Friday update!

Juniper's first (pre)school photo!  How adorable is she?

We attended the party of the year last weekend - our next door neighbour Walden turned 4, and there was non-stop fun.  Cases is point:

You should see the selection of BIG TRUCKS that Walden has to play with. Clearly the fire truck is the best one of the lot.

Juniper shows off her party dress

Model pose. Tree climbing is key at Walden's.

Juniper's first time getting pitched a ball.  She was actually surprisingly consistent at hitting it…

Last Sunday we bravely (fool-heartedly?) made a trip to IKEA.  Folks, Sunday is NOT the day to go to IKEA. Anyway, we came home with a couple of key items: a workbench (a late birthday gift for Linden from Deborah and Yvon), and this big tickle trunk which I envisioned as a way to organize all of the costumes and dress-up items.  Result?  THe workbench is a huge hit, but Juniper has so far been monopolizing it.  She LOVES it.  The "tickle trunk"?  Every morning, it gets promptly emptied, costumes and other knick-knacks strewn about the floor, and used in ways you would never have even imagined.  It is a house, a bedroom, a boat, a train, a hiding place… I'm not even sure what else.  What I do know is that it has increased the mess, rather than solved it. Sighh…..

The tickle trunk: I think it must be a bed here

So many things to fix, so little time.

Not sure what this game was, exactly, but it necessitated taking every possible quilt and blanket out.

Yesterday, Linden and I joined Juniper and her classmates on a field trip to a cranberry bog.  It was a hoot! Linden was surprisingly quite focused on the task at hand, and managed to pick a good number of berries (with a little help from mama).  Juniper, on the other hand, was more interested in finding the squishy ones, and "popping" them in her fingers. Or laying in the bushes.  Or finding wet areas to test the durability of her Boggs. And she also declared that the cranberries we collected were not for baking or decorating (I had envisioned maybe a popcorn-cranberry garland in the near future), but rather for "experiments". She has not yet clarified what these "experiments" shall entail, but I'm a little nervous.

Cranberries!

Linden carefully picks...

… and then examines his treasures.

And finally:  ADVENTURES IN POTTY TRAINING.  If you are not interested in a discussion of poo and whatnot, I encourage you to read no further. Otherwise...

Reading a book, naked. Obviously the best way to poop.

So, Linden has really come a long way this week. He often announces 3 or 4 times a day that he has to poop, and I'd say half of those times he actually sits and produces the desired outcome. This is actually pretty huge.  The process, however, can be slightly tedious.  For instance, I'll relay a typical "session":

Scene: Linden has announced that he needs to poop. It is likely meal time, and I have just gotten him strapped into his highchair, put meals in front of both of us, and am sitting down to eat. But, devoted mother that I am, I get him down, leave my meal to get cold, and get his pants and diaper off. He is now sitting on the toilet with a book.

Tara:  How are you doing, Linden?  Any poops coming?

Linden: You MOVE!

Tara: What do you mean?

Linden: Go over there.  Move a minute.

Tara: You want me to move?  Why?

Linden:  Privacy.  Need privacy. (I kid you not - his exact words)

Tara: Are you serious?  OK, then. (I move out of just sight)

Linden:  I see foot!  Move foot! (I move my foot)

- sounds of grunting, splashing etc -

Linden:  Poop!  Poop!

Tara: Yay, Linden! (I pop back into view)

Linden: DANCE! DANCE!  YOU DANCE!

Tara:  (does a happy poop dance)

Linden: SING!

Tara: (while still dancing) Linden pooped in the toilet, Linden pooped in the toilet…"

Linden: Slipper off! (Once, while Clark was doing a happy poop dance, his vigorous efforts involved his slipper coming off.  Linden now demands this as part of every happy poop dance)

Tara: (sighing) ("accidentally" kicks slipper off)

Linden: (laughs uproariously) OK.  You MOVE.  Need privacy.

Tara: (moves out of sight)

-suspicious sounds coming from bathroom -

Linden:  See poop!  See poop!  THERE it is!

Tara: (coming back into view) LINDEN!  Stay on the toilet, buddy!  You need to stay on the toilet! (cleans up the now heavily smeared poop on the toilet seat and Linden's leg.  Puts him back on the toilet)

Linden: You MOVE.  Need privacy.

-repeat scene at least 5 times. At the end, give Linden a chocolate chip, and do a group happy poop dance with anyone who is around -

END SCENE.

See you next Friday!