3 Anecdotes

Karina said her name for the first time ever today.  It used to be that she wouldn't say anything, just point to herself.  Then, about a week or two ago, she started calling herself "Riri" and "Rina".  Today, she said "Krina" or something like that.  There was definitely a K sound.

We helped my grandmother get her license renewed at the DMV today.  Always a thrilling place.  I'm not really sure why we went with her, other than she was worried about getting her picture taken because now they don't let you smile, and her friend had told her that when she went to get hers renewed (actually just an ID since she can't drive) the lady yelled at her and was very mean.  Anyway, we went with her, and Karina was so good.  I was really proud of her, and she even told me that she had to potty.  She sat and colored while we waited.  She is amazing sometimes.  Then when we got back to Nana's house she was wired!  She was running around, crawling under the chairs and table in the dining room, chasing the dog, and climbing on furniture.  We figured it was from sitting still at the DMV.  The funniest thing she did though was take one of Nana's canes and put it to bed in Nana's room.  Then she climbed into bed with it and "read" it a story--a paperback book with no pictures!

As you may or may not know, Karina has somewhat of a disdain for dolls and stuffed animals, except Lambkin the Beloved of course.  She had gone through a phase where she played with this one doll at playgroup every time we went, and my mom got her a doll and doll bed for Christmas.  Of course, by then, she had passed through the brief, doll-loving stage.  So the doll bed just sat around in our garage.  Today, she was playing with one of her Chuck trucks (if you don't know, they are a bunch of soft plastic trucks intended for very little kids.  They have big ones that are about 10 inches long and maybe 8 inches tall, then they have smaller ones, about 4 or 5 inches long, and some very small ones about 2 inches long.  I'm not good with measurements, so those are my best estimates.  You get the idea though.)  She had taken her mail truck (whose name was, at one time, "Hum" or "Um" and is now "White" because all the trucks are named after their colors, except Bus and Red Wheels) out into the back yard and played with him on her slide and swings.  He swung on the seesaw, slid down the big slide and the old baby slide, and climbed a tree.  Then he must have gotten tired because we had to come in the house and put him to bed.  She even went and got him a stuffed animal to sleep with and she wanted to put her own blanket on him.  I got her a different blanket to use, and asked if she wanted the doll bed to put her truck in.  Oh yes, she did.  So tonight little White Truck formerly known as Um or Hum is sleeping in the doll bed.  My mom will be thrilled.