Too cute to be withstood

Admit it!
Too bad my laugh sounds like some kind of demon in the pits of hell.

Halloween

Sooo... this Halloween turned out to be really good, I've decided, despite some things about it that could have been weird or sad. I tried to do too much, I realized. I was so insanely determined that Daisy would have a great time that I think I missed the fact that she enjoyed just dancing around the living room on her "dance floor," dressed as a fairy, to Jethro Tull's Songs from the Wood. The most poignant thing in the world was her face when I took her fairy costume out of the bag and showed her the tutu, wings, and magic wand. She was so excited that she said, "The best mama in the whole wide world!" (This is a phrase she has learned, and she often says things are "the best in the whole wide world," but she has never applied it to MEEEE before.) I had been telling her for weeks she was going to be a fairy (her request) but she hadn't seen the costume till this morning and she went nuts for it. I have some great footage of her dancing around in her fairy costume at home.

We went up to my neighbor Robyn's (who lives two floors above me) for some yummy Halloween goodies and to see our friends in their costumes. That was quite lovely (pictures will be coming). Then we went to USF (where Mark and I both work) for the little Rhet/Comp program's Halloween gathering. It was very nice to see some friends at work, even though Daisy was pretty shy--largely because she was getting tired. She fell asleep in the car on the way home, which is almost always a bad sign for the nap. I managed to transfer her from the car to her crib, but she did not sleep for very long and was very crabby when she woke up. Nevertheless, we decided to go to the Halloween parade in Sausalito. I was curious to see it because I'd heard a lot about it and because Mark and I used to live there when we first moved to the Bay area. I've got to say, it was a wild scene. The weather, first of all, felt semi-hurricanal. It was warm and humid, and had been raining on and off, and then big gusts of wind came in and blew the leaves everywhere and blew everyone's costumes all around. Then, the parade itself was very crowded, although I guess it's usually more crowded when the weather is calmer. They had blocked off Caledonia Street, and a fire truck led the way for all the costumed kiddies; they paraded down Caledonia Street, where all the businesses were open and giving out treats, and at the end was what Daisy called a "Haunting House." Although some friends were there, we weren't able to hang on to anyone we knew because it just got so crowded and harried, and then Mark had to leave for his Halloween gig. I found myself feeling terribly sad as he walked away, and I was standing there with Daisy and all rain gear and diaper bag stuff and her overflowing trick-or-treating pumpkin, alone amidst all these people we didn't know, and the wind howling insanely and the sky threatening to rain imminently. Daisy kept saying, "Where did Daddy go?"

But then, I suddenly got a strong feeling that Daisy and I were going to have a great time, just the two of us. The whole thing was just too strange and chaotic not to be fun. And it was. Daisy went running down the street waving her magic wand, and striking all these crazy fairy poses and pretending to fly, and people started commenting on her costume and how great she looked; they would smile at her and respond to all her happy energy and antics. Some of the people giving out treats took her picture, and strangers came forward to tell us what a fabulous fairy she was. One woman told me in all sincerity that she looked like a REAL fairy, not a little girl in a fairy costume. We had decided not to try to go through the "Haunting House" because the line was too long, and we were almost back to our car when Daisy said, "What happened to the Haunting House?" I decided instantly that we would walk all the way back and go to it, even though I wasn't sure it would still be open, because damnit, Daisy wanted to go--and we did. We walked all the way back--and Daisy, who an hour earlier had been acting kind of whiny and tired and wanting to be carried, was in a great mood and walked all the way back on her own two legs. We made it, it was still open, and the line wasn't too long. Daisy loved it, although she confessed to me later that she was scared of the bats. She kept saying, "We saw something spooky! We saw something spooky!"

Then we paraded all the way back to the car in the dark, talking to strangers here and there along the way, and Daisy was in an absolutely great mood. It ended up being a really bonding experience for her and me, even though it wasn't an experience of getting to be with friends and Mark wasn't there. As we walked back to our car a man actually pulled over to yell out the window how adorable Daisy was. That made me feel good, because Daisy was sooooo proud of her costume and she kept going up to people shyly and trying to tell them that she was wearing wings and that her magic wand glowed, and of course, not everyone could enter into it with as much enthusiasm as Daisy herself.

