I want to go to FerryLand
It was a low key weekend. Katherine was in a funk yesterday, so Steve offered up an interesting adventure…going on a Washington State Ferry. Katherine was enamored with the concept, despite the fact that she didn’t know what a ferry was. We headed to Seattle, found a great parking spot and headed across the street to walk on the ferry.
Our round trip to Bainbridge Island and back was 2 hours. We boarded, made our way past the cafeteria, bought popcorn (Steve) and found seats up front. Katherine promptly began to inhale the popcorn. Allison settled for bunny crackers. We took turns taking the girls outside for five minute stints. Allison was outside with Steve when the horn blew – and jumped about a foot in his arms.
Given the time of day, we opted to disembark and promptly re-embark on the same ferry. On the way back we found a booth and looked at boats and cruise ships out the window. In all, Katherine loved the adventure telling us that she wanted to go back to “Ferryland” today!
Lots of Biking
We’ve been biking up a storm with the kids the past several days. One favorite trip is from Redmond Town Center to a park in Woodinville. Another is around Redmond Ridge and the “choo choo” train park. Besides the parks, Katherine loves the snacks and very diluted Gatorade. Allison is more ambivalent – she really enjoys getting out of the Chariot!
Today we had a particularly scary event in the RTC parking lot. Steve had propped his new bike on the minivan to avoid scratches and speedy Allison made a beeline to check it out. Next thing we knew she was wailing from underneath the bike! Holy Cow. We were very lucky that she emerged unscathed (but very, very mad) from this incident. Good thing she tried to play with the carbon fiber bike and not my tank.
The Marble
This is a very sensitive subject for Katherine, but one worth mentioning. Last Monday, Katherine and Allison went to Ferrell McWhitter Park with Patty, and Katherine found a small, round, glass marble. She was so proud of finding the marble and carried it for much of the afternoon. Patty was clear in telling her that she could hold it, but she couldn’t put it in her mouth. What happened? Patty turned around to find Katherine’s eyes big and watering. “Did you swallow that marble?” “Yes…” She didn’t mean to swallow it, but it just happened. Since talking to friends about this, we’ve learned that this is not all uncommon unfortunately.
We spent the next two days obsessing about the marble. Katherine was pretty upset, not sleeping well at night and talking to herself about it. “I wish that marble would come out soon,” I heard her mumble to herself as she pulled on her PJ pants. We figured that besides the enormity of having a marble in her intestines, Katherine was verklempt because of Curious George. If you haven’t read the story, Curious George goes to the Hospital describes how the monkey eats a puzzle piece and has to go to the hospital to have it removed. This was definitely top of mind for her, and she was very worried that she would have to go to the hospital despite our assurances that the marble would pass harmlessly.
Steve was a total trooper on the pooh patrol – and found the marble two mornings later.
I think this incident has pretty much cured her propensity to put small objects in her mouth. We asked her if she would ever put something like a marble in her mouth again – and got an emphatic no.
Going back to School
Katherine heads back to school on September 6th – this time to Eton School. We’re pretty excited for Katherine to meet new friends and learn in a Montessori environment. We find out this week which classroom she will be in for the next three years. Katherine is excited for a more tangible reason, which is that she will carpool to Eton with her friend Audrey.
More New Words and Developments
– “Siiih” – for Sit
– “Mooo” – for cow
– “Ri” for ride
Allison also tries to practice her spoon and fork skills whenever she can. She dips her spoon in applesauce, yogurt, anything – and gets a lot of it in her mouth. Today she tried to spear tofu on her fork.
Allison has also decided that she wants to go down stairs like her sister. Instead of on her belly, which Katherine did for months, Allison prefers the “sit, scooch and stand” approach.