Christmas 2009

Santa did come last night - the cookie was almost all eaten and there was something in Shara's stocking! It was Snow White!! How did he know? She didn't tell anyone she wanted that. Alan said that maybe the things she asked for would be at Oma & Jidor's because she'll be opening presents there too. She said that is the German Santa that goes over there. Then we had an interesting discussion about the different Santa's and what Shara saw on the Internet - NORAD santa tracker, etc. She does believe that the Santa's in the stores, etc. are Santa's helpers and tell Santa what the kids want, and the elves are the ones who wrap the presents.



Last night we had a very nice time at Sandra & Peter's. Shara got to wear her new dress from Bubbe and loved being around family. Shara had no problem getting to sleep last night and didn't wake up until about 7 AM this morning. She liked all the presents she got and can't wait to do the Shrinky Dinks and will be wearing her dress up dress today to Oma & Jidors. So along with the Shrink Dinks, Snow White video, dress-up dress, dress from Bubbe, she also got; Guess Who (so much fun) game, and Cinderella book, art & craft supplies, storage caddy, spiral notebook & folder - black with shiny pink butterflies & flowers, and matching PJ's for Shara & mommy. She's a happy camper, currently watching Snow White and having hot chocolate and Bella Napoli (yes, we still have one left) roll with a spoonful of peanut butter. Have to go and bring her the banana now!

more new things

Today Shara tied her shoes all by herself for the first time! Yeah Shara! She uses the two bunny ear method, like Grandpa Bobby.

New Pictures

cookies

last weekend (Dec. 4th) we had a busy time. Saturday we went to a really fun bday party and Shara participated with the other kids! she had fun with volleying a balloon for a long time. then went with the others and played with the parachute. i was very proud of her. the rest of the afternoon we spent making spritz cookies. i learned that if i leave shara to herself to decorate her tray and move on with the rest of mine and let her take her time while i speed along. We were very happy with how that worked and hers look great.

Holiday, It's a time to celebrate

Another case of "we've been doing so much there isn't time to talk about it". But actually, I had been planning Thanksgiving and not writing about what's been going on in our lives. Shara's still enjoying Kindergarten and KED. She loves going to Tina's after school. She's more than happy not to have an activity other than those. She likes to relax and really likes playing games. I'll update her holiday list today as well. I know a lot of you are asking what to get.


On Veteran's Day we, along with 1/2 the kids in the area, went to the Boston Children's Museum for the Nutcracker Day. It was really fun, though Shara was disappointed we didn't get to see the whole ballet, just a little look at what a practice might be like. We also had a musical treat - some of the horns from the orchestra were there to play for us and explain the different types of music an orchestra may play and told about tempo. The kids also got to try playing different instruments. We took the train into South Station and it worked out great.




Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. Wednesday I went to Shara's school to help out for their Thanksgiving Feast. It was so cute. The kids were so well behaved! I took Shara home with me, earlier than her normal release and she was thrilled about that. We got home and she helped me cut up the bread for the stuffing and then was on her own - didn't want to help but found so much to keep her busy - most of it involving dressing up and playing with Brutus.

Shara loves having her family here and doesn't have one favorite memory, but loved it all. The food was quite good and I know a few will make it on next year's menu. But I'll be sure to crisp up the tart before we eat it, or bake it before we eat, rather than in the morning.




Friday Bubbe, Papa joined us in a trip to Jordan's for the Enchanted Village. It was very nice and we got there in time to miss all the lines! Shara even sat on Santa's lap.

Happy Halloween!

Right now, Shara's singing "Halloweenie, Halloweenie". We all had lots of fun yesterday. Shara & Alan went to Auntie Chris' new store to pay a visit and probably scare her - Alan, that is. They then went to Oma & Jidor's and Shara got plenty of candy to start off her halloween gatherings. When they got home, Alan got out a few decorations that were way too scary to have out last year - Frank & the skull with lite up red eyes. I made monster eyeballs with Shara and got my costume together. We had a very hurried dinner because kids were already starting to come around and Shara needed to join the fun, and fast.

I wore Shara's chef hat (toque) from her "Bake a cake" dance and an apron. Both embellished with a few snakes, spiders and a bat. I also carried around a tray of the monster eyeballs (basically buckeyes with an M&M for the iris) and some of our halloween cookies. These were offered to the people at the doors while we were trick or treating. Shara was Snow White - the fancy costume from Nonnie. Alan was practically me, from 20 years ago, but instead of a blue wig, he had a spiky hot pink/purple one, purple fishnets, short black skirt, and several piercings... Shara doesn't seem scarred.

We went all around the neighborhood, first Shara & me, then Shara & Alan, then Shara & me again. Highlights include hot apple cider and petting Ava at Bob & Nancy's, petting Cocoa at Rhonda's, and an unfortunate incident down the street at the scary house. Someone who should have known better scared Shara pretty badly, but she recovered before we got home. Doesn't want to go back there next year though.

When we got home, I had a fun time organizing Shara's chocolate while she figured out which to eat. She chose the Starbursts and cookies & cream Hershey bar. Good choice.

Halloween Fun

Yesterday we had a fun day at Boston Medical Center's Halloween Town. It was the best run event I've been to in a while. There were tons of kids and tons of staff. Shara got to decorate a little pumpkin, Dan Zanes performed as well as other bands and storytellers, we all had candy and at the end, Shara wanted to go through the Haunted Mine. We asked how "haunted" it was and were told that no one got that scared. It was really not at all scary, but $ went to a good cause, and it made Shara feel pretty brave. She was still nervous around the big Clifford and Berenstain Bears, but didn't run or scream! That's because she's a big girl now. We ended our day at Maaguire's with yummy mac & cheese. Hadn't had that in a long time!

C is for Cookie!

Shara & I spent about four hours making and decorating Halloween cookies today. My, you may be saying, that's a long time, but really, that is a long time. I'm done, the cookies are cute and I was very proud of both of us. Shara used the pastry bag to decorate the faces on the ghosts and I just needed to put on some Dead to deal with letting go of my cookie control. You all know what I'm talking about - my need for my cookies to be perfect. Well I was very good and these cookies are not mine, but ours. And we plan to share. Because there are so many (or at least it seems like there are).

Yesterday we had a nice reunion with all of Shara's friends from Kindercare at Molly's party. The ones she didn't know from Kindercare, she knew from either dance or schoool. It's a small world and really nice that she's able to see them on occasion. She made a very cute stuffed kitty that she named "Rose" and it holds something special inside, so if you see Shara, ask her what's inside of Rose.

Off to have dinner & a movie. Tonight's special feature is Scooby Doo and the Witche's Ghost.

King Richard's Faire '09

Had a great time at the Faire this year. The special treat for both Shara and myself was having Tenley and Kacy meet us there. It made a huge difference. Shara loved being able to share the day with her friend, who she's missed quite a bit since she moved schools. They were able to do a craft project together, hold hands while walking around, share a piece of pizza, and just have fun with someone her own age.

We were also very excited when Shara said, "I'm not scared of people in costumes anymore!" There were two knights in scary masks and spiky costumes. The first one, who had a skull mask, she spyed with Tenley and he waved to them and then timidly waved back. I think it helped that he was standing with a normal looking woman who was smiling. The second was when we were on our way out. A spiky knight noticed she was a little scared, she grabbed my hand, and he stopped and said hello to her. He then asked her name, and had a little conversation with her. She was very proud that she was so brave.

It was very cold, but the nicest day we've had together in a while. Both Tenley & Shara said that their favorite part was spending time with each other.

Drumlin Farm

Yesterday we had a fun day in Lincoln. We'd never been to Drumlin Farm but will probably go back. On the way there, we stopped for lunch at a good pizza place in town, then found our way to the farm, enjoying the beautiful scenery on the way there. At the farm, we saw a bunch of birds from our area; owls, hawks, and crows. Then we saw the animals that burrow - they have an underground observation area to view rabbits, fox, and opposum. Then we headed over to the farm area and saw chickens, pigs - including one week old piglets, a pregnant cow, and then went on a hay ride! Shara's remembering that she rode a fake pony, and mommy pulled her on it. Daddy remembers the bleating goats.

Shara slept on the way home and when we got back, spent a nice time reading more of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and playing alphabet "go fish".

Block Party Pictures

Here are some pictures of the Block Party and hopefully some people will add their memories of it as well. For now, just a few pics.

Final Decision

Today Shara decided that she will not be continuing dance this year. Maybe next year. We still don't really know why she doesn't want to dance. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out it's too late in the morning and she's tired by then. We came home, and after a somewhat cranky morning, and certainly a cranky time after we got home, she fell asleep. After a couple of months with her new weekly schedule, she'll probably be ready for something fun to do on Saturdays.

