Videos

Its been a while since we have uploaded video, though not since I promised video, so here's a collage of shorts. We enjoyed a quiet weekend at home, something of a rarity recently. Have a good week.

The Empathy Strikes Back

Check-up Time

Not long ago Squeaker (shown here in her Halloween Costume) went to the doctor for her check-up. Part of this year's check-up was a flu shot. She did not enjoy the experience. It took a little while for the tears to cease. Once they did, she had some questions for Brite.

"Why did you let them give me a shot?" Brite's answer was that it was "to prevent the flu". Squeaker then wanted to know "What does the flu feel like?" and sometimes "What different kinds of flu are there?" Every ten minutes for the rest of the day, she would interrogate Brite again (looking perhaps for Brite to change her answers in an attempt to minimize her betrayal). Although she still enjoys playing doctor with her kit, she no longer gives any of her friends shots.


Squeaker on Hair Styles

Last week at the wedding she got to see her Aunt (technically great) Sandra. They even had a chance to play basketball together in their wedding finery. At dinner last night, after a long period of what Brite referred to as "glorious silence", Squeaker looked a Brite and said "I think Mr. B and and Aunt Sandra are the same." Not surprisingly Brite wanted to know way. The answer was that "Mr. B has long hair. Aunt Sandra has very short hair. They are the same because that is different than usual."



The List

Squeaker can be very empathetic when it comes to characters in stories. Most of the time her empathy make sense. On the way to Kentucky a viewing of "Ratatouille" had to be cut short because Squeaker was became unstrung during the storm drain sequence. For any little person, this could be intense, especially for this one, since Squeaker recognized that "drowning" (her word, not mine) was a possibility.

Last night she and Brite were reading "Frog and Toad Together" when empathy struck again. In the story, Toad decides to make himself a list of activities (such as, wake up, get out of bed, eat breakfast, etc). Each time Toad finishes an item, he enjoys crossing it off the list. One of the items was to go for a walk with his friend Frog. During the walk a gust of wind blows the list away. At this point in the story, Squeaker is curled up in bed with Brite and seems to be enjoying the story. Frog tries to catch the list for Toad, but the list is lost for good. Frog comforts Toad and the story ends. Squeaker sits straight up in bed and begins sobbing uncontrollably. Brite doesn't quite understand why until Squeaker blurts out "Oh, Brite, will Toad ever get his list back?"

Brite tried hard to comfort Squeaker while stifling laughter. Squeaker takes the book out of Brite's hands and starts furiously flipping through the pages to see if Toad is every reunited with his list. Squeaker did finally calm down, but Toad was never reunited with his list.

Off to Kentucky for a Wedding

Squeaker and I are off in far can-tuk for a wedding. No pancakes this morning, but we did have a continental breakfast. A breakfast she decided that the table ad looked like a hat. So, as the saying goes, she put it on.

More on the trip next week.

Understanding?

Squeaker has made a couple of trips to target since they put up halloween decorations.

The two that have caught her imagination are a ghoul with a skull like face and a witch. She wants to buy the witch and put it in her grandmother's attic (no hidden meanings here). In one of her favorite Dora episodes, the explorer and a mermaid put an evil witch in a "high tower" an attic is a nice approximation. This fate befalls Hopa when she is bad.

On our first trip to Target she wanted to see these decorations again (as a reference, the ghoul is my height and the witch, while short is taller than Squeaker). While we were looking at them a shopper pressed their buttons and Squeaker was entralled.

I didn't let her press the buttons that trip. I told her that she could press the buttons the next time we went. When we got to the store, all she could talk about was pressing the Stallion's button. After a while I figured out she meant Skeleton. I didn't tell her that's what it was, but Brite did.

We discussed that a stallion was a male horse and despite some troubles with the two words, she got the idea.

I, we really, know she got it beause the next morning she went up to Brite and said "I'm a horse, here's a letter". It wasn't until breakfast when I quizzed Squeaker on the Ghoul that Brite figured out why she had been visited by a "mail horse"....

Bedtime Evolved

Bedtime with Squeaker can be sweet. Bedtime with Squeaker can be frustrating. Most nights it is both. Tonight (yes, Sunday night, fell off the Saturday wagon this week...) bedtime, at least the first time around was pretty easy. She had a bath and we dried her hair, brushed her teeth, flossed, and went into her room for a story. The story went smoothly, then as usual, she tried to get me to tell her a story about when I was a little boy. My telling her another story, after I read her a story, is not part of the bedtime routine. However, her asking me to tell her a story has become a part of the routine, as has my telling her that I am not going to tell her a story. She has been antsy recently when she realizes that it is Sunday and that means I am going back to work. Tonight wasn't any different. We usually talk for a few minutes about the next day. I remind her that if she goes right to sleep, we can have breakfast together. Tonight we, I, talked about our schedule for the week. When I got to Wednesday, she asked me to go. Not in a playful sort of way, which happens sometimes, but in a "Daddy I'm tired and I know what your schedule is this week" kind of way. So I gave her a kiss and hug and headed downstairs.

