Summer colds are never any fun. It just doesn't seem right that you should be sniffling when its all sunny and warm outside. This is where I find myself during the last two days. Not a horrible cold but still that lump in my throat, slightly stuffed up and groggy type of cold. This afternoon I'm wondering if this is it or is it going to get worse.
Thank goodness I have tomorrow off, although Miss K. has already started to make plans for our day. So far we are going to the 'brary and the swings. I'm sure more activities will be squeezed in as well and a nap may or may not be one of them. I've noticed in the past week that when I hold her she likes to put her arms around my neck and rest her head on my shoulder. She did it this morning at drop off and I indulged her with a few extra minutes of mommy time before I dashed off to work. Which also reminds that yesterday at pick up she was so excited to show me the tree pictures they had made that day..."I used my hands!" referring to the green handprints that made up the leaves of the tree.
This was much better than the pick up last Friday which resulted in a tantrum the entire way home. On that day Katherine was excited to see me but also had her eyes on a play Barbie cell phone that Ella was using. Right in front of my eyes she walked over to Ella and grabbed the cell phone out of her hands. The look on poor Ella's face was pure shock and dissappointment. Well, I was having none of that! I went right over to Miss K., got right down at her level and