Category: Daughters

Today MDF and I were out looking for blackberries. I had found
some in the ditch to the left of our driveway and so we went walking
down that way. We only found two, but kept on going until we got to
the driveway of the rehab center. There is a clear “meadow” between
the parking lot of the center and the woods that separates it from our
house that MDF calls the “Witches Garden” (from the Rapunzel
story). We normally go in there and pick Asters, or just look around,
but today I thought I would check for blackberries. We found a bunch.

I started picking some and MDF was talking about the witch
finding us in her garden. We discussed the possibility that the witch
would not like us picking her blackberries, but I tried to tell
MDF that maybe the witch would share.

Soon I discovered that there were a whole lot of blackberries up the
slope of the berm that is hidden in the woods. So I told MDF we
needed to go back and get a bucket to hold all the berries we would
pick, so we headed back to tell CDF what we found.

When we got back, MDF told CDF about the “Witches Garden” and
CDF asked if the witch was going to put MDF in a tower, and
call up to her “MDF, MDF, let down your hair.” MDF
didn’t reply, but took a step toward me, and held on to my leg. She
had a worried look on her face, and, after laughing a bit, CDF and
I had to explain it was really just a story.

We picked half a small bucket of berries before getting tired and
heading back home. So for dessert MDF and I had blackberries and
ice cream! Not CDF though, she finds the blackberries too tart.

CDF sent this email this morning:

This morning, I have an OB appointment & MDF will be going with
me. I dressed her in the shirt & skirt—she added the rest & came into
the bathroom while I was putting my make-up on to tell me she was ready
to go!

From CDF:

We had our hair cut yesterday. MDF did great while Kim cut her hair. Here are the before and after pictures. She cut just about as much
off of MDF’s as she did mine!

We switched out MDF’s crib for a twin bed this afternoon. She was given a comforter set at Christmas and had started talking about sleeping in her “BIG” bed for the past week or so. CDF and I decided that it was time to let her start sleeping in the twin bed we were saving for her.

So we went up to Jacksonville this afternoon and brought the bed back in Roy’s truck. After moving the crib into the spare bedroom (we almost had to take it completely apart), I brought her bed in. We had a minor set-back when I couldn’t find the twin-sized sheets (I think they’re in the attic somewhere) but recovered by using one of our full-sized sheets. Then we put the comforter on the bed and showed it to MDF.

“My beautiful bed,” she said, coming in the room, “It has flowers!” She was quite pleased with her new, big bed.

We’ve put her to bed, and I think she’s cried out once — CDF went to check on her — but I’m hoping she’ll make the transition without any trouble.

This afternoon MDF was singing the Farmer and the Dell, but she was making up her own verses. The one that struck me as funny was, “the Farmer took the Moose.” Sounds like something I would make up.

CDF and MDF went to the beach this past Thursday. They met two friends, Kristen and Anna Cate, and Cristy and Clara. CDF said they all had a great time playing in the sand. The water was still very cold, but MDF gave it a try once — to throw a sea shell in the water — and after that was content to leave it alone.

MDF Surveying the Beach

Playing with Friends

For the past couple of nights MDF has been waking up around Midnight and crying. Eventually we determined that her mouth was hurting and CDF thinks it has something to do with her 24-month molars.

So last night she woke up and told me her mouth hurt when I went to see what was wrong. I told her we were going to get Tylenol so her mouth would feel better. While I was rummaging through the medicine drawer looking for her medicine she spotted the “Airborne for Kids” bottle that had little cartoon characters that were supposed to be germs. “Beanie” had gotten the bottle for MDF last fall and for a long time MDF carried around the box which also had pictures of the “germs.” So she got very interested in that and told me that she needed medicine for her germs.

I told her that the medicine was too big for her to eat, and anyway one had to put it in a cup in water and let it dissolve before you could drink it. That was okay, she would take it in the morning.

After I put her in bed and said good night, she talked (for about 15 minutes) about the germs and told her stuffed animals about needing medicine for germs.

Then this morning she has told CDF over and over, after pretending to cough in her hand, that she has a germ and needs BIG medicine.

MDF is a talker, no doubt about that, and she talks very well for her age. There are things she says, especially how she pronounces words, that make me smile.

“Parringe” is what she has in her bowl for you to eat. It’s not “porange” a.k.a. porridge. I think she gets this from Mother Goose with the “Peas Porridge” song/rhyme.

And there are others, which unfortunately are not coming to mind at the moment.

She still says “t” for “c” and “d” for “g”. As in “tat” and “doddie” for cat and doggie. And I think “l” and “r” still come out as “w”: “wet’s go pway in da wiving woom.” 🙂

On the other hand, she can sing a lot of the Mother Goose rhymes, the “Bob and Larry” songs (Veggie Tales), and other children songs that are on her CD’s (Old McDonald, etc.).

This weekend CDF wrote an email to update our friends about the goings-on with MD and the rest of us. I wanted to include a copy of it here just to have her perspective.

Yesterday we were doing yard work again. I had plenty of time to debate this in my head (as I raked): even though we have to rake leaves, I still prefer having trees. We never had to do this much before, 5145 Richlands Hwy., 153 Brown Road, and 2714 Valor Dr. never had any trees to drop leaves — which is one of the reasons we bought this house.

MDF played in the yard as CDF and I raked. After I had gotten a number of big piles of leaves raked together she started running to them and “jumping” in the leaves — actually just sitting down — “plop” — in the pile. But she had fun.

Sitting in a Pile