No, no, no, no.

No. No, no, no. Do you want out of the tub? No. Do you want to eat? No. Do you want up? No. Do you want down? No. Do you love mommy? No. Do you want out of the crib? No. Do you want to go outside, to go inside, to read a book, to go in the living room, to pet Muggles, to go on the deck? No, no, no, no, no, no. It doesn’t matter what the question is: the answer is no. And not just any no. It’s a drawn out no ending in an extended wwwwwww: no-wwww. How long, I wonder, will it take to learn yes?


In between the no’s, Kathleen did pick up two more words: banana (nanana) and baby, signed. I was impressed with the banana. That’s a long word. The baby sign came as a surprise. She can say baby; I didn’t know she was interested in signing it, too. It’s cute when she does it. She gets a big smile on her face. Babeee.

She’s growing up. She’s able to signal to us that she has a messy diaper. She holds the front of her diaper and looks right at you with a slightly guilty look. Actually, it might be a slightly cautious or concerned look because she knows what follows and she doesn’t like having her diaper changed. Even so, she’s signaling, and that’s a step toward eventual potty training. It shows she’s aware of what’s happened. Myabe it's time to start placing her on the toilet now and then - fully clothed - to get her used to the idea.

She’s also letting us know she’s ready to eat by pushing her highchair up to the counter in the kitchen – the one where I usually prepare dinner – and demanding to be put in. She picked that up from me, I guess. I have a habit of putting her in the highchair when she’s hungry and pushing it into the kitchen while I finish preparing plates for DH and me. I hate to have her sit at the table all alone while she’s eating: she gets impatient.

Kathleen has taken to sitting behind the open door that leads from the kitchen into the laundry room. She likes hiding there. She peeks through the crack to see what mommy and daddy are doing. I found three boxes of Jell-O pudding there when I was picking up last night before bed. She must have taken them back there after she raided the pantry shelf. I know all kids have their little hiding spots they retreat to when they want some alone time. This one might be hers.

Miss Sarah, the daycare director, had the kiddos this morning while Miss Mae did a few things. While I was settling Kathleen in, she asked if I’d be okay if Kathleen moved to the older toddler room a little early. I said I’d be fine. It’ll be a little traumatic no matter when it happens, but she’ll adjust. Miss Sarah was concerned that a bunch of the infants would be moving up soon and that Kathleen could potentially regress. She wouldn’t be challenged as she is now with the other kiddos all around her same age. The youngest in that room is Anshul who was born mid-December 2010. Mason, the oldest, was born at the end of June that same year. The next children coming in are Luke (late May 2011) and Marlowe (late June 2011). Neither one is a year old yet. That’s a good 7½ - 8½ month difference. I can see why Miss Sarah would be worried about Kathleen not being challenged, especially with Mason jumping to the older toddler room at the beginning of June. I hate to have her move from Miss Mae’s room before two years – she’s so attached – but it’s probably better for her development if she does.