When we got home, and walked into the dark apartment, Daisy had a new perspective, having been in a Haunting House, so she said warily, "Is this a spooky house?" I turned on the lights and explained that it was not. So after that she said a few times for reassurance, "This house is not a little bit spooky." Then we brushed her teeth VERY THOROUGHLY and I read her a book about fairies, and we talked about all the things we saw and did today. I talked her out of spending the night in her fairy costume, convinced her to wear pajamas, and put her to bed--and that was that!

The fairy and the robot

I have a lot more Halloween pictures coming, but this one has to be my favorite so far.

I was carded today, buying wine

That is all.

File under "Things your spouse teaches your child when you're not around"

Daisy just said to me, apropos of nothing, "Dada's coming out, so you'd better get the party."

A few seconds later she added, "...started."

The dancer!

Daisy loves dancing and she really tries to imitate some ballet moves. She likes to watch a ballet called Still Life at the Penguin Cafe; she studies the dancing moves intently and tries to do versions of them. Today she was doing the ballet on her "dance floor" (a portion of the living room floor we have to keep clear for her dancing) and she shouted at the top of her lungs, "I know what dancing is!!!!"

She was also shrieking, "I love dancers! I love dancers! I love dancers!"

I hope she has the gift that, sadly, I do not....

Daisy and Hannah at the aquarium

My cousin Rachel was in town, just for today, with her daughter Hannah--Daisy's second cousin. Yay! We went to the Cal Sciences museum and had lots of fun. I have decided that my daughter is the voiceover narrator of another child's life. She does participate, to some extent, but a lot of times it's like she's hanging back a little, observing, pointing at other kids and saying things like, "She's running in circles! She's laughing! What's she doing? She's crying! Now she's better. Everyone is happy!" Etc, etc, etc. She is the narrator of life.

Dancing around outside the museum

Albino alligator

Beautiful starfish

Huge tanks with coral and a million colorful fish



Having some lunch

Jumping on bugs


Climbing the treehouse in the play area

Snuggling in the boat bed

Steering the ship and examining a magnifying glass

Tired now (this was a no-nap day)


Enjoying the fountain outside (her foot looks like it's at a really weird angle, doesn't it?)

Daisy and her existential crises

That is what I am starting to call them. She has had a few more, and what is peculiar about them is that they come with no warning. Today, it happened twice. Both times, nothing seemed to be wrong at all. I was driving and I looked in the rearview mirror and saw her eyes welling up with tears. Then the lower lip started trembling. She said she wanted to sit in Mommy's lap, in a very calm voice--no screaming this time--and then the tears just started trickling down her face. Gommy made her feel better by mentioning marshmallow ghosts that were waiting at home. Then there was another small episode later that day, at home. Again, no warning; I just looked at her and noticed her eyes starting to fill with tears. She gave me a hug and said she wanted to go in the other room. We did, and then everything was fine.

I am thinking she is a sensitive soul and that these are some kind of existential crises. I really am! This girl is afraid of vacuum cleaners, blenders, swings, and butterflies, and she wept the first time she heard "Mio Babbino Caro." And Gommy would probably want me to add that when she was an infant, she used to cry at the part of "Over the River and through the Woods" where it says, "Oh how the wind does blow! It stings the nose and bites the toes as over the ground we go" (or something like that). She would cry, every single time, at the same part of the song--and she was only 6 months old or something. She is a delicate soul!

Conversation between Daisy and her cousin

Daisy: Mark is a good man.
Hannah: Gary is a good man, too.

Note: Mark is Daisy's dada. Gary is MY dada.

Moments earlier

Rachel: Hannah, what's your mama's name?
Hannah: Rachel!
Me (eager to show off similarly): Daisy, what's YOUR mama's name?
Daisy: Mommy.
Me: Yes, yes, but what's my name?
Daisy: Mama.
Me: But Daisy, what's my OTHER name?
Daisy: Mom.

