Lil K Notes

For various reasons I've fallen a bit behind in Katya update notes lately, so here are a few...

• I planted geraniums recently and Katya "helped." There were lots of daffodils in the spots were I wanted to put geraniums, so as I dug the geranium holes, I also pried up bulbs. Now I see why the daffodils didn't bloom very well this year. They were in dire need of separating--I pulled over 50 bulbs out of one potted geranium hole, 32 out of another. Katya was fascinated. Every time I managed to loosen a bulb out of the ground, I handed it to her and she added it to a growing pile behind us. As I uncovered more bulbs, she would count them "1, 4, 6" and feel their smooth brown sides as they showed through at the bottom of the hole. She became so interested in watching the process of working bulbs out of the ground that every time I started on a new one, she would yell out "Get it!!" Soon she was laying on her stomach in front of the hole. It was a great victory whenever I got a new bulb free.


• She's taken to noticing her parents' conversations. When there is a lull in the talking, a little voice rather clearly repeats the last word or two.


• Due to an unfortunate and traumatic event, stairs are now a Big Deal. (No, she didn't fall down any steps, thank goodness.) Our home does not have a staircase. But whenever we're out and about and we find stairs, time must now be allowed for several trips up and down and up and down. She doesn't act afraid, though she holds my hand with a vice grip as we slowly make our way up and down, and she always wants to try going up (or down) again. When she finds stairs in our picture books at home (I didn't know there were so many children's books with stairs pictures), she studies the page, saying over and over again "Katya down stairs."


• Katya has suddenly made the transition to a form of pretend play. Everything Katya does, Baby (one of her dolls) has to do too. Baby needs a diaper change, Baby wants to be buckled into the high chair with all the bottles in the house in front of her; Baby shares Katya's snack. I was rather alarmed when after the announcement "Baby needin go potty" that I heard the toilet seat being slamed open. I arrived just in time to see Baby nearly disappearing into the toilet. Baby had a close call, there.