Last night we had a fun evening at the school for their back to school Bingo event. It amazes me how well Shara knows her numbers. If anyone has a good way to teach how to remember the difference between 6 and 9, please share!

Block Party

Yesterday we attended the 2009 Block Party for our neighborhood. It was a lot of fun, especially with live music. We didn't realized there were so many kids in the neighborhood, especially teenagers. Mostly Shara stayed around us, not wanting to go play with the bigger kids, which was understandable. She liked being around the all though. The other kindergartener from our street was there too and she spent much of her time the same way Shara did - riding the ride-on vehicles, making art projects, getting face painted, eating, etc. It got dark fast and then so cold! Good thing we lived close - Alan went back home to gather provisions like jackets, wipes and wine. Very important things to have around! We'll be posting pictures to a community site for all to share.

Today we'll be driving to have a short visit with Bubbe & Papa, and Aunt Jill & Uncle Andy, so we can pick up pig and go to shul for a bit. Shara's quite excited to see our family!

Pictures - Apple picking!

May you have a fruit new year - a photographic exploration | j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California

May you have a fruit new year - a photographic exploration | j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California

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School update

I picked Shara up from Tina's yesterday and asked how her day was. She replied, "it was GREAT!" She's having a much better time now, but still hasn't played with any kids on the playground. She did talk me into taking some time on the way home to stop at the neighbors and say, "hi" to the kids, climb up the rock wall and go down the slide. We then went back over after dinner, since the parents were out too, and socialized more. Tomorrow we'll see how dance goes. Alan's taking her because I'll be working. Last week she only wanted to observe her dance. New teacher, fewer kids, different enough to not just pick up from last year. She knows if she wants a sticker she has to participate. I think she will.

Neighborhood Kids

The highlight of Shara's day is playing at Tina's. Yesterday she didn't stop talking about how they played kickball with real bases! When I got home, she started bouncing up and down yelling, "mommy, mommy, mommy!" and gave me a big hug. Alan was ordering Chinese for supper and I took Shara out for a walk. She wanted to go to Tina's and I was wary since I didn't want to bother her, but we did anyway and we rang the doorbell and no one answered so we went across the street to see the dog that Anna & her brother were playing with. They took off in the back with Madeline and then Shara wanted to go too so we did and ended up in Brian's backyard. The kids were playing some game on the climber and Anna was riding a dump truck and Shara asked to try out the dump truck and they played a bit. Then it was pretty much time to go so I told Shara we needed to go home for supper and she said, "we have to walk all the way around" or something like that, and I told her to look up. She did and was shocked to see our house right there, since we ended up going to our neighbor's backyard through the other backyards. It finally dawned on her where we really were and it was such an exciting thing. So we went though our backyard and up the back stairs and daddy opened the door to let us in and we got ready and had a tasty dinner.

During dinner we heard the Bee Gees on the radio and we started chair dancing. Of course I had to find some Saturday Night Fever video on YouTube to show Shara. She was impressed by the "Night Fever" line dance and went crazy doing her own moves to the big solo John Travolta dance. Too bad YouTube removed the original music. We watched one version with another song dubbed in, which was ok, but hardly the best!

At nightime we talked about the playground again, and I was told I wasn't supposed to be asking anymore questions, but she did say she saw Brian and Jack and they said, "hi shara". I asked what they were doing and she said running. I asked if they were just running around by themselves or if they were playing with other kids and she said, "mommy!" and that was the end of that conversation!

Great weekend

We seem to be coming out of the funk we've been in - had to follow through on a big threat (if you don't go to bed now, and stop playing games, we're not going to Oma & Jidor's tomorrow) and poof - now we're all happy again. Saturday I took Shara to her dance friend's birthday party and she got to see another dance friend who was a former school friend. She enjoyed that, but the most fun was on Sunday when we went to the Tougas Family Farm in Northboro for apple/peach/nectarine picking. We went there last year and had a blast. We fed the goats, played on the playground, had a cider donut, and picked a peck of peaches.

Monday morning Shara and I cleaned the peaches - she was a great help. I blanched them and she peeled while I got out the pits. We then made another batch of Nana's Southern Pickled Peaches. After peach making we took a quick bike ride to the bus stop and then off to the crowds at Wrentham! We went through Gap Kids and found some nice pants. This was Shara's first time in a dressing room and good thing because she's small! All the pants that should have fit her were too big but we found some that fit very nicely. It was fun but tiring and by the time we were done at the Gap, Shara was ready for lunch. We went and got pizza at the food court and had a lovely lunch together. I convinced her to just go into Carter's for a quick look around, but she was done with shopping so we went up an exit to the Spruce Pond Creamery and got Chocolate Peanut butter Oreo frozen yogurt (Laurie) and lemon sorbet (Shara). We liked both very much but the yogurt was the winner. It was the best shopping day ever!

Shara's second day of school sounded like it was fun. The best part of the day she said was going to Tina's after. All the kids sat on the porch and had water (Shara got an orange cup) and cheez-its. We didn't hear much about her school day, but I did learn that she's going to have to eat much quicker - she wasn't able to finish her lunch, but, "mommy, it's fine. I'm okay." So she's fine and I'm not going to worry. I like Alan's idea of putting on a Shara-cam because I'm dying to see what's happening with her all day!

First Day of Kindergarten

Well she's officially a big girl now. Shara had her first day of kindergarten and did great. We got ready on time, got to the bus stop in plenty of time, though we weren't the first ones there. We met up with a 1st grader and her mom asked Shara if it would be ok for Anna to sit with her on the bus because Anna remembered how scared she was on her first day and thought it would be nice. Shara gave a big smile and nodded her head yes. At the bus stop we reintroduced ourselves to the other kindergartener who lives just a couple of houses away from us. She's going 1/2 days and not in the same class, but we'll need to get together to play sometime. So the bus finally came and Shara followed Anna on. I finally saw her at the window and she smiled and waved goodbye. We turned around, shed some tears for being proud and happy and went off to work.

Alan picked Shara up from the bus when it finally got there around 4:10 PM. They'll get their schedule down soon - it's supposed to come about 3:30. I didn't get home until around 5 and Alan didn't ask too many questions but either way, she wasn't talking much. We did get out of her that duckie & giraffe stayed in her backpack the whole day. I was supposed to send her with her KED folder, she had plenty of food (she hardly ate anything), snack for KED was provided (I totally forgot), the teachers in the lunch room helped her with her PIN & milk money, they had different flavors - regular, strawberry, and (wait for it) chocolate! Which did Shara get? Recess wasn't so good - the swings were all taken, the kids stayed on them a long time. She did draw a great picture from memory of the playground - the yellow slide, the monkey bars that no one's supposed to go on, the climber.

She was very tired from the day and a real bear. Alan & Shara made a great pizza and after dinner we were going to go for a bikeride and there were a couple of times before that she just lost it. We did go on the ride but the evening wasn't too much fun for any of us. While I was laying with her at bedtime she started talking more about her day and the bad things came out; she was scared to go on the climber because kids were running around so fast all over, she didn't talk to anyone, all the kids from KED already knew everyone and she was too shy to talk to others, she really wanted duckie and giraffe all day, she was bored on the playground, she missed her friends from her old school. I tried to tell her that she was at her old school her whole life, thousands of days, and at her new school only one. That it would take a little time to get to know the kids and she should start getting to know the KED kids first because that's who she will be playing with the most. I know she'll be fine. I'm also going to remind her that she didn't have her old friends right away. It took time to become friends with them. She also has dance to look forward to as well as a birthday party and playdate.

She's fine today. No signs that she had any trauma and we did get to start a great project from KED. They have to talk about how they got their names, so we told her how we came up with her name and she found that interesting and wants to have us read her a Pern book. I'll have to see if there are any for littler kids. They have the YA series, but I don't know if they have any younger.

Kindergarten!

Today's the first day of Kindergarten. Shara's very excited, but also a little scared, as am I, but for different reasons. We talked about being scared and we're going to find her a buddy at the bus stop to sit next to on the bus. She's all set with more food than she probably needs, shoes to change into if she still wants, her new princess thermos, backpack, and lunch box.

Yesterday we went to the open house and she got to meet her teachers again, do a scavenger hunt to learn her kindergarten room and some of the school. She's all set!

Bowling Trip

Sunday we needed to get out of the house and like good New Englanders, went candlepin bowling. It was Shara's second time, my first and Alan's first since he was a kid. Lots of fun. We all ended up with pretty much the same scores! After playing, we went down the street to Peaceful Meadows, where all weekend activities should end. In the barn they had a cute calf. Mommy got licked, Shara laughed, but didn't want to get licked herself. I can't really blame her!

Tomorrow we'll get school supplies and the backpack together for our first day at school on Thursday. We're going to do a dry-run as well and pretend school starts tomorrow so we can get our routine down. Don't want to miss the bus! We'll also go down and see the big kids get on the bus. How exciting!