It went on and on. But she KNOWS my name! She even calls me "Mama Sarah" sometimes. And when asked Dada's name, she immediately says, "Mark Meritt."

I guess while I'm reporting conversations... Daisy hates having her hair washed and she always gets very nervous. But last night, she was VERY patient as I dumped water over her head, and when it was done, she said: "That wasn't a bad deal. Daisy will not be crying." And that's an exact quote. Goodnight, folks.

Scary-go-round

Last night we took Daisy to the Tilden Park Scary-go-round! Yes, they do a haunted merry-go-round at Tilden Park, with a display of spooky things that the kids see as they ride by on their horses, and people wander around in witch and Frankenstein's monster costumes, and they have hot apple cider. Daisy rode SEVEN times.

I was feeling sick and I am now sicker, but it was worth it to see Daisy have so much fun.







It was difficult to get a good picture because my digital camera refused to focus, and hence to take a picture, of anything that was moving.

Aquarium!

Today we went to the new California Academy of Sciences museum in Golden Gate Park and visited the aquarium with our friends Marina and Lulu and our new friends Michelle and Mia (and Mia's little baby sister--whose name is escaping me right now). They have memberships and were kind enough to invite us along so we could go for free. It was fabulous. When Daisy walked in and saw the first tanks, she was so excited she started screaming.

I could picture going there every week--there was just so much to do. We only got through a small part of it. There are huge, extensive tanks that you can walk over at the top, and be very close to the marine life, and then in the basement you get the full underwater view. It is a gorgeous wonderland of coral, rock formations, and every kind of fish imaginable, in the widest array of bright colors and funny shapes. We also saw sharks, sting rays, jellyfish, and alligators. We didn't get to the penguins, but that is on the list for next time. There were nice outdoor areas for the kids to run around and have snacks, and we heard there was a "touching tank." Daisy liked an exhibit with bugs projected on the floor that the kids were supposed to run and stomp on. There was a whole lot more to see--I was kind of dragging Daisy along, and she kept saying, "What's that? What's that?" and wanting to stop at everything--so we will definitely be going back.

We were also lucky enough to see Daisy's Uncle Dave do a dive show in the big coral reef tank! Daisy was very excited (and has been talking about it all day), though when he swam close to her in the tank she got nervous and said, "Uncle Dave wants to get out!" I think she thought he was in some kind of distress, but when I reassured her that he was fine she calmed down and just stared at him with her eyes bugging out of her head.

On top of it all, the museum has a very nice area for toddlers to play in and where parents can take a rest. So--other than Daisy having an explosive poop that came out on her clothes, and me accidentally taking her into the men's room to change her--it was a perfect day. I can't wait to get a membership, which is going to be Gommy's Christmas present for Daisy! (Oh, and for those who asked me--the lines weren't too bad at all, at least not when we were there, right when the museum opened. The members line was very fast, of course, but the other line didn't look too long either.)

Thanks to Marina for this picture!! (Daisy, Mia, and Lulu)

Daisy is sitting in her wagon, reading books

...reading Splat the Cat and her book of The Red Balloon, to be specific.

She has developed this bossy and authoritative tone of voice that I can only assume is an imitation of mine, where she says, "Now, it is time for... (whatever)." "Now, we are going to do this." "Now, this is next." Etc. It is funny. She just said, "Yay! That was the most beautiful book in the whole world! I love you, Splat the Cat! I love you, Red Balloon! Now. It is time for Splat the Cat again. Now. Let’s get it.”

PS

You know what else freaks me out? Looking back on that post I wrote on Oct. 12 that says, "I know I'm probably jinxing myself, but I had a great day today. I wonder what will happen to me tomorrow?" ("Tomorrow" was the day Daisy fell on her face and broke her tooth and went screaming to the hospital.) I don't want to be a superstitious person, but I'm not being left much choice, am I?

My daughter is freaking me out

I really think she is smarter than I am. She often corrects me about minute details in books now, and usually, she's right.

