Long Labor Day weekend . . . makes it hard to come in the following day. I can’t help thinking that five years ago today we were on our honeymoon. DH was working, of course, but I took off. Why can’t we have off every day together? It’s high time we won the lottery.
We spent Sunday afternoon at my aunt's. My brother and his partner, Kel, came down for a visit before Kel leaves for the other coast next week. I gather my brother is trying to become more involved in Kathleen’s life before he too heads for the opposite coast. He tried to play with her. She threw a ball to him which impressed me. What’s more impressive is that she kicked a ball to Kel. She’s only met him twice. She might like him. At any rate, she was comfortable enough around the both of them to interact.
My brother says I coddle Kate. He sees her running to me and I’m constantly following her around or carrying her when she asks. Or she’s coming up to me to take my hand and lead me somewhere. My brother is full of you-know-what (I say this with sisterly love).
I take it with a grain of salt. My brother hasn’t had any recent, intimate experience watching kids. He doesn’t know how quickly Kathleen can get into trouble, especially when we’re not at home. She could easily fall down the stairs at my aunt's or wreck some of the more fragile items sitting within toddler reach. I don’t want her to wander off only to find she’s destroyed one of the Paper Mache figures my cousin created in school or see her lying bleeding, bruised, and broken on the brick at the bottom of the steps. And I want her to take my hand when we’re out in public. We don't need her to become comfortable wandering off, not for years yet. I did that once as a child. I haven't forgotten the fear and terrible aloneness I experienced for those two hours I was lost in a crowd of strangers. They lasted a life time.
I really can't say much. I know I'd have had the same opinion before baby girl entered our lives. My perspective has changed since. I see more clearly how quickly things can go from triumph to tragedy. I marvel at it. Kids have positively no sense of logic. They don't think to themselves "This chair is wobbly. If I climb up it will surely topple, and I will hurt myself. Perhaps I shouldn't climb up." No. They live in the present, the here and now. All they see is an opportunity to do something they want to do. They do not perceive consequences. That's why they have parents. There's no back button in life. We can't undo tragedy. I can do my best to prevent it.
Moving on. Kathleen is progressing with sentences. She said “No, Sadie” on at least two occasions. Quite clearly, too. Poor Sadie.
I don’t know why it is, but Kathleen suddenly has a problem with Sadie following her, especially when it involves food. She’ll screech and fuss, throw things at her, and say “No, Sadie!” while shaking her finger at the poor pup when all Sadie’s doing is what she’s always been doing: looking for handouts. It’s not like Sadie jumps up at her. She generally waits for Kathleen to throw whatever she doesn’t want to the floor. Never mind that it's Kathleen's deliberately tossing Sadie all her unwanted food (and occasionally the entire untouched plate) that's brought her to Sadie's attention. That's inconsequential. Screeeeeeeeech! "No, Sadie!" Stomp, stomp, stomp!
The fussiness may be spreading to Muggles now, too, although Heaven only knows why. Muggles never ventures near Kathleen. She certainly doesn’t mooch for food. All she was doing was walking through the kitchen when the screeching and stamping commenced. I do not know what’s happening. Whatever the cause, I hope the whole thing is short lived.
We are apparently mastering the classic toddler/preschool declaration of displeasure: pouty face and crossed arms. I have no idea where she picked that up. I must say she’s very proficient already. Really, there’s no mistaking that angry upset. It was so plain, I had to laugh. I know I shouldn’t, but coming from a one year old, it’s brilliant. I wish I’d had a camera.
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