Do you want to see my pine-ness?

This morning Shara got out of the bathroom and asked me if I wanted to see her pine-ness. I asked her to repeat herself and she did, saying the same thing. I asked her what that was and she pointed to her vagina. I then asked her who told her that and she said, "daddy". I then had to explain to her that boys and men had penises and we had vaginas. She said, "oh yeah".

Marshfield Fair 09

Yesterday we went to the fair. We all left arguing and Shara was crying - translation: so much fun it tuckered us out and we were tired & cranky. Shara went on her first rollercoaster, saw just hatched chickens, timber wolves, a bear, a mountain lion, falcons & hawks, owls, and of course, lots of bunnies. We had ice cream, lemon ice, lemonade, hot dogs, awesome falafal (please falafal man, come back next year!), and I now know where to go for strawberry shortcake, assuming the bakery stand there next year. The wrestling lead to a lot of questions, and Alan was supposed to show Shara how to wrestle today, but that didn't happen. I'm guessing she forgot because it was a conversation that happened on the way home, after the fight over the ice cream cone that culminated with the ice cream cone practically exploding in my hand, while I was driving, of course!

The other cool thing(s) that happened yesterday was Shara seeing two friends from her school. The first spotting was at the market and the second at the fair. This was a great thing and showed her that we still live in the area and we will see people from her school out and about. We also ended up sitting at the Incan musicians in the row in front of our next door neighbors! Unfortunately, we didn't run into Amy, so I'm guessing you didn't end up going Sat. night?

Bubbe & papa came today to spend some time with Shara. Between that and the fair yesterday, we have a very over-excited (hyper) child who only stopped talking when she fell asleep!

Last Day of Kindercare

Well this was Shara's last day of kindercare, after 5 years! It was sad for me as well as her, but also a lot of fun. "My last day was so much fun. It was nice they had the party for Caroline & my last day" or something like that. It was actually the end of summer bash and they had a water slide (that she climbed up but went down the stairs - too high), moon bounce (that was fun), a picnic with Burger King and got a toy car from GI Joe! Last night Shara signed her cards and today gave them out. She got to bring 2 friends with her to give the plants - she picked Jessie & Julia. Caroline also brought in some treats for her friends on her last day. Alan & I both picked Shara up, cleaned out her cubby, gave some hugs and gave lots of thanks. Luckily I have "friended" one of the staff, so we won't loose touch and we also have several emails from parents, so play dates will need to be scheduled.

Tonight Shara got a bit upset. She mentioned that she couldn't wait to see the magician. Then quickly said, "oh yeah, I don't go to that school anymore" and started to cry. (As I'm trying not to do now). She asked if we could still go and I told her probably not, but bubbe would take her to the library, and they could go to the playground at her new school, and shopping. Basically telling her how much fun she was going to have. She said she wants to go to school with all her friends. I know once she gets to kindergarten, she'll know a couple of the kids and have a great time, but for now, she's feeling a lot of different emotions. I'm just glad we're able to talk about it together.

Scary Time & Garden of Goodies

As the NP told me as quickly as she could on the phone today (or should I now say yesterday), this is good news. Just wanted to share the story for any of you who may have to go through the same thing. From what I learned, with the new imaging many people get biopsys these days.

I've been pushing Alan to do more for Shara lately. Not that he doesn't already, but just a few things here and there because of the little scare I am now over. I had a mammogram that showed calcifications that were suspicious. Since this was my first mammogram, and these hadn't been seen before, I had to have a biopsy. The whole process took six weeks. Lots of time to think about a whole range of things.

When I went for the first mammogram, I assumed it would be fine. Then was startled when I got a letter only 2 days later. I knew it was not good news. They wanted another with the radiologist. So that happened pretty quickly - about a week later. The radiologist had no bedside manner and wouldn't explain anything after she said she wants me to have a biopsy. I asked her if she thought it could be cancer and she said, "I'm very suspicious" and basically left the room. I got a call later that evening from my doctor who wasn't able to tell me anything more. This was on a Friday. I had the weekend to decide where I was going to go for the biopsy. My doctor mentioned they do good work at South Shore hospital so that sounded fine until I started thinking if this is cancer, I want to be at the best place and that's Boston. I did more research and saw that South Shore is affiliated with Dana Farber, so decided that was fine. Then learned that if I went to Boston it would be six weeks to have the biopsy vs. two weeks at SSH.

I was supposed to receive a call from my doctor's office first thing Monday morning to make the appointment. When I didn't hear anything by 10 AM, I called them. Then the person who handles that was busy and they like to have a couple of people answering phones so they'll call me back when the third person comes in. I called back at 11 AM and asked for the person and she gave me the info on where to call, etc. So I got my appointment first for a consultation. That happened a week later.

I had to pick up my films before the appointment, read them and did some research. My research told me that I had between a 10% - 50% change of having cancer. That's a big range and I was starting to plan the worse case scenario, just to be prepared. The consultant, an NP, was fantastic. I felt rather relieved after talking with her. She put me more at a 20% chance and said even if it was malignant, it was fully curable. That was reasuring. She explained the type of biopsy they'd be doing - a Stereotactic biopsy. This would just use a local and I could even drive home afterward. She also gave me the fullest breast exam I've ever had in my life. So the next day I got a call from the hospital to schedule my biopsy. I didn't even negotiate - just said okay to the time they gave me, which happened to be over two weeks later.

I received lots of instructions about what not to take - blook thinners, multi-vitamins, etc. and to wear a front closure bra that is a little big because I'd be putting ice packs in it for the ride home. Lovely. So I bought my granny bra, stopped taking my vitamins, made sure to only take Tylenol and as the time went by I started getting worried again. It's not just worried but more like the future is so unknown it's hard to proceed. I did make plans but everytime I did, I wondered if I'd actually be able to make it.

So the big day arrived and I was petrified. I hate hospitals. If there was no risk in delivering at home, I would have had a home delivery. So I didn't want anyone to go with me. Then did want someone but realized that any possible girlfriends worked, or weren't really close enough to me, and I didn't want to have Alan go with me. He just doesn't gab enough about silly things and that was what I was needing. I went alone and it actually was ok. I even ran into parents from the daycare and talked to them for a bit.

A little while after I checked in, Cindy came to get me. She was the nurse that would be with me throughout the procedure. I was put in an exam? room and after I put on the johnny, just the top, I sat in the chair I practically became one with. Cindy asked me if I knew which breast they'd be biopsying and I said the right. She said they just want to make sure I knew which one and then she marked it with a purple X. I was very conscious of which one because I'd be damned if they were going to do the wrong one! Then she told me that she'd be staying with me the whole time and then the doctor came in and she explained the whole procedure to me. They were going to put me in the mammogram machine and take some pictures to show where the calcifications were located. Then they'd numb me. That may sting a bit (it didn't). Then they'd insert the needle, take about 11-13 samples, check the samples, and if they got enough calcification samples, take some more pictures. Then they'd get me out of the machine, lay me back, stop the bleeding with pressure, and then tape the wound up. Then I'd go have two more mammograms. Believe it or not, I was out of there in about an hour. It seemed like so much longer.

She did say that I would need to stay as still as I could. I asked if that meant as still as a statue or exactly what. She said not to twist because if my breast got out of position they wouldn't have the right location for the samples. That may have been the worse part. I felt like I couldn't take a full breath and actually saw a few stars at first and made myself breath deeper. Luckily Cindy was there most of the time chatting with me, keeping me looking away from the action. When they first started, the doctor said that she'd be telling me what was happening and I told her she really didn't have to but said yes, she had to because she didn't want me to move. Then when they put in the needle they held me because it made a noise and they didn't want me to jump. All of this was forwarned so there were no surprises. She did have to go and get more samples because she wasn't satisfied with the ones she got.

When the actual procedure was over, they removed me from the machine, said, "you may not want to look at this", layed me back and Cindy put pressure on the wound for ten minutes. The doctor didn't think the bleeding would stop enough for me to get the mammagrams, but it did and I didn't have to make yet another appointment. She said there was a lot of surface bleeding, but not really any inside. Ok, so bleeding under control and now I got my things and we went next door to another room with a mammogram machine. Not sure the big difference between the two, but didn't ask. At this point I was cursing myself for not having Alan drive me because I was so exhausted I was about to fall asleep. The new room was much cooler and that woke me up a bit and I had the pictures, got the pressure dressing put on the wound, got instructions on what to do - ice on for 10 min. / off for 10. Can take Tylenol, no asprin. Take dressing off after 24 hours. No getting wet for 24 hours - sorry folks at work. Hope I wasn't too stinky the next day! And no lifting more than 5lbs. for 48 hours. For that I had warned Shara about this.