And tonight, just now? She freaked me out. She was reading her book of Island in the Sun, the Harry Belafonte song; it's a picture book and each page has a lyric from the song. At first I wasn't paying much attention, but then I heard her say, "When morning breaks the heaven on high, I lift my load to the heavy sky." Then she turned the page and said, "Sun comes down with a burning glow, mingles my sweat with the earth below." Then she turned the page and said, "Oh island in the sun, willed to me by my father's hand, all my days I will sing in praise of your forests, waters, your shining sand." Then she turned the page and said, "I see woman on bended knee, cutting cane for her family." Then she turned the page and said, "I see man at the water's side, casting nets at the surging tide."

Uhhh... yeah. Every word, crystal clear. I can't say she was PERFECTLY clear when she said, "Never let me miss carnival with calypso songs philosophical"--but she got most of it. And it's not just that she says all these sentences clearly, with fairly big words-- it's that she has memorized every page of her books. Dozens of them. I want to say hundreds, though maybe that's an exaggeration.

She freaks me out. I still remember being stunned when I realized she had committed most of Mother Goose's rhymes to memory, and now that seems completely ancient history for her. If this is what she's like at two years (and almost three months), I imagine she'll be correcting me about EVERYthing by the time she's four.

I just hope she is smarter than I am in every way, not just the verbal. You should have seen my pathetic efforts to make a kite for her at Crissy Field Fantastic Friday today! All the other parents were following along with the presentation and folding their piece of paper this way and that, and somewhere along, oh, step three, I was hopelessly lost. It broke my heart when Daisy said, "Mommy, where's my kite?" as all the other kids were running off with theirs. It also brough back bad memories of kindergarten (oh my God, I almost typed "bad mammaries"--what a Freudian slip) and how I couldn't make a symmetrical heart for Valentine's Day if my life depended on it. I really think I had (have) some kind of mental deficiency in spatial relations. I hope Daisy doesn't have it. I fear she'll end up like me, using language to compensate for being weak in pretty much everything else.

Oh, but I shouldn't leave out the happy ending of the story: with the help of other, abler adults, the kite got made and Daisy got to run around with it like the other kids. See, that's one area where I excel: going right up to people and saying, "I can't do this if my life depended on it. Help me, please? See my daughter's big brown eyes??"

Tooth Update

Thanks to everyone who expressed their sympathy and concern for Daisy!

We took Daisy to the dentist and the dentist filed the tooth. It is now much shorter than the other one and still has a crescent moon indentation in it which horrifies her mother's ridiculous vanity every time she looks at it. But the dentist thought that making a "composite" (I guess she meant an extension to fix on the tooth to make it big again?) might be traumatic for Daisy. She said if when Daisy gets a little older, she wants this procedure done, we could then re-visit it.

The other issue is that there's still a chance she could lose the tooth. It's slightly loose, the dentist said. It may also turn gray.

I am glad the accident wasn't worse, and relieved of course that the painful parts seem to be over for Daisy (although she's still not using the tooth to bite... so perhaps it's somewhat sensitive). Now, though, I need to get used to her smile looking different. Friends have told me the difference is minor, but to me she looks very different and it's kind of hard.

But lots of things could be harder. I know I need to get over it, and I will.

Well, I wasn't wrong

Today was a bad day. I am really starting to believe in jinxes. Something seems to happen every time I dare to make an audacious claim about how well my life is going. I am against doing so, constitutionally, and yet every now and then, I can't seem to stop myself from spouting out with some little song of happiness...and look what happens. Anyway: it could have been worse. (That's not too audacious, is it??)

We were going out to meet our friends Nancy and Franny, and Daisy did her usual happy dance in the lobby (which has a hard tile floor) in front of a full-length mirror. She fell down, but it didn't look like a bad fall, so I comforted her but with every intention of continuing with our day. She was screaming, LOUDLY, but she often screams when she has an accident. She says, "Mommy, make it feel better," and I do, and everything is fine. Except this time, she wouldn't stop screaming. She screamed and screamed and screamed. And she was weeping, of course, and it got so bad her chest was heaving like she might barf. I was still jollying her along, and I'd put her in the carseat, when I noticed a big piece missing out of her front tooth.

