactions to various books have tickled me.
She was really attracted to One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish until we got to the bad fish. There's a picture of a fish pushing two little fish, and it really upset Tess. She insisted we stop reading the book, and for days wouldn't let me read it. She finally warmed up to it when I proposed skipping that page, though every time we start the book, she has to remind me numerous times that she doesn't like the bad fish page, and we must skip it.
Green Eggs and Ham was one of her first favorites. She sat all the way through that long book. But this week, after reading it a couple of times, she started telling me, "Mommy no be angry!" I was getting into character too much, apparently. So I tried to read the book without the enthusiastic annoyance of the character who doesn't like Sam-I-am, but that still wasn't good enough. Instead, Tess settled on the perfect solution by editing the book more to her liking.
We read the first six pages, up to the point where the doubting character declares, "I do not like them, Sam-I-am. I do not like green eggs and ham." Then Tess jumps in saying, "I want the water page. Go to water page!" And we fast forward through the whole book to "You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may I say." Tess loves these pages, especially the page without any words where the dubious character holds a green egg on a fork and frowns at it. She grins wide and wiggles in anticipation at that picture every time. And she LOVES when we turn the page and he exclaims, "Say! I like green eggs and ham! I do! I like them, Sam-I-am!" She will sometimes humor me to read through the long list of places he would eat green eggs and ham. She likes the end where he thanks Sam-I-am. But often, at this point, she just wants to go back to the beginning and start her version of the book all over again.
Hop On Pop took a while to get used to. We'd read a page or two and then she'd stop us. Then the next time she might let me go a little further. Finally, she wanted the whole book, and now has favorite parts. And she has to point out that she doesn't like the cactus. (Pat don't sit on that!) Fox in Socks was the same. She started with a few pages, but now wants to hear the whole book. "Fox is funny Mama!" she tells me, "socks on hands!"
Her favorite is There's a Wocket in my Pocket. She likes to find the various creatures and point out the falling plates that bother her in a couple of pictures. She also tells me that the "vug is scary," when we start the book. It's important to keep track of these things, you know.
She was really attracted to One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish until we got to the bad fish. There's a picture of a fish pushing two little fish, and it really upset Tess. She insisted we stop reading the book, and for days wouldn't let me read it. She finally warmed up to it when I proposed skipping that page, though every time we start the book, she has to remind me numerous times that she doesn't like the bad fish page, and we must skip it.
Green Eggs and Ham was one of her first favorites. She sat all the way through that long book. But this week, after reading it a couple of times, she started telling me, "Mommy no be angry!" I was getting into character too much, apparently. So I tried to read the book without the enthusiastic annoyance of the character who doesn't like Sam-I-am, but that still wasn't good enough. Instead, Tess settled on the perfect solution by editing the book more to her liking.
We read the first six pages, up to the point where the doubting character declares, "I do not like them, Sam-I-am. I do not like green eggs and ham." Then Tess jumps in saying, "I want the water page. Go to water page!" And we fast forward through the whole book to "You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may I say." Tess loves these pages, especially the page without any words where the dubious character holds a green egg on a fork and frowns at it. She grins wide and wiggles in anticipation at that picture every time. And she LOVES when we turn the page and he exclaims, "Say! I like green eggs and ham! I do! I like them, Sam-I-am!" She will sometimes humor me to read through the long list of places he would eat green eggs and ham. She likes the end where he thanks Sam-I-am. But often, at this point, she just wants to go back to the beginning and start her version of the book all over again.
Hop On Pop took a while to get used to. We'd read a page or two and then she'd stop us. Then the next time she might let me go a little further. Finally, she wanted the whole book, and now has favorite parts. And she has to point out that she doesn't like the cactus. (Pat don't sit on that!) Fox in Socks was the same. She started with a few pages, but now wants to hear the whole book. "Fox is funny Mama!" she tells me, "socks on hands!"
Her favorite is There's a Wocket in my Pocket. She likes to find the various creatures and point out the falling plates that bother her in a couple of pictures. She also tells me that the "vug is scary," when we start the book. It's important to keep track of these things, you know.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The Ocean
Yesterday we took a drive out to Robert Moses State Park, and Eric and Tess dipped their feet in the ocean. (I was happy to keep my toes warm!)
