These Boots Are Made for Striking a Pose

Wednesday, Sarah and I went to the mall for lunch and a little shopping.  We rarely do this, as I'm kind of a stickler for healthy food and not much of a shopper, but we had a play date in the morning, and Sarah needed new shoes, so I figured it was the most expedient plan.  Sarah loved the treat, of course, and I'll have to say I was impressed by the quality (not to mention quantity!) of the chicken tenders I bought her.  Fried, yes, but relatively unprocessed.

She needed some basic brown Mary Janes to wear to church.  JCPenney had a great sale, so we headed there.  Unfortunately, it was on the opposite end of the mall from the food court, and the walk just about wore her out.  We passed Santa on the way, and I couldn't even get her to wave to him from 20 feet away.  By the time we reached the store, she was not in a shopping frame of mind.

The one pair of brown shoes they had didn't come small enough for her, so I looked for other options.  I saw a pair of Ugg-like boots in a natural color and decided they'd work with dresses and leggings for winter, so I had Sarah try them on.  I thought they were adorable, but she didn't like them.  The saleswoman asked her, "Which ones DO you like?" and Sarah quickly pointed to the same boots in hot pink.  They hit her feet, and her face lit up.  Never underestimate the mood-altering powers of footwear....

Today, I told Sarah I wanted to get a picture of her in her new boots, and she willingly obliged.  She's turning into quite a ham.

And, finally, a sweet pose....

"Grandma Has People in Her Head"

On Halloween, Don's 84-year-old mom Dell had an acute subdural hematoma and needed emergency brain surgery.  Fortunately, she came through the surgery well and is now in rehab in the hospital.  We are praying that she will continue to improve and go home at the end of the month.

On Thursday, Don, Sarah, and I drove to St. P*ul to visit her, when she was still in the ICU.  The day before, Sarah made her a picture and wrote her some notes, which she carefully put in an envelope, sealed, and labeled.  She wouldn't let me put it in my purse for safe-keeping and carried it around the house, panicking every so often when she realized she'd left it somewhere.

I was a little uneasy about how Sarah would react to seeing Dell in such serious condition, so I did my best to prep her on the drive up.  I told her that Grandma had an owie in her head, so doctors cut her hair really short and went in her head to fix the owie.  Sarah listened intently and seemed to grasp it all.  Every few minutes on the drive up, she asked, "What happened to Grandma?"  I patiently repeated the same simplified story each time, thinking I had covered all the basics in language a three-year-old could understand.

When we arrived at the hospital, we headed into the ICU, only to be stopped by the desk nurse, who told us that children under 11 aren't allowed.  Ooops!  My heart sank as I wondered how I would explain to Sarah that she couldn't see Grandma, after the big build-up.  She and I headed to the waiting room, while Don went to see his mom.

After a few minutes, I decided to give it one more try and appeal to the nurse's sense of compassion.  We went back to the desk.  I explained that we had driven three hours to see Dell and that her three-year-old granddaughter had her heart set on seeing Grandma.  I took the blame for not knowing the rules and asked if there was possibly a window somewhere where the two could catch a glimpse of each other.  Fortunately, a second nurse had arrived on-scene.  She agreed to ask Dell's nurse for permission, and Sarah was granted three minutes with Grandma.

That was more than enough.  Sarah was a bit shocked by Dell's appearance, but she put up a strong front and handed her the envelope.  I think it meant a lot to Dell to see Sarah's sweet face.  We headed back to the waiting room and played Sesame Street dominoes and iPad while waiting for Don come out.  Sarah continued to ask, "What happened to Grandma?" and I patiently repeated the story word for word.

At bedtime, when Sarah asked for the umpteenth time what happened to Grandma, I said, "Can you tell the story now?"  She replied, "Grandma had an owie in her head.  The doctors cut her hair short, then she had people in her head."  It seems the story I had so carefully crafted was no match for a three-year-old's literal thinking.  It makes me wonder how she interprets the many things I say without thought every day!

Late Fall Fun

It's been a busy week.  First was Halloween.  Sarah wanted to be a ladybug again, so we headed to Goodwill.  I was hoping not to spend much because first, I'm cheap, and second, I knew she wouldn't get a lot of use out of it.  Halloween isn't a big holiday for the reticent.  Fortunately, Goodwill had a relatively inexpensive costume that I finished with a black turtleneck and jeans.  She was happy with it and loved the black spots on her cheeks.

She wore her outfit to our play group's potluck, and I managed to get her to keep the vest on until after we ate.  After that, she looked more like a cat burglar than a ladybug.  On Halloween night, she was eager to get dressed up again and posed happily on the front porch.  We visited two neighbors' houses on the cul-de-sac behind us, and she managed to mutter "Trick or treat" each time.  After the second, she said, "Let's go home."  She had probably the smallest haul of any trick or treater, but she was happy, and I was thrilled.

I can't resist throwing in a shot of her first appearance as a ladybug two years ago.  What a change!

Later in the week, I got her her very own rake. In typical Sarah style, she went right to work in the front yard and spent about 30 minutes making a pile, even though the breeze was working against her. She chased after her irreverent quarry constantly yelling, "Hey, come back here, leaf!"

Friday night, we attended a National Ad*ption Month celebration at the La Cr*sse Children's Museum. We had never been there (again, the cheap factor) and were pleasantly surprised by the variety and quality of the exhibits. Sarah had a ball. She was the most relaxed and carefree that I've ever seen her in public. I don't know if it was because Don was along, which is unusual, or because of the uncrowded conditions, but she really enjoyed herself. It was a joy to watch. We may have to buy a membership! 

The juice pouch and cookie at the end capped off a perfect evening!