I thought it was a pretty typical, if unfortunate, childhood accident, so I decided to call the Kaiser advice line to see what was to be done. As I was making my way through all the different menus (VERY annoying this time, when something seemed urgent but not necessarily urgent enough for 911), I decided I'd better at least start driving toward the ER, because she would not stop screaming. Or, occasionally she'd stop for a few seconds, and it was like she was trying to calm down--and usually when that happens, she goes back to normal. But this time--she always started screaming again, at the same level as before. So I figured she was in serious pain and I started feeling worried.

Luckily, I got hold of someone at Kaiser as I was driving who booked me a Pediatrics appointment so that I wouldn't have to go to the ER. It was perfect--he got me an appointment in just 20 minutes. So I drove to Pediatrics... with Daisy screaming the entire way. It was very stressful. Focusing on the driving, and trying not to let the screaming throw off my driving concentration, and trying to say reassuring things when she would scream, "Mommy, make it feel better," and also trying to book the appointment as I drove... it is kind of a miracle I didn't crash the car, but I was so discombobulated that when I finally parked I realized I hadn't locked her entirely into her carseat. In my starting to panic, I left the seatbelt unbuckled. AAAA. So: I know she's not the most stoical girl about pain, but I have to think it would have hurt pretty badly for her tooth to have hit those hard Spanish tiles hard enough for a big piece to break off. I'll bet the nerves in her head were ringing (and it turned out there were cuts in her mouth, too--like she bit into her gums). Anyway, a lot of crying and screaming later, we were at Kaiser, and the doctor gave her a big dose of Motrin, and she felt better. And Mark came from work to meet me, which was very nice of him.

Now, she's got to see a dentist tomorrow and he will determine whether any structural damage was done to the tooth, and whether it will have to be extracted. The Kaiser doctor didn't think it would, but he admitted we need a dentist's opinion, so I am a little nervous. I would hate for my girl to lose her tooth. It is actually a recurring nightmare of mine, losing teeth. If the dentist decides the tooth can stay, then filing it or possibly capping it are options. I don't think it can be left in its current state, because it's really jaggedy and sharp. I am sure she would cut her lip and tongue on it. Plus, I don't know if nerve endings are exposed, but that could be really painful. Yet I am also nervous about her having to have an Xray (which the dentist said they might want to do) or about having to take anesthesia. The Kaiser doctor said the dentists might want to do general anesthesia. That makes me very nervous. He said it might be better just to let her tooth stay this way, rather than put her under-- but again, it is so jagged that I think that would be a problem. I don't know--I guess I'll learn more tomorrow.

We also have to wait and see if she develops any infections from the cuts in her mouth, the doctor said, in which case she'll need antibiotics. It was sad when we put her to bed tonight, to see spots of blood on the sheet from when she took her nap in there earlier. My poor girl!!!!! Her poor smile!!!! I never realized I loved her teeth so much! I don't think tomorrow is going to be much fun for anyone. Daisy really hates having her mouth poked at anyway (toothbrushing is always a big struggle), and now it's the site of pain and trauma, so it can only be worse. Aaaaaa.

Jinxing myself shamelessly

Today was one of those days when I truly felt I was the mother of the most delightful person on earth. Wonder what tomorrow will be like--especially now that I've jinxed myself with this post :-)

Best line from dinner

"I'm a good eater. I'm good at eating cookies."

She also amused me today by talking about doing a "job of work." A strange little archaic expression for a toddler, eh? But I discovered it tonight in one of her books--Abiyoyo, the book based on the Pete Seeger song.

It happened again

This time we were watching The Red Balloon and Daisy suddenly started crying; she turned bright red and tears streamed down her face. As before, she said, "Mommy, make it feel better" over and over again. This time, though, it was over in about ten seconds. I asked her if she was feeling pain and where, but again she did not say. Mark thinks this might be some kind of bowel pain. I hope it's something as minor as that would seem to be.

Today Daisy told me she was going to "marry" one of her books--a new library book I got her called The Surprise. Then, without me correcting her, she said, "No. I can't marry it."