I told her that I was going to the doctor for a test and I couldn't pick her up and later told her she had to be careful near this area (and showed her where not to touch). She didn't want to see the bandage, but wasn't freaked out at all. I had told her it would be like when daddy had his procedure and we couldn't sit on him for a few days. She got all upset and said, "you mean I can't hug you?" So I reassured her that yes, hugs were great, tried not to cry too, and she was fine.

I didn't even take any Tylenol but was good about icing it - didn't hurt that it was 90 degrees outside and almost as hot inside. I was exhausted and stomach upset from nerves. I was able to pick Shara up from school but asked Alan to come home early so we could both take her to the library for the summer reading program. I wouldn't have been able to do it - let alone carry the books, etc., but I wanted her to see that I was ok.

When telling people about the biopsy I said that I'd rather have had a root canal and that's true. I'm so relieved that it's over. I didn't want to have to go and get surgery, be in the hospital, etc. not to mention how difficult it would have been on Alan & Shara. I never (almost) had the thought that I would die and attribute that to the great work so many people have done on behalf of Breast Cancer awareness and research. Ten years ago it may have been a different story. So I still have my tape strips on and think I may have to pull them off tomorrow, which I don't want to do. That kind of thing scares me. Wonder where Shara gets it from! But I will and it will be fine.

On a happier note:
Shara's been enjoying picking from the garden and really likes eating in the garden. Jill told me Liz & Sam were the same way - just go and pick a bean and eat it. Well she seems to like her veggies that way - once they're cooked, forget it. Raw beans, sugar snaps, tomatoes (of course). She ate at least 1.5 cups of tomato/mozzarella salad the other day. It was so good. Didn't like the cucumbers though - I thought they needed to be left on the vine longer, they were a little bitter.

Today Shara went bowling with school and got to ride in a big, yellow school bus again. From her description, it sounds like they went duckpin bowling. Completely foreign to me, but Alan used to play when he was a kid.

Great Fun Exercising

The other night after dinner, Shara & I took a walk that turned into a jog/walk. It was great. We played simon says and she was quite speedy. I told her that if she wanted to walk with me, she had to walk quick because I was walking for exercise and she really did. Yesterday when we got home I had a tough time figuring out how to go in the pool with Shara and get dinner on the table before she got cranky. I did as many people do and had Alan order delivery while Shara & I went swimming. He also made salads so it wasn't a completely non-nutritional dinner. Tonight we all went for a walk. Shara wanted to go for her "two stroller walk". That's when she sits in her stroller and pushes baby bella in bella's stroller. Shara kept asking for us to go faster, so we ended up jogging about 1/2 of the walk. Then when she commented that it wasn't a very long walk, we talked about how jogging makes the walk go by much quicker than walking. I'm sure she would have termed it "fastly". Similar to "ablely".

The Actress

We've been dealing with a screaming Shara for almost 2 hours now - on and off - all fake. Alan even said, "stop yelling or I'll give you something to yell about." while he was giving her a bath. It all started when she came in for supper and didn't like what I made - leftover NY Strip steak, bbq sauce, cheddar cheese, & stir-fry veggie wrap. Delicious, but saw it wasn't so easy to eat so got up and got her mac & cheese. After learning she couldn't make it herself, started to whine, scream & complain for about 2 hours, finally ending with me taking out the veggies and her eating the steak & cheese and tomatoes (from the garden). Then she was allowed to have mac & cheese.

Up until the screaming we were having a lot of fun. Played in the pool - wanted to do that rather than go to library. Then dinner ruined everything - or rather I did. "You never make anything good to eat. You never let me have what I want to eat. Your cooking is terrible." Lovely!

Oh, yesterday while driving home from Oma & Jidor's, Shara asked, "how did I come out of your tummy?" Stalling, I asked what exactly she meant. And she meant what she asked, like did she get cut out, is there a hole? I proceeded to tell just enough, and hopefully not too much more. I told her that she didn't really come out of my tummy, but more down near where she pees. Big surprised expression to that one! And I also said that our bodies are amazing and change as we get older and it's really cool how that happens. Then Alan starts telling me (with Shara in the car of course) about lab animals and two got pregnant and they weren't even... That's when I shut him up because I was really happy not to have to go into the whole deal of needing two people to make a baby and not just spontaneously one appears when you want one and are a certain age, which is what she thinks now!

Camping

We had our first night in a tent last weekend. Shara was so excited. She loves sleeping in a tent, but probably because it means s'mores and sleeping in between mommy & daddy! We went to the Cape and stayed at Nickerson's State Park. I picked up a park passport earlier in the week and it was cool getting it stamped. We have to be sure to make our way around the state so we can collect them all!

The trip to the Cape wasn't so bad. We did get stuck for about an 45 min @ the bridge. When we got near the park, we stopped for lunch. I wanted to go to the Box Lunch, but the one in Orleans wasn't there anymore so we found a great sandwich place. I think it was called "the last stop"? Shara & I split a turkey & cranberry sauce wrap and Alan had an Italian sub on an Iggi's roll. It was huge and he only ate 1/2, which was good because it turned into Sunday night's dinner. After lunch we went to the park to check in and get settled. Going camping for one night isn't too much different than going for several. We/I also realized that staying for one night really made me forget a lot of things that should have been brought, like my bathing suit that I didn't think I'd want, a bag for the dirty clothes, a bigger bag for the trash, etc. The little things. I did bring toiletries for the shower we never took.

The best part of Nickerson's was the pond right at the bottom of a hill behind our site. We spent some time there on Saturday and Alan & Shara swam around. Shara's getting pretty good at swimming, but really needs the noodle to help hold her up in the front. Her favorite part of the pond was building the castles with daddy. Mommy pretty much sat in the chair and vegged. After swim time, we hiked back up the hill - which was really, really steep. We were all huffing and puffing, but did get the chairs, towels, neat sheet, sand toys, and sun screens back up in one trip. Shara did great going up and down. It really was steep, I'm not just saying that. It had about a 75 degree incline. The pond was called "Cliff Pond" for a reason! We tried to clean up and then decided on going to Arnolds for dinner. On the way we stopped to get some firewood and also picked up some citronella candles at the store in the camp ground.

Arnold's wasn't what I remembered, it was better. They had a bigger menu including baked seafoods and salads. The dining area also looked much bigger. It was still counter service so we waited in line for a while to order. Shara had a hot dog, I had the baked scallop dinner (came with a nice salad & excellent baked potato), Alan had a Greek salad, clam chowder & french fries. We all split an order of onion rings. Shara enjoyed the scallops and onion rings but I got a little tense when she started wearing them as bracelets. Alan's salad was just ok. It looked like it was made with iceburg lettuce while mine had nice greens. He really liked the chowder and fries. Originally he didn't want to go there because he wasn't in the mood for fried seafood (I was), and made the comment about the fries being soggy, etc. but he said these were really good and so was the chowder. I wanted the fried seafood but ended up with baked. Go figure. None of us were disappointed and the prices were reasonable. It was very clean, they had a water dispenser available for customers, and we got to sit at picnic tables with a little dog in the party next to us!

After dinner we went back to the camp and got a fire going, and the s'more fixings ready. Shara & I handled the s'mores and Alan made the fire. We also picked up those huge bamboo sticks at the camp store because we realized there weren't a lot of branches on the ground at our site. These worked out well and we took them home to use again (broke off the used ends). So we roasted the stale marshmallows (stale ones take much longer to roast), made and ate our s'mores, relaxed a bit and got ready for bed. Nickerson's was full the night and Alan made the comment that he felt like he was in a city. It was so loud, especially in the tent, but come 10 PM, everyone obeyed the quite time rule.

Alan & I didn't sleep too well because one of the things that we forgot were pillows. It really made a big difference. So none of us were very bright-eyed the next day. We decided to go to the beach and after getting ready we headed out and found an excellent breakfast place in Orleans called Nonnie's. Shara had pancakes, I had a broccoli & cheese omelette and Alan had bacon & ham omelette. Everything was great and it was fun to look at their collection of plates from all over the world, decorating every available wall space and even on the beams. After breakfast we went to find the Nauset Lighthouse and did, and were lucky to get one of the last parking spots in the lot. We didn't stay at the beach for too long and the lighthouse only had tours during the week. We did get some cool rocks though and took a nice walk. So we left for home at about the same time the rest of the tourists were leaving and ended up in traffic for about an hour or so. We got home, got most of everything away, found we transported some ants away from their home, and relaxed. It was a fun time, but certainly too short for the effort involved. We're going to camp out in our backyard next time and probably wait until off-season to go back to the Cape. By the way, I don't think I took any pictures, but will check and post if I did!

