Category: Daughters

After reading a book about turtles, MDF asked about what different animals eat. We got around to fish, and she asked if they eat mosquitoes. I told her they did, if they mosquitoes were in a pond big enough to hold fish.

As we drank water before she went to bed, she had an idea.

“Dad. If we take the sand out of my turtle… and put water in it… we could have a pond.”

“That’s a good idea,” I said.

“Then we could have sharks, and…” She never did say what else we would put in the pond, I guess the sharks took up all the room.

Among Other Things

After CEF had a bath tonight she was rubbing her feet on her bouncy seat like she often does, and she either developed a blister, or popped one that was already there. Anyway, once it popped, she would cry every time it touched something. It didn’t help that she when she gets mad, she likes to kick her feet. It was only getting worse.

So after changing her diaper, I put a band-aid over the open blister. It helped some, though if she kicks her feet hard enough it still seems to hurt. MDF was very concerned about the band-aid (as well as the blister), and she kept telling CEF that the band-aid would help the blister feel better.

Tonight I realized that I had forgotten to get dog food. So I took MDF and CEF with me to Food Lion. I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage them both and a bag of dog food, but I ended up putting CEF in a shopping cart — with the seat cover that CDF bought for MDF — and let MDF ride on the front. We made it through the store all right, and the girls got a complement from the cashier who thought they were both cute.

MDF has been riding her tricycle a lot recently. This past weekend we walked to the Library to return some books. MDF rode along with us on her trike. It was the farthest she has ever gone, but she did a great job.

I had to keep telling her to stay beside the edge of the road, but she has been getting better. Tonight she was able to stay at the side of the road by herself as we went down Campbell and Hayes streets. She even knew to get off into the grass when a car came by us.

An adorable thing she does while riding is she rings her little bell as she goes along and then waves to someone (or no one) around — CDF, CEF, or myself most of the time.

Update: the other night CDF and MDF were fooling around and I took some pictures.

Two Girls on a Tricycle

This evening I took MDF and CEF to McDonalds to support a friends school (buy something and part of the proceeds goes to the school). After realizing the school was in Rocky Point but the restaurant was in Burgaw (I’ll not go into that) we eventually arrived.

At first everything was OK. We talked to the Harrells briefly and ordered M&M Fluries. But on the way to the playground outside MDF spotted the “Hamburgler” and that purple guy. They were walking around the store greeting the children, but MDF didn’t want anything to do with them. She started crying and I had to hurry her out.

She tried to play on the playground, but she spotted the costumed people going out to the road and I heard her start wailing somewhere up in the jungle gym. She made it out and had to sit with me for a while and eat some ice cream.

When her friend started boasting about hugging the purple guy, it just made MDF want to go home. So we made our way through the store — she covered her eyes as we passed the “Hamburgler” — and said goodbye to the Harrell family. A couple of people tried to talk to CEF, but that just made her cry. So I hurried them both out of the restaurant and back to the van.

On the way home MDF said she would just laugh at those silly people, but she didn’t want to go back. We could go home and finish our ice cream instead.

The other day CDF and I asked MDF what she wanted to be when she grew up — where she wanted to work.

“Girls don’t go to work,” was her response, “Girls stay home and work!”

We got quite a kick out of that, and eventually explained that if she wasn’t staying home with children like CDF was, then she could very well have a job outside the home. Eventually I think she decided she might like to be a doctor.

A couple of Fridays ago (November 22nd) CDF took some pictures of MDF and CEF playing and talking together. One thing that strikes me about this picture is how much MDF resembles CDF when she was little. CDF says CEF looks a lot like me, but I don’t see it yet.

Happy Sisters

The two girls do get along really well though. We haven’t had any problem with MDF being jealous, or having any sort of dislike for CEF. We’ve also been careful to frame her relationship as a big sister in the most positive way we can.

All dressed up

The other night MDF was talking about imaginary things and told me that there were “muntoos” in the house. She said they didn’t have ears or eyes but they had sharp fingers. Unfortunately she started thinking about them too much and her imagination started running away on it’s own.

I got her down from the table and she wanted me to hold her. I said, “OK, I’ll just step on the muntoos.” That was the wrong thing to say; it just got her thinking more about these things on the floor.

Then I had to put her down and go do something. She said, “no there are muntoos.” And I tried to console her, “Just step on them.” She took me seriously, but certainly did not want to step on anything. So the minute I put her down she started crying.

After that I tried very hard to tell her that these were imaginary things, not real. Eventually it seemed to sink in, and we started talking about the imaginary caterpillars (which were much nicer than muntoos).

MDF has gotten into the Disney “Princesses” thing in a big way. After watching all the movies many times she has really enjoyed getting the costumes for her birthday.

We had MDFs big birthday party yesterday. CDF had invited a lot of MDFs friends, although many of them were not able to make it. But we did have a good crowd, even if it was mostly adults.

CDF made a doll cake and a flat cake, both strawberry flavored with vanilla frosting decorated with pink sprinkles. She and MDF had picked all this out a while back.

The Doll Cake

MDF’s birthday party theme was “Princesses” and we had planned on having a dress-up party before the birthday party, but the ones invited were not able to make it. But we still let MDF wear her dress for the rest of the party. CDF had gotten her a Cinderella dress, and this was the first time she had worn it. Of course she liked it very much.

She Loves Her Cinderella Dress

MDF got a lot of presents yesterday, more than we expected. She got some ponies from Heidi, a growth chart from Dom and Amber, a tea set from Galina, a story/song book from Lauren Moore, an alphabet puzzle from Skyler, a book from Mrs. Joy, and boots and an outfit from Janet.

Eating Cake

Over all I think MDF had a great third birthday party.

Mackenzie gave MDF two gifts: a stamp and book set and a “Disney Princesses” baby carrier. MDF carried a baby cat in the carrier, but it’s a cute picture.

MDF and the carrier

CDF made some delicious cupcakes — strawberry with vanilla icing. I know they were from a mix, but they were good. MDF liked them too, and had asked for pink sprinkles to go on the icing when they were planning what type of cake to have. So that’s what she’s eating in the next picture.

Eating a delicious cupcake

A number of months ago, CDF found a “Disney Princesses” twin sheet set (see a pattern here), and we had forgotten about it until recently. Needless to say, MDF was quite excited to get this present.

Love the sheets!