I got downstairs and heard her chatting with her bedtime friends on the monitor. Things started to get quiet and then after about twenty minutes, she started calling for me. Squeaker will call for us sometimes in order to forestall sleep, but this had a little more insistence to it. We have coached her for some time now to explain why she is calling, specifically if she's calling because she has a dirty diaper to go ahead and say so. For some reason, modesty perhaps, stubbornness maybe, she refuses to do so, so it is a game to figure out why she is calling. In this case, I guessed correctly that she was uncomfortable and would like me to change her diaper.

When I get into her room, she is laying on her side holding her hand up in the air as far is it can reach. I think nothing of her position and ask if she has a dirty diaper. She does, so I get her out of bed and it is in fact a dirty diaper. After I have gotten it changed, she asks if I can wipe her hand off because she thinks she has some poop on it. The hand in the air makes more sense after this request. You have to wonder what would have happened if I didn't guess right about her call. We discussed again that she should tell us that she has a dirty diaper, which I suppose is also part of the routine. Squeaker went right to bed after that and off to sleep within a few minutes.

We have another adventure in bedtime coming next weekend. A backyard camping trip. Stay tuned for a full report!

Short Stories of Squeaker

Preschool: It has been a month since Squeaker began preschool and we've been delighted to see her response to it. This picture, taken on the first day, reflects her mood at the time. She was really excited, but also a little bit nervous. I let her wear a heart necklace of mine as a reminder that our love and God's love is always with her. As we walked into class she was wide-eyed and smiling, but also holding tightly to the necklace. She has become increasingly comfortable there and she often shares about her adventures there.
Preschool is such a fascinating form of education. At dinner the first night, Uncle Mack asked Squeaker, "What did you learn at school today?" She thought for a bit and then responded, "I made a train with my friends. I was the engine." Sweet Uncle Mack assumed they had spent significant time learning about trains during the day, but further questions revealed that the "train" was to teach them how to walk in a line to the potty. He laughed when I explained that it might be weeks before she learned anything other than how to be in school. And yet, this is exactly why Squeaker needs to be in preschool. She loves to learn with me at home by reading, playing, cooking, and being in nature, but there are some many lessons she can only glean in the preschool environment. For example, she really likes playing with one of the other little girls I will call Sally. I imagine sweet Sally has a had a much more loose home environment than Squeaker and consequently has resisted the structure of school. Squeaker has explained this to me in a current events manner each time, "Sally had to sit in time out today because she wanted to play with toys during circle time." I've tried to take each opportunity to remind Squeaker how we all have times when it is hard to obey. I held back laughter when this came up last week. Out of the blue, Squeaker says, "Sally had to sit in time out again today. I just don't understand why she keeps doing that." Then with a very serious expression she says, "Circle time is so fun, I just don't understand why." I praised her for being concerned about her friend, and then we talked about how stubborn we can all be. Then today on our drive home, she very excitedly shared that Sally had stayed in circle time without getting a time out. I celebrated with her and explained that was the same way we felt when she chose to trust us and obey. Her love and empathy for others amazes us!

Thoughts from the backseat:
Squeaker doesn't spend too much time in the car, but it seems to be one of her favorite times to think and ask questions. Last week, she had been looking out the window quietly for a few miles and then brought up an interesting question.
S: Brite, you know my ABC song?
B: Yes?
S: Do you notice that M isn't in it?
B: What do you mean exactly? I assumed I knew what she meant, but I just wanted to make sure.
S: Well, I never say M when I sing. It just isn't in the song.
B: I can tell you have been thinking about that quite a bit.
S: I was singing it a lot during my nap.
B: Well, it comes after the letter L. Most people sing it really fast so it sounds like "elemenopee", but it is really L M N O P. If you slow down it is in there. L M
S: Laughing The M was hiding in my song!! Isn't that silly!
B: Very silly. After some more laughing about that silly M, she says:
S: It is also a funny song because N is in there two times.
B: Really? I know it comes after M, when else do you hear it in the song?
S: Umm.... It goes, T U V, W X Y N Z. See Brite, it comes after Y.
Insert a little bit of explanation and a lot more giggling.

Everyday Fun:
Since many of you don't hang out with us on a daily basis, I thought you might like to see some of our more normal activities. Squeaker is continuing to enjoy using her vivid imagination. This is a picture of her in pretending to be a princess dancing with her ballerina. (Thanks Nana & Poppy) Poor Daddy person was hoping Squeaker would never be interested in anything prissy. I guess we don't always get what we want.






We've also been playing outside quite a bit. Squeaker loves playing with her Ladybug ball and running down the hill as a family. She and Daddy were chasing each other through the yard. Aren't they so cute!















Thank you for your patience about my late post and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Coming Soon! Or Maybe Later....

Don't worry faithful readers, we will have a post this week, but our occasional guest writer (Aunt Brite) is having computer problems and has been unable to get the post online.