Wii today

Shara just got up - 7:15AM!, came into the office and announced, "I'm going to do the Wii today." I asked what made her think of that and she said, "while i was sleeping, my heart started pumping" and it reminder her of the running on the Wii. "Maybe I'll do it, maybe I'll change my mind, I don't know. Tumblebook please!"

Yesterday Shara and I went to Edaville Railroad for Caroline's party. It was a lot of fun and hot! We had pizza, cake and lemonade. Then everyone went to go on the rides. We rode the Dumbos (but not going up into the air), then the carosal, then the space ships (but not going up into the air), then the train, and the jolly caterpiller - Shara was in the green, so got to ride all by herself and in front of mommy! Slept on the way home, then relaxed a bit watching TV then we were able to talk her into going in the pool to relax and had fun floating on the float and getting wet!

I believe in god

This morning Shara was asking me about god. For those of you who are offended by my beliefs, you may want to stop here.

I told Shara that many people believe that god is something that looks out for us and takes care of us. I also told her that I don't believe that and think we need to take care of ourselves and gave the example of crossing the road - we need to look out for cars and not expect god to make sure a car won't hit us if it's coming down the road. That made sense to her. A little later she said, "I am thanking god for taking care of me". I asked her if she believed in god and she said, "I believe in everything, even santa."

Pictures - Tall Ships too

Tall Ships

yesterday we went to Boston for the tall ships. It was fun. The lines were huge! The weather was awesome - sun, sun, sun.

We took the train in from Braintree and Shara was very happy with that. She loved looking out the window. We transferred at South Station and then got to ride a bus! Then we went right to Rowes Wharf and saw a very nice, smaller, wood, French ship with a very fit and very French crew. They weren't allowing people aboard, and had recently arrived so they were putting up the sails, etc. We were then going to go to Fan Pier where they had ships you could board. We decided to do the fun stuff before eating.

Shara & I had bars on the way to the train, so I thought we'd be ok. Turns out Shara and my tolerance for low blood sugar are about the same and the two of us made a terrible pair of cranky people. Plan changed and Alan & Shara got sausage & hot dog from a vendor but Shara wouldn't eat it until we found a place for a picnic and to put down the neat sheet. Luckily we did find one but I was so fed up and hungry too and I didn't want a hot dog or sausage and went in search of Flour bakery, which I couldn't find so ended up getting a Cuban at Pressed, which was just mediocre but satisfying enough to completely change my mood. During this time Shara & Alan had fun in the park area - Shara climbed on the concrete structures and Alan relaxed.

After lunch, which ended about 3 PM, we went to see about getting on a ship. These were big ones! There were about 5 or 6 at the piers and we decided to stand in line for the biggest, but the line was extremely long and we didn't want to stand in line so we went for a treat - slush, and then decided to try another line. We waited for almost an hour to get onto the Romainian ship. It was worth it and actually not so tedious because, who gets into line behind us but Sandra, Peter and the boys. The gang plank to the deck was rather steep but the crew was great and about 3/4 way up one of them grabbed Shara and brought her up. She was a little shocked but ok with it. The way down was the same thing. Americans would probably never do that! The ship was very nice and interesting. Woodwork was beautiful.

After that, we got Shara a pretzel - Alan & I were so dehydrated and sunburned, that we weren't hungry. Decided to get going home - already almost 6 PM, and walked to South Station were we'd be able to get more water and use the bathrooms. Shara was happy to get on another train and we had fun playing eye-spy. After getting to the car and getting re-hydrated, we ordered a pizza to pick up on the way home. Yum.

This morning for breakfast Shara actually made her own. She didn't like the idea of pancakes and wanted to go out. Since that wasn't an option, she went into the freezer and got herself some bread & salami and made a sandwich. She is her father's daughter!

Happy 4th of July

Yesterday was a great day - started by gardening outside. At first Shara wanted to stay inside and keep playing with Brutus. She made a fort for them and was happy indoors, so I went out and started weeding. Soon she asked if she could come out too so she did and I got her set up with sunflower & thistle seeds to plant. We were out for quite a while and she's able to open the screen door on the deck herself now, so was able to go inside when she had to go to the bathroom all by herself. She did call "hi mommy" from the closed window near the bathroom and I hurried out of the garden because I couldn't really hear her and wasn't sure if she was calling for help or not, so she learned not to do that again. She wanted to help with the vegetable gardening but with the fence up, she really can't get in there. We did have fun looking at the tomatoes, budding corn and her huge pumpkin.

After gardening and lunch we let relax watching tv for a bit because we knew we'd be up so late. Then it was time to paint the garage door! I'd been wanting to do this for quite some time and finally got a chance since there was no rain! Shara came out with me and arranged rocks and tried to go on her scooter - found she was most comfortable going on the grass, as I did with learning how to ride a 2 wheeler when I was a kid. Alan & I were also talking about how we handled bugs as kids and both of us were in the "didn't like" category. He wasn't as scared of them as I was, but it looks like Shara is taking after me. She only likes ladybugs.

Shara did a big girl thing - when she was playing with the scooter, she said, "maybe branden's big brother would want to teach me how to ride the scooter." He has one too and I gave her permission to go next door and ask. She was too scared to go over by herself so I went with her and we rang the bell an no one was home. Maybe they'll be home today and she can go over and ask if he wants to play. Brian is a couple of years older and all over the neighborhood on his bike, but it would be nice if they could play together a bit. There are several kids in the neighborhood and it sounds like it's getting near the time when Shara will be joining in their games!

After dinner, I finally got the "thank you" cards written and Shara started signing them. Shara also opted to have ice cream at home and not out. We got ready and hit the road to Halifax for the fireworks. I just realized that the Slaters were supposed to be there too - I completely forgot, not that we would have been able to find them - it was a zoo! Very festival like and fun. We made a stop to Peaceful Meadows before, even though it sounded like I was going to be the only one getting ice cream. Alan changed his mind and got a cup and Shara decided mine looked much better than what she had at home, so shared my super-yummy sundae. The Whitman location makes a much bigger sundae than Middleboro, though they taste the same. So after ice cream we headed to the fireworks, parked about 1/2 mile away, which was great because getting out was cake. At the fireworks location Alan found a great area for us to set up camp and we only had to wait about an hour for the show. Not hard to kill time. First Alan & Shara went to check out the place and see where they'd be shooting the fireworks from. Then Shara & I went to look around and Shara played on the playground a bit, then Shara & I played tag, then Shara & Alan went back to the playground and she went up the tire wall almost by herself and was very proud! Then the fireworks began. Shara took up her usual position of on my lap with me covering her ears. Next time we will remember ear protectors because it gets very tiring holding her ears the whole time! At first she was scared and then it was fun. We kept saying who the firework was for - the pink ones were for Shara, the blue ones were for daddy, the blue/purple sizzly kind for mommy. They were really good and I'm sure we'll go back again next year. There weren't any trees to get in the way and they were close, but not scary close. The only thing missing was music. The show lasted over 1/2 hour.

We walked back to the car and had no trouble getting out and Shara talked most of the way home and then fell asleep about 5 minutes before. Alan carried her in the house, dumped her on her bed and I started getting her undressed when she started smiling. I kept saying, "shara? are you awake?" then she started laughing and finally opened her eyes. Apparently she was sleeping but then I woke her up and then we had to have a normal nightime with reading a book, etc.

This morning she said when she goes to school tomorrow she'll have a pink firework to give to all her friends!

Sam's Graduation Party!

We had a great time at Samantha's party. It was so nice to visit with everyone and fun too! Shara had a blast running back and forth from in the house to outside, and around, watching the big kids in the trampoline, and eating the chocolate dipped strawberries, marshmallows & graham crackers (thanks bubbe for the s'mores idea). Here are some pics.

School - girl observation

Last week at school Shara was a little unhappy because her friends didn't want to play the games she wanted to play. They wanted to play Julia's game and Shara wanted to play Shara's game, which was "baby". I asked Shara if she wanted to create a new game that everyone would like, so we tried to work out the details on how to recreate the game on her Leapster for the real world. She didn't get a chance to try it, but I think planning it made her feel more in control and the rest of the week was much happier.

She also started Science Adventures, which is a new program offered at her daycare. It sounded great and very "hands on". The first class they talked about bones, made a play dough bone, complete with a red straw interior to represent the marrow and brought home a glow in the dark skeleton to put together. That was quite fun. We were very surprised to hear that Shara is the only girl in the program and the rest of the kids are older boys, except for Nolan, who's there with his big brother. And I thought times had changed. No wonder NOW still feel necessary. They are!

