<monday september 22, 2003 - 10:30 a.m.>

Weekends around here usually mean that we're out shopping and spending money that we don't have. But it's usually in the name of home or personal improvement, so we tell ourselves that it's ok. :)

This weekend's big purchase included a bed for Sarah.

She outgrew her crib, and has been sleeping on her crib mattress for a last couple of months. It's too small for her, and I know this because she manages to roll right out of bed at least once a night.

So we bought a Big Girl Bed (with railing) and following that we had to buy the related items: mattress, comforter, sheets, etc.

She was pretty oblivious as to what was going on. She was too busy raging around the linen department with Emma, hiding in behind displays of pillows and rows of bed-in-a-bags.

I am looking forward to the day when I can shop (and actually consider my purchase) without having to threaten anybody with sudden departure and a time-out.

-

Yesterday, Jeff, Leah and their daughter Devon came over for a backyard BBQ. I am still stuffed. The girls had a lot of fun.

-

At some point on Sunday I went upstairs to find Barbie strung up and dangling upside-down semi-nakkid from Emma's door handle. I was slightly disturbed. I asked her about it. Apparently she did this to let Sarah and Mark know that they're not supposed to go in her room.

I'm no psychologist, but did she have to use red Christmas ribbon to do it? :)

a

<friday september 19, 2003 - 9:40 p.m.>

Today I found myself explaining the difference between a shell and an exoskeleton.

Shell: you wear your house with you.
Exoskeleton: you wear your bones on the outside of your body.

When is the last time I ever had to do that? Answer: Never.

Life is quite the adventure when you're four. Emma listened to the ocean in a sea shell, and took a thoughtful sniff of a fresh branch of cedar. These are things that we grown-ups often take for granted, and I'm trying to change that.

Today we watched clouds roll across the sky. We picked up a pretty leaf to bring to school. Emma squashed some crabapples under her foot.

Emma is taking kindergarten-level French. She came home the other day and showed me something the teacher does in class.

"She puts her hands on her head," she explained, gesturing with her hands. "Then she says koo-tay-ma."
"Kootayma?"
She nods her head. "It means 'Put your hands on your head.'"
"Are you sure she doesn't say Écoutez-moi?"
She thought about that for a moment, and agreed that she was probably saying that.
"Well Emma, that actually means 'Listen to me.' Your teacher is asking you to listen and pay attention, not put your hands on your head."

Is she going to take after her father, who, besides his excellent command of the English has no facility for any other language? Or will she take more after me, a mostly bilingual (English and Czech) person who still remembers enough French to be able to get through select Emergency Unilingual Situations? i.e. like ordering a bottle of wine, asking directions or buying a pair of shoes.

Czech was the only language I ever spoke at home with my parents. It is my maternal language, but my operating/thinking language is English. As far as I remember this has always been the case. For example, when I'm thinking about dinner I think, "what am I going to make for dinner?" And not, "co budu varit k vecery?" [Accents have been omitted due to technological limitations!]

That being said, the language of my subconscious is in Czech. When I talk in my sleep it's always in Czech. I bolt awake having just yelled: "Nazapomen uklidit pradlo!" [Don't forget to put away the laundry!] or "Proboha nevyhod to do smeti!" [For God's sake don't throw it in the garbage!]

But maybe this is a beneficial thing. If I suddenly wake up and cry out "dej mi pusu broucku muj!" then no one (including sleeping neighbors or a semiconscious spouse) will be the wiser, will they?

:)

andrea