She also told me she wanted to eat a tube of chapstick and commented sadly while she watched the movie, "The little boy has no chapstick." I think it seems like a lollipop to her.

Tidbits from today

We had a lot of fun today at a Crissy Field Fantastic Friday with Dena and Henry. Daisy loved wading in the little, surprisingly warm rivulet of the bay where we took the kids. She did not want to get out, even though she was soaking wet from the pants down and it was a windy day. I think it was a great little adventure, and we enjoyed our picnic lunch with Dena and Henry afterward. I wish I'd remembered my camera. I am really going to miss this time with her when she's in preschool.

Daisy said some things today about George W. Bush which I couldn't quite understand. She also said, "What happened to the nineteenth century?" It used to be I could figure out where she was getting pretty much everything she said, but now I often can't tell where she's gotten something. She is full of quirky comments.

Mark said that while I was making dinner tonight, Daisy spent a lot of time leafing through my daily planner and babbling to herself. She said, "This is my book that I write on," and made up some kind of long narration about what was in it. Just now when I went to write in it I noticed how crumpled the pages were. She has definitely been making stuff up more--narrating little stories about her toys, for instance. She makes her two Playmobil clowns go to bed and take naps, and then they wake up and they're hungry and they play games, etc. Sounds mundane but is actually a new development for her.

Also, out of the blue today she told Mark she "loved him very much" and said to me, "I love you, Mama." She has said she loved us before, but usually there is a little prompting from us :-) This time, it was completely spontaneous. If she had any idea how it affected us, she would be saying it every single day, at least ten times a day. (I suppose its effect would wear off if she did, though.)

LATER EDIT: I figured out the "nineteenth century" reference. There's this ballet excerpt she loves to watch in which the dancers are dressed as penguins, "Great Auks," actually--and the excerpt begins with this somber speech that says, "By the beginning of the nineteenth century, numbers of the Great Auk were already diminishing significantly as the result of persecution by man." That's right-- she was trying to tell us about a poor penguin who became extinct by the mid 19th century.

Some recent pictures

I am posting a few pictures from my sister's recent visit; she took the pictures (isn't she an awesome photographer?). They are especially valuable to me because I have almost no pictures of myself with Daisy! I am always the one behind the camera, not the one taking the pictures. So it'll be great to have these.

Daisy and her gommy at the fountain, in the Healdsburg Plaza



Daisy and her mommy

Daisy drinking a peach smoothie

I swear this is true

This morning

Me: When I've put your clothes on, I'll make you a waffle.

Daisy: When you put my clothes on, I'll be in the valley of love and delight.

(This is from the song "'Tis a Gift to Be Simple," which is on one of her CDs. But still. What an awesome application.)

Odd tidbit of the day

Daisy has this thing where she needs to sit in every chair around the table. So, like, she'll be at her play table in her room, and she wants to sit in the blue chair. Two seconds later she says, "Now I will sit in the green chair." Then, after that, two seconds later, "Now I need to sit on my blue stool." It is hard to actually get down to the activity we were planning when she needs to keep switching chairs.

Daisy is very, VERY into dancing. We have a Harry Belafonte CD that she has to boogie to every single day, though she is very clear about which songs she likes and which ones must be skipped. If I weren't so tired, I would re-charge the battery on my camera and film some of her totally awesome interpretive dances to Erik Satie, too, some of which she does with Dada.

Today's quote

Daisy takes after her father in that she is a never-ending spout of quotations-- lines she has picked up from books, songs, and, yes, some videos and TV shows we've let her watch. She seems to have inherited Mark's amazing memory. We often hear her repeating some line over and over, and it takes us awhile to figure out where it is from (also, she has started correcting my memory about books, and I'm finding she's absolutely right most of the time). Some of the time, though, we can't figure out where she's getting something, and that was the case tonight. During her bath she kept shouting, "So many voices! So many choices!"