Recital & Family Party

I'm so proud of Shara. She had a great time at her recital. Aunt Jill, Auntie Chris, Shara, and I went to the school early so the aunts could save seats for the others. Shara did go dressed so when we got to the cafeteria, there wasn't that much to do other than get her taps on. There were only a couple moms helping, so it was a little chaotic until all got settled. Shara wanted me to stay with her, so I did. I didn't like it because I felt in the way, but it ended up being a good thing because I could help dole out the snacks, of which there were many. So the kids ate and went to the bathroom, and then it was time to line up! They did and Shara knew I was going to go into the theater when she got lined up, so there is when we parted company. She was the line leader and after a few other dances, on she came! She was so cute. Our seats were pretty far to the left, so she did disappear for a bit, but we'll get the DVD. They did great! This year the show was very organized and all seemed to go much smoother than last year and the quality was also much better. Before we knew it, it was over! I watched one more dance and headed back to change her into her ballet shoes. When I got there, Liz (Anna's mom), was helping to change Shara. I didn't realize it would be so quick! So we got her changed and Shara told me, "you can leave now." so I did! Then on they came for the pre-school finale. Very cute. Shara also decided she wanted to be in the big finale, even if she was the only one from her class, so later in the show we went back and Alisha, one of the pre-school class helpers, found a spot for her. Taylor, also from Shara's class was going to be in the finale along with her big sister, so Shara stayed with them backstage and went out with them. I left as soon as she was settled with the big kids and she was fine. She was also the line leader for the finale. I asked her later if they told her when to go and she said no, she just went. Then she stayed and clapped along with the big kids. I was very proud of her for being a big kid too. Another big kid thing for the whole day was that duckie & giraffe got left at home and no one noticed. Shara later said she saw them but decided not to bring them. I'm not sure if that was really so, but they weren't missed!

Later we went home and had the family party. Shara got a big girl bike from Auntie Chris, Oma & Jidor. It's really cute - a pink John Deere and she gets to decorate the spokes with stars! She also got a couple of very pretty, pink dresses from Aunt Jill & Bubbe, and a cool spin-art kit that I can't wait to do and a picture frame for her school pictures, which will soon start to get filled! We gave her the scooter, which she's been wanting every since she saw one at the Village Toy Store and especially since she started watching "My Friends Tigger & Pooh". So it was a great day and the festivities continue today with her real birthday and Father's Day.

new catch phrase

Thanks to Miss. Lindsay, Shara's favorite saying is, "oh my-lanta". So funny. I'll have to record her saying.

Yesterday was her kindergarten screening. I didn't tell her that she had to go down to the room with just the teachers & kids, basically, without me. She cried and they had to carry her away, but when she came back, she was beaming. She was so cute and we were all very proud of her. Obviously she did fine. When we walked to the car, she couldn't stop telling me about what she did with the teachers and how much fun it was. When Alan came home, he asked her about a sticker she was wearing and she ran to get the folder with the stickers from the screening and again, recounted much of it to him.

We then had her dress rehersal last night. She did great. We had no problems getting dressed, but I didn't know if she had her dress on backwards or not (she didn't), and didn't know how to do the bow. We saw the others and got it all straight. She couldn't wait to go off with her class, without me! I mentioned that I thought the kids sat in the front with their class and the parents sat in the back. She said, "that's fine, I won't be scared." Turns out we could all sit together. They were very cute. Would like it better if they drilled them more about the steps, but she was very proud of herself and had a great time, which is all that really matters at this age. Right?

5 Year Old Check-up

Tuesday Shara had her 5 year old check up. She actually had a great time, though she knew a shot would happen and had been upset about it for the whole day. Not really the whole day but just when she thought about going to the doctors she knew she didn't want to go. She had a eye test and had perfect vision, much to her dismay because she would like glasses. I'm sure she'll get them soon enough. She refused to pee in the cup. I couldn't figure out how to force her to do it, so we took it home and will try here. I'm sure I can use the pot trick like Bubbe did with me. She impressed Dr. Wolcott as usual and the doctor suggested we think about music lessons for her. Then it came time for the shot and she screamed and wouldn't hold still so I had to somewhat hold her tight to me and Alan helped on the other side. She got 2 shots, looked at both as she was getting them and tensed up so it ended up hurting more. She cryed and then got her stickers, went to the car whimpering, and cried on and off for the trip to Charlie Horse where we were going to go out to eat. She wouldn't stop crying so we decided eating out wouldn't be good tonight and I picked up Wendy's for her and Alan drove her home. We had separate cars at that point. She was calm at that point but any mention of the bandaid or shot and she went off. As suspected, the bandaid bothered her more than the shot. At least the removal of the bandaid or touching any area of the shot, etc. She wouldn't change her shirt for bed, wouldn't lay down (started trying to sleep sitting up), and wouldn't change her shirt the next day either. So last night, rather than ripping the bandaid off, as I was going to do to just end this, Alan Google'd "bandaid removal" and found a hint to use baby oil. Shara actually liked that idea, and we needed the oil to get off her tattoo for recital/rehersal, so without too many tears, used the baby oil. 1/2 way through she was fitting again, so mommy was called in and it was a family effort to get the stupid bandaid off. I'm really glad there are no more shots until she's 11!

Movie Time!

5 Year Bday Party Highlights

Well after all that it's over! Everyone had a great time. I found out why so many parties are held at other locations. These kids have so much energy! I was very happy we have such a good space for them to all run around. They were great and so were the parents. The face painter was amazing. I'm thinking of having Shara take a vacation class/workshop (during the school year). The studio's just down the street from my work. I could take Shara to work with me, go drop her off at the studio, then pick her back up to finish the day with me. We'll see. Her name is Kara and the studio is Art on the Spot.

Shara got some great presents and the food was almost completely gone - a great thing. I heard the cake had the wow factor. One sad spot, which Shara said she would like to not remember, was when her, Molly and Julia were playing in her room. Shara put moisturizer on her hand and the paint came off. Shara didn't care. She put it on Molly's hand and Molly cried and had a huge fit. Then Shara & Julia thought they'd get in trouble so hid under Alan's desk and it took a bit to find them. I didn't know what happened until after the party, but then explained (again) about accidents vs. on-purposes, etc. Other than that one thing though, it was fun for all!

5bday-2

(click for full size)

Getting ready for friends bday party

Shara and I have been planning for quite some time for today's party. Yesterday we decorated the cake. I'm putting up a pic here because I know no one who is going to be at the party today reads this blog. Boy is she excited! She said that when she woke up this morning she didn't shout, "today's my birthday" because she knew I'd be sleeping and didn't want to wake me up.

From 5bday-1

From 5bday-1

Yesterday we actually got in the pool! Alan and Shara much more than me. They went swimming. Shara went under and really didn't like it. But apparently recovered quickly and was playing again in no time. Yesterday was the last dance class - rehersal & recital! We also have her Kindergarten screening this week, so busy, busy!

We all can't wait to see everyone at the recital, but with all going on, it's one step at a time.

Quite an observation

Yesterday we were at Good Days for lunch and Alan said something about the table across from us. Shara said the table is across from everyone, it's in the middle. It was one of the tables in the middle of the whole restaurant. I hope she keeps thinking like that.

Blue play-doh strikes again

Bubbe, this one is for you. Certainly not terrible, but Shara has been doing a science experiment today - blue playdoh is getting dry so out comes the water and she's out of her clothes into "science clothes" which consist of underpants, bath towel, hoodie towel, and her slippers, which she can't find. I have a tray for her to work on after noticing the paper egg carton filled with blue water. So far only a little water spill on the floor.

Up

We went to Up today and Alan & I thought it was great. Shara sat on my lap and appeared to be liking it, but when we left the theater she got that look in her face of trying not to cry, said, "I didn't like that movie" and started to cry. It was too scary for her. There was a lot of fighting, and all the things she finds most scary - big, biting dogs and heights. She used to be scared of being carried up into the air with a kite, or balloon, but not recently. She also said the wilderness was scary. I asked her why she didn't say anything in the theater and she said she didn't want to talk during the movie. I felt so bad, but we're ok now. Told her if anytime she feels that way she should let us know. She shouldn't have to sit through a movie like that being scared. Also, she said if she has that movie at home she's not playing it, so no need to add this one to her wish list! Had dinner at Good Days and now going to read stories, so all is well.

Pictures - tried to post last weekend but had pc problems

I'm so bad about posting

Yes, mother's day was lovely. Each year is nicer and nicer - spending time with family (and close friends), eating good food, driving for long periods of time... I'll post pictures later.

Last weekend Shara & I went to a tea from her dance studio. It was a fund raiser for the studio competition group. We had a great time. I will fill in with pictures and details later.

Tonight when I was combing Shara's hair, I asked her what she was wearing, because I only saw her doggie bathrobe - Alan had given her a bath while I was out doing some gardening. She said shorts and a shirt. I said I didn't see the shirt and she said because it has noodles. She meant spaghetti straps. Funny.

