Morgan has been having fun at the usual array of Fall festivals. Pictured:
Morgan hasn’t taken a bath since June or July. It is all showers all the time. Now she even washes her own body (though I have to name the body parts to remind her), gets her own hair wet, tries to shampoo her own hair, and rinses her own hair. There have been a few times when I get to hang out in the bathroom, keep an eye on her, and only help with the shampooing. It’s almost relaxing!
And on logic…the other night we were driving in the car on the highway and she was worried that it was dark out (how could we see?). I told her that our car had lights on the front to help us see. She complained that she couldn’t see the lights, so I pointed out the headlights on the oncoming cars and told her we had lights like those. After a moment she said “if I can see their lights, they can see the lights on the front of my car!” Which is true. And surprised me.
She has also discovered that the turning of the steering wheel is associated with the turning of the car. She thought that was quite cool. It is a little unclear what she thought the driver was doing before discovering this, though she does know the driver turns the red lights on on the back of the car (the brake lights) to tell other drivers to slow down.
Morgan has always loved the Alexandria Irish Festival, but this year took on a new appreciation for the dancers. For weeks afterward her favorite game was pretending we were on stage, taking turns dancing, bowing, then having the announcer come out and announce the next act. Even a torrential downpour (not captured well in the waterfront photo) didn’t seem to bother her.
We also returned to Ocean City, MD, for Labor Day. Molly and I concluded that this was our first vacation away from home, just the three of us! We had a good time, hitting lots of new things — rented a bicycle for a ride down the boardwalk, her first time on a boat (a pirate ship, at that!), and building sand castles.
We just got back from a long weekend at the beach. Good times had by all and photos to follow soon. But I have a short story to tell.
We were trying to coax Morgan onto the beach and away from the pool (which was, admittedly, a very nice pool). So I told her I’d buy her some pails and shovels to dig in the sand and I took her into the hotel gift shop on Friday morning. And we pick up an assortment of pails and shovels. Done. Then she spies a My Little Pony type thing for sale. Two little ponies, one pink, one purple, a comb, a brush, and a couple of other such things. She wants it. I say no. And then I say “maybe we’ll get it before we leave, for the car ride back.” And I immediately forget about the whole thing.
Fast forward to Sunday morning, as we are talking about how we are going to go to the pool one more time before heading home. It’s the 3 of us talking and she says “well, I think I want something to take home with me from the trip.” And for the briefest of moments (before I remember the whole pony thing) I’m wondering how she knows what souvenirs are (does she want a sweatshirt? a hermit crab?). And Jim (looking slightly puzzled) asks her what she wants. And she sort of hems and haws for a minute or so. Until finally…”I don’t know. I was thinking about something, maybe something like a pony.”
Not only did she remember the whole pony thing (with no additional discussion between Friday and Sunday morning), she knew to bring it up before we left, and she wasn’t completely straightforward about what she wanted. She didn’t say “Mom, you said I could get the pony before we left” but rather went through a rather winding, elaborate, and earnest set up in asking for it. The kid is getting good.
Morgan (hands on her hips): Mommy, I am going to count to 3 and if you don’t blah, blah, blah, you are going to your room!
(brief pause as she stares me down)
Morgan: 1…2….3. Okay. Come with me!
Me (trying to stifle the laughter): Morgan, you are not the boss of me. You cannot send me to my room.
On the positive side, if this is how she sees me, it’s not so terrible. I wouldn’t have been embarrassed to have that all go down in public (obviously, since I’m talking about it here).
We got the lab results from the 3-year checkup, and the nut allergy news is promising.
The only nut/peanut allergen (of those tested) that had any reaction was peanuts, which is down to .47 kU/L (IGE) from 1.48 last year. Almonds, sesame seeds, cashews and pistachios no longer meaningfully register. <.35 is the cutoff for “indistinguishable from 0″. 4 is the cutoff below which they’ll begin doing food challenges at age 4. In the forums and support groups and so forth, it’s not unusual for kids with serious reactions to be in the 20-100+ ranges.
Morgan’s only reaction so far has been local contact swelling and blistering (as opposed to systemic), so her allergist is quite optimistic.
So, another year of strict avoidance (including of all foods “processed in a facility that also processes nuts”) and if her IGE tests come out anywhere near this well, they’ll start food challenges.
Morgan’s 4th of July celebration included:
* The usual class parade/picnic at her school (imagine a boombox playing some Sousa in the background of those photos)
* An afternoon with the neighbor kids on their new inflatable plastic waterslide (set up between our houses), followed by a hearty McDinner
* Fireworks in the street in front of our houses. Morgan didn’t tolerate the noise very long, validating our decision not to take her to a real show.
Morgan was stung by a wasp last night at the pool. She was playing in the kiddie pool and a bug was perched on top of her head. I went over and kind of waved it away (successfully). At this point I wasn’t sure it was a wasp. Then it landed in the water in front of her and before I could stop her, she reached out and wrapped her hand around it (she said later she was trying to get it out of the pool). And then screaming.
We gave her some Children’s Benadryl (which we always carry with us) and kept an eye on her. No allergic reaction. While that is reassuring apparently bee stings are a different venom, so we’ll still have to watch out for an allergy there.
We actually ended up staying at the pool, getting dinner and a frozen treat and playing some more.
Morgan and I were reading a book about a baby hanging out in the womb (a womb with no view) before he or she is born and the baby is complaining about how it has nothing to do. So Morgan asks “How do babies get in mommies’ tummies? Do mommies eat them?” Seems like a reasonable guess, but in fact, no, that is not how babies get in mommies’ tummies.
Morgan has developed both an fascination with and a fear of bears. Her eyes light up when she is doing the ‘going on a bear hunt’ bit with the ‘one wet shiny nose, two big googly eyes, and two big fuzzy ears.’ She clearly finds it highly entertaining. And she can pretty much do the whole thing herself.
On the flip side, she often asks one by one about each exterior door in the home, asking if they are locked. When I confirm that they are she is relieved and says ‘good, no bears can get in.’ We have told her no bears live around here. They live in caves which are very far from here. That doesn’t seem to help. Though Jim told her that the ‘no solicitors’ sign as we come in the neighborhood says ‘no solicitors and no bears.’ She has mentioned that several times.