She hates having her hair washed and has started acting as though it's actually a trauma. She lies there trembling while I rinse the soap off and, often, repeating some line from a book that she finds comforting in order to soothe herself during the horrific process. Tonight as I rinsed her hair, she cried shrilly, "So many voices! So many choices! So many voices! So many choices!" the whole time. It was very strange and funny, especially since I don't know where she gets that line.

A good day

Thanks to Marina for these pictures! Why do I always forget to bring my camera, everywhere we go?

Today was really fun and the kind of day that makes me glad I live in San Francisco. We met our friends Marina and Lulu at SF MOMA, when it opened at 11; I was a bit worried about Daisy getting tired, because she had woken up at 6:30 this morning and almost nodded off in the car on the way to the museum! But she actually did very well. She didn't listen to me too closely at the museum and kept running off, but it was fun to see her enjoying herself so much and in such high spirits. She seemed very excited. We didn't stay as long as we would have without two-year-olds, and I didn't feel as if I got to look very thoroughly, but we definitely had some good moments looking at art together. Daisy asked me a million questions about everything she saw--and I didn't answer too brilliantly. But I tried.

Then we went to the Yerba Buena Gardens and the girls played around the fountains. I am proud to say Daisy did not fall into any fountains, though she had some close calls. Naturally, we had to do the carousel after that, and we did FOUR rides. Daisy did not throw a fit, surprisingly, when I told her it would be our last ride. She said goodbye to the carousel and said we'd see it again soon. Perfect! Then we went to Mel's Diner and had chocolated malteds and grilled cheese sandwiches, and acquired three balloons for Daisy. What a day for Daisy! Balloons, carousels, and ice cream.

Later we had a lovely dinner at our friends' house in Oakland--Will and Anna and their son Gus, and another friend, Charles, who is in town from New York to give a talk about his art at a gallery here. Daisy was very tired and actually said "I need to go to bed" toward the very end (it was almost 9:30), but for a tired child who had had a full day and no nap, she didn't do too badly and she seemed to enjoy being with everyone.

And now... I am awfully tired.

My day so far

Daisy is going through a new phase in which she hates to wear clothes--HATES to wear them. This is the first time she's ever fought me passionately on anything, but I can honestly say it was difficult getting her into her pants this morning. The only bright lining was that after I had wrestled her into the pants, she didn't throw a tantrum but accepted the situation rather quickly. Thank God, because this clothes-less thing could be quite a significant problem.

We went to the Conservatory of Flowers for, if you can believe it, the first time since I've lived in San Francisco. Well, I've been there before, but have not gone in. I am so glad I went--I loved it. The butterfly exhibit is still going, and I thought Daisy would enjoy it. It was just so beautiful, wandering around the tropical rainforests, peering into beautiful pools full of lilypads, appreciating the lovely fountains. When we reached the butterfly room, Daisy was... afraid of the butterflies. Yes, it's true. I should have seen it coming. Of course she would be. She said she wanted to go back to the rainforest, post haste.

Later I convinced her to try the butterflies again, and this time she seemed to overcome her fears and like them more. We met a very cute little 3-year-old named Gabby outside the Conservatory and I heard Daisy talking to her about chrysalises. It is always fun when we get to see something live, in person, that we've read about in books. Daisy and Gabby did dances and jumped up and down in front of the Conservatory, and then Gabby and her mom had to leave--but Gabby kept running back to give Daisy flowers she was picking (just tiny daisies and sunflowers growing in the lawn, not the beautiful orchids, of course). Daisy was so polite--it was just adorable. She would say, "Oh, thank you, Gabby!" each time Gabby handed her a flower. Then she insisted that I take one, too, so we would "all each have one." Gabby complimented her twice, telling me, "She really talks a lot!"

It definitely made up for the pants-wrestling episode earlier. And, to make it all even more perfect, Daisy fell asleep in the car but I was able to transfer her successfully to her crib when we got home! She is napping now.

One last cute thing; in Daisy's new book, Mole Music, there is a line that says "Something was missing"--the mole wants to learn the violin, and its music fills a hole in his life. Anyway, Daisy picked up on that line and has been saying it quite a bit. This morning at breakfast, with Mark gone at work, she said to me gravely:

"Something was missing. It is Dada."