First hike of the season

Today we decided not to plan on the weather and good thing because we went for a great hike in the Blue Hills - 2.6 miles along the Skyline Trail! Shara did great - walked all but about 20 feet herself and went up lots of steep rock and down steep rock. We passed a family and talked to them a bit and the mother was so surprised such a little kid was hiking such a hard trail. I was too - but we were doing a geocache and just following the trail! We actually didn't get to the end of the cache because we missed the first turn early on so continued to another one, got up to the antenna for the first part of the cache, and then it started to sprinkle. I said, let's just get going down because we're all tired and have a long way to go. So we did and the direct route was pretty darn steep, but we all did it and had lots of high-fives at the end! Shara made up a cute song on the way up, "in my eyes i can see glass and it's green" which really speaks poorly to the amount of broken bottles we saw on the trail, but well to her songstress capabilities.

Last week Shara was really mad at me because we were having a somewhat bad time of rule- following, and we took away TV because she wouldn't come in from outside and started playing the chase me game, where she's on one side of the pool and I'm on the other and go round the circle - yeah, right, so that night I'm doing her hair and she's crying saying, "I wish I never came out of your tummy, I wish I never came out of your tummy. I want to go live with other people. I never have any fun with you. Brutus and I are going to live alone in our own house, without mommy and daddy." Cute, isn't she!

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200904Vacation

Click above to view these bigger. Also has a video. The end of our vacation wasn't very exciting but was very nice. The most exciting part was when Alan, Shara and Samantha got caught in a big downpour on the beach. Jill, Andy and I had decided to go for a walk, and while we were still getting things together from the car, the sky opened up and, according to Shara, gumballs rained down. Jill, Andy & I hopped in the car and Alan, Shara & Samantha grabbed everything and ran. As soon as we saw them coming over the dune, we got out and went to help. By then the rain slowed down but they were soaked. Shara was gently crying but boy was she a trooper. Alan said even though she was crying, she kept walking and carrying her towel!

That same day we went to Gershon's for lunch and Shara enjoyed a bowl of chicken noodle soup and got to see grandpa in action! That was really great for me too. We put in our order for the trip home, picked up the house key, and headed back there to change clothes. The day was still young so we headed back to the beach, convincing Shara it wouldn't rain and if it did, so what, and went for the walk that Jill, Andy & I had wanted to go on. The Lookers were already on their way to leaving the beach, so we didn't end up doing anything with them. When we got back, we went on the boardwalk out to the marsh and saw crabs and lots of oysters. That was cool. No other alligators to see but the ones that greeted everyone on the drive to the beach. We then played for a while on the boat outside the educational center, then headed across the street to the walk through the woods on the ocean side. That was an ok walk. There were some pretty views, but not very exciting. Shara went the whole way, then when we got to the end, we could either go back the same way or walk on the road. We opted for the road and Alan went on ahead to get the car and circle back for us. Shara walked quite a bit more but I ended up carrying her about 1/4 mile or so and then Alan showed up and we went back for to grandpa & nonnie's supper and to pack for our trip home!

The trip home was actually very pleasant. It took all day. We left on schedule, just before 7 AM and drove all the way through, stopping in Virginia for lunch at a rest stop, which we ate in the car because it was rather cold outside. They had a little playground there so Shara was able to stretch a bit. Then she took a nap through DC - we drove through because our nav system needs to be updated. It wasn't so bad but we aren't sure if we lost time or not. I assume we did because we ended up cutting through to Maryland to avoid some traffic. For dinner we went to a rest area in Jersey. We had been noshing the whole trip so no real meals, just snacky things. We didn't get home until 10 minutes after midnight, which was a real bummer because I wanted to be able to say we got back the same day. Well, that's ok. We'd do it again and I'm not sure we'd change anything!

Day 9

It must be Easter Sunday! Shara had a visit from the Easter Bunny and got some pink peeps (she didn't like them), a light-up bunny pen (liked), a silly putty egg (loved), and fairy tattoos (doesn't remember them). Then she went on a pre-offical egg hunt in her jammies and found several so Samantha had to rehide them. Samantha did a very challenging hunt for everyone and not even her map of the hiding places made all of them easy to find. The kids still did well and got lots of money and candy. It was also cute that Ryan and Emily shared their eggs with Shara and Emily actually gave Shara a basket with one of her videos in it that she thought Shara would like. So basically the kids had a great time and then when it got really challenging, the grown-ups had fun too! For most of the day we just hung out and searched for eggs, visited, and cooked - not me much, but there was a lot of cooking going on! There was also a fair share of balloon animals and twisties happening as well. The day is a bit of a blend, mostly remembering the egg hunt, so if anyone can fill in the blanks, let me know. I do remember having a nice chat with Liz via Skype, which is great! I will certainly need to get her on the line more often.

Vacation - Day 8

When we finally got moving, we went to Downtown Disney Marketplace. It was great. The shops were very cool and the Disney store they have there could be done in a whole day, rather than the couple of hours we spent. Shara picked out a charm necklace and Ariel fashion play set - the rubber dresses and dolls and accessories. And a Gibbitz. I think she made good choices for spending the money nonny gave her. We then went for a quick stop at the Lego store where Shara had more fun with Alan playing with the pieces they have attached to the outside of the store then looking in the store. Lunch was a mess. Shara was hungry, tired and cranky and wanted a hot dog ($5). So Alan got to stand in line at the Earl of Sandwich for us and I took Shara for her hot dog, which needed ketchup and she wanted to open it herself and wanted the hot dog cut up and we didn't have utensils so I held it in the bun for her but I wasn't holding it the right way. You can see, lots of fun. Alan arrived and we had lunch and I wanted a sundae from the Giradelli Soda Fountain - been looking forward to it for weeks. So I got my sundae and no one else wanted any, so I had it in the car while we started our long drive.


Wow, what a long ride. We basically got going as early as we could and made a couple of stops, ate dinner in the car and only a small fight for Shara to take a nap. It's becoming obvious to us that when she starts picking fights, she's either ready for a nap or hungry. She really does pick fights too. This time she was telling me that I didn't put the dress on her Ariel the right way, it was backwards, but it wasn't. So it was time for a nap and she did reluctantly go to sleep. She woke and we were in traffic for a while. We played, watched only 1 movie 2x, and then it was time for dinner - waffle with strawberry sauce in the car. I finished my salad from lunch. Alan had a burger and fries. We got back at about 10 PM. Not too bad, but still long with the traffic jam we ran into.

Disney - Disney Studios

Last night and this morning we were having a family discussion about the option to go back to the Magic Kingdom, because we really only saw Fantasyland, or go to the Disney Studios as planned. I was voting for Disney Studios because all the other things at the Magic Kingdom wouldn't interest, or rather would scare, Shara. I also knew that Shara wanted the Magic Kingdom because now it was familiar and the Studios was not, and she doesn't want to go to the unfamiliar. Well, as usual, I won out and we went to the studios. An aside, we had to go to the 2 hour time share presentation at the Hilton, and ended up getting a week every other year, so this "cheap" vacation really wasn't!
The first thing we did when we got there was head over to "Beauty and the Beast" musical. Of course we had to go to the bathrooms and get frozen lemonades on the way. The show was great. On the way out, Shara tossed a penny into the fountain and had to test the water temp. It was cold and smelled like the pool she used to go in for lessons. Next up was the Street Parade. Shara was both scared and happy. She liked all of it - but at first she didn't want to get too close and we had a little tension about where to stand. She was worried we weren't standing back far enough but mommy and daddy tried to tell her that we wouldn't let anyone come close and they had to stay on the street and wouldn't come near us. It was our job to worry about these things, not her. She should just relax and have a good time, knowing mommy and daddy would take care of her. We then went to see "The Little Mermaid" show. That was very cool, but we did need to wait in line for quite a bit. We spent more time in line than I thought we would and I'd never go at a peek time again. Not that the lines were boring and Shara was great, but we missed out on several things because we ran out of time. We then went to get some dinner and tried to go to the 50's Prime Time Cafe, but they said without reservations we couldn't get in until after 9 PM. We ended up going to the ABC Commissary for pretty much a fast food dinner. Then we went and played for a long, fun time at the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" play area. Shara had so much fun, and Alan and I had one tense moment, or actually about 3, when Shara and I played hide and seek and she was braver than I realized and went down this netting by herself and literally disappeared. We couldn't find her for several minutes and when we did, found her by the entrance. She had no idea we wouldn't be able to find her and so we had another talk about not leaving our site. The best part was when she wanted to climb up the spider web - this big rope climber that went up really high and then back down. She was really slow at the beginning and all these big kids were passing her. I went back out and had Alan go with her because he's better at being in the way than I am. They had so much fun and when they got out, a big line of kids followed them out. Alan commented, "what a log jam we made"! Shara wanted me to go with them and said, "it's ok mommy, you'll like it. it's a lot of fun. Don't be scared." We all went and it was fun, especially because she was getting faster and more comfortable on it. She ended up going on about 5 times.