Beach season has begun. Much to Tess's delight. (She mentions the beach and the pool almost every day. I think she's a summer lover.)
Beach season has begun. Much to Tess's delight. (She mentions the beach and the pool almost every day. I think she's a summer lover.)
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Early Morning
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Sick
Tess has had a stomach virus for a couple of days. I thought she was over it today, but then she threw up after her nap. After throwing up, she felt much better, so I put her in the stroller and took a long walk in the sun. We ended the walk at a Mexican market in our neighborhood, and Tess was enchanted by the large fish tank filled with fish for sale.
She pointed at the fish, acting out their mouth movements, saying things like:
"Mama! Look! Fish swimming."
"Eyes! Tha's funny."
"That one swimming, too!"
One of the fish looked close to death. Tess asked why he wasn't swimming and I told her the fish was sick. "Oh," she said, "he need to throw up."
She pointed at the fish, acting out their mouth movements, saying things like:
"Mama! Look! Fish swimming."
"Eyes! Tha's funny."
"That one swimming, too!"
One of the fish looked close to death. Tess asked why he wasn't swimming and I told her the fish was sick. "Oh," she said, "he need to throw up."
Monday, May 9, 2011
Kitchen Window Sill
Tess loves to play on our kitchen window sill. All throughout the day, she will bring little people and animals to this space and make up games and stories. I'm often finding gatherings like the following:
This weekend I tried to take over a bit of the kitchen window sill for its original intended purpose--an herb garden. I was worried that it would cramp her play, but she's adjusted. Now I find gatherings circled around a plant.
She likes to balance her people on the edges of chairs like this. She gets so angry when they fall off.
It's just a nice little space, this kitchen window. Especially in the spring.
This weekend I tried to take over a bit of the kitchen window sill for its original intended purpose--an herb garden. I was worried that it would cramp her play, but she's adjusted. Now I find gatherings circled around a plant.
It's just a nice little space, this kitchen window. Especially in the spring.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Cherry Blossoms
Last weekend we spent Saturday enjoying the spring blossoms. Unfortunately we didn't realize that there was a festival taking place at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, so we were joined by many, many, MANY other people. But as chance would have it, some of those many other people were friends from the neighborhood. (We saw them when we were both in line for lunch.) Tess played happily with the two sisters. She played hard, and after they left, Tess was literally asleep in her stroller within two minutes. Eric and I enjoyed her nap by stretching out on a blanket, under a tree, and staring at the sky and the new leaves. Ah, spring.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Two tellings of a story
Today, Tess recounted the following to me: "'Member Mama? 'Member when we go see Dada and park? We take choo-choo train. And we see big head. And 'member, I fell out of stroller? And Dada come and we tell Dada I fell out of stroller? And..."
Friday afternoon, we took the subway to Madison Square Park to meet Eric after work. There was a huge (perhaps 60-100 feet tall) sculpture of a head in the middle of the park. After playing on the playground, Eric met us. Earlier that day, Tess had fallen out of the stroller, and we did, in fact, recount the story about Tess falling out of the stroller to Eric. We then all left together to go to our friends' house for dinner.
I'm enjoying how much Tess is retelling these days. If I ask her about her day, I will get wild answers, mostly not chronologically accurate. But she has these moments throughout the day where she will remember something and want to talk all about it. She's lacking the verb tenses, but that doesn't stop her from trying to get it all out and put it in some kind of order.
Friday afternoon, we took the subway to Madison Square Park to meet Eric after work. There was a huge (perhaps 60-100 feet tall) sculpture of a head in the middle of the park. After playing on the playground, Eric met us. Earlier that day, Tess had fallen out of the stroller, and we did, in fact, recount the story about Tess falling out of the stroller to Eric. We then all left together to go to our friends' house for dinner.
I'm enjoying how much Tess is retelling these days. If I ask her about her day, I will get wild answers, mostly not chronologically accurate. But she has these moments throughout the day where she will remember something and want to talk all about it. She's lacking the verb tenses, but that doesn't stop her from trying to get it all out and put it in some kind of order.
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