The only reason Shara would leave was because the place was going to close! We went to find ice cream then get seats for Fantasmic. Shara was less than happy with Fantasmic - she claims it was too scary but didn't ask to leave or act scared, so I don't really think she was. Probably one of those scary but fun times. I found it good, but also too much Disney movie filler. I think less filler and the same amount of live action and it would actually be better, though not as long. Wouldn't feel cheapened by it.

Well, getting to the car was a piece of cake, since it was just a tram ride away. Back to the hotel, sleep and pack for our long trip back to Grandpa and Nonny's!

Disney - Magic Kingdom - Part 2

So now it was time to visit the princesses. They are available for photos in the Judge's Tent at Mickey's Toontown Fair. That line was only about 45 min, so I waited while Alan took Shara to the attached store to buy a glow thing for the fireworks, because she still wanted one from last night and I thought it would be easier to get one now. So Shara met Belle, Aurora, and Cinderella. Snow White wasn't there and Ariel is in her Grotto. The photographers were really good - they let us take as many pics as we wanted and then went in to take theirs. Shara was beaming and had no interest in autographs, just the picture.

Disney Tip - if it's a hot day, the frozen lemonades are really refreshing.

Realizing the time, though it didn't feel like we did much and could really spend two more days discovering the rest of the Magic Kingdom, we needed to head off to get Shara's dress for dinner with Cinderella.

Another Tip - the not so expensive princess dresses will easily roll up and fit into a backpack and not make you go all the way back to the car to retrieve it.

I hadn't thought about what it would take to get back to the car - monorail to the Ticket center, tram to the car, tram back to the ticket center, monorail to the hotel. It actually wasn't bad but I worried if we didn't get to the hotel in time for our reservations they'd give them away, or at least make us wait a much longer time. Well we did get there on time with not too much running. Needless to say, I didn't feel very appropriately dressed for Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner at 1900 Park Fare. I had park all over me! Shara on the other hand looked very cute.

It was a great event and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for those wanting the princess experience. I can't compare it to Cinderella's Royal Table, but couldn't imagine it could be any better for the kids. It was a little crazy, the kids were a little excited and were all over the place, but for the most part, well behaved. Chaotic, but not annoying! Shara was in her glory and did say that it was hard to eat her meal with all the characters walking around and distracting her. The characters were great though. The step-sisters, step-mother, Cinderella, and the Prince were all available and came around to take pictures and really talk to the kids, all keeping in character. Shara smiled so much, it was well worth all the running around. I'm so glad we were able to get reservations. The food was also pretty good and they had the kids' buffet tables low so they could help themselves. They also had great desserts and I can't help indulging Shara. She only wanted ice cream, none of the tarts, and then I asked her if she wanted any chocolate chips, which they had in stead of sprinkles. She said yes and then I asked if she wanted gummy bears, so she had a couple of them, and a couple of M&Ms too. Interesting to me, on the way back to the table I noticed a kid who had a whole plate full of gummy bears!

When we were done with dinner and the prince made another appearance, which we missed earlier on, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom for the SpectroMagic Parade and Wishes Nighttime Spectacular fireworks show. While waiting, we got a mouse ear hat. I was in more of a buying frenzy than Shara or Alan, no big surprise. She didn't even want to go with me into the candy store. I thought it would be neat to make her own hat, but she spotted a princess had (the one she has on in the picture) and wouldn't budge to think about any other. When they started making the announcement saying the parade would be starting in 15 min., Shara got very nervous again, but it all ended happily and she was really wow'd. It was also cool to see 2 highschool marching bands before the parade started. I did end up holding Shara for the whole parade, but it was actually fun for me because I could see her reaction to everything. Wide-eyed for the whole thing and she was excited to see some of the fairies from Sleeping Beauty and Ariel again. We agreed that Ariel is a busy princess! After the parade we headed over toward Tomorrowland (through the back lot where some of the cast members park). We thought we got some good seats but when the show started, realized the tree in front of us would be a problem so we were able to move over and get a good view. The coolest thing was seeing Tinkerbell so close. I never really saw her very well, but this time she was right where we were! When it was over, we went with the crowd, back onto the monorail, on the tram and to our car - with Shara sleeping on me the whole time! Getting onto the tram with a sleeping Shara was rather interesting, but Alan was there to help if needed, like suggesting he go in first so I'm not hanging off the side with her.

We got to the hotel, took off Shara's dress and shoes, and she slept in her clothes, still covered in "Disney park".

Vacation Pictures

Here are some pictures of the last few days. We're getting Shara's prints developed and will pick up today but they need to be scanned. Was much easier to have her use a disposable camera at Disney than lug around her big Fisher Price camera.

Disney - Magic Kingdom - part 1

We woke up in time to get showered - all of us, with a very reluctant Shara, and had bars in the car on the way to Disney's Magic Kingdom. I forgot the rigamarole to get to the park - first park the car, then get the tram, then get the tickets, then get the Monorail, then get the bag checked, then get through the gate! When we did get through the gate, we arrived on Main St. and I kept looking for that big eyed, amazed smile, but didn't get it. We did get very interested looks and intent watching. We looked on the schedule board and I realized all the times I had were wrong so my plan was out the window, as it had been for all of my trip. I still like to have the plan even if it's never used, which is often the case.


We first saw smoke by the Cinderella castle and headed over to there until Shara noticed Meleficent and didn't want to have anything to do with it - we put on her "no masks" sign to let the characters know she didn't want them to come near her (I know, but it made her feel better). We held her and we saw a little - Mickey, Minnie, villans, nothing she wanted to watch, and had a hard time believing they wouldn't leave the stage. The next thing was to get ready for the "Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party". This was a tense time - needed to be back far enough and her first parade and she was so scared - again, wouldn't listen that the characters wouldn't come up to her, so we reminded her about her sign and Alan and I held her the whole time. Toward the end she looked like she was enjoying it a little, but would have been fine missing the whole thing.

We headed further into Fantasyland, avoiding the stage because Shara thought the villians would come out again, and saw no lines at Mickey's PhilharMagic. This was a 3-d movie and I knew Shara wouldn't like that much so I told her she could take off the glasses but she wouldn't even put them on. She didn't like it - a little too much interaction and she was scared of what would happen.

Next up was Ariel's Grotto and Shara had no problem standing in line for an hour to get her picture taken with Ariel. In face, we had fun playing in the little water park while Alan waited in line for us. When we got to our turn, Shara was so excited to meet her - this was why we came - she would have been just as happy to visit the princesses and not see anything else! but in the end, she was happy we (I) did make her see other things.

Though Shara wanted to go on Cinderella's Golden Carrousel next, we made her eat lunch - "but I'm not hungry" was the answer we always seemed to get on this trip, but we learned not to believe it and keep her fed even if it meant filling her up with not the most heathiest foods. We headed over to the Columbia Harbour House which was surprisingly good. Shara had Mac & Cheese, and added the cheese from my salad to make it super cheesy, grapes, applesauce, and apple juice. She ended up eating about 1/3 of the mac & cheese, 1/2 the grapes, 1 spoonful of applesauce and a few sips of juice. My Garden Harvest Salad with chicken was very good - nice greens, sunflower seeds and I used honey mustard dressing. Alan had the BLT salad and he enjoyed it a lot too.


So after lunch we hit the bathrooms, which were clean, well stocked, and kid friendly, as they all were though out the parks, and headed to the Carousel. Much to our surprise, Shara rode a horse all by herself and loved it! Alan stood in front to take pictures and I ended up standing to the side because there were no horses left after we got Shara settled in.


On to wait in line to go on "It's a Small World". We decided fast pass wasn't for us because we don't like to watch the time so much - you get a reservation for a much later time, and they were booking for about 6 PM. I like to plan but not be held to a schedule, so we waited in the hour long line, which went rather quickly. Shara was very good at entertaining herself and we all played together. She doesn't need to have toys but really uses us for that purpose - hanging, standing on our feet, having us pick her up with just our arms, etc. Human climbers! Well, this ride gave me my Shara Disney Moment. Her mouth was agape almost the whole time! She loved it and was amazed and didn't know where to look next. Much like me!

Well, we conquered one ride, why not try another. So we did. We got in line for Peter Pan's Flight and it was 80 minutes! Shara practically fell asleep on me for a bit and then jumped around and made friends with a 12 year old girl who was a little too touchie feelie for me, but Shara didn't seem to mind. I kept a close eye and the girls mother was also making sure she wasn't being too foreword. Alan helped her into the car and we were off - the ride lasted about 5 minutes, way too short for such a long wait, but Shara liked it and I liked that she wasn't scared about flying around in the cars and dipping, and going around the bends. I always felt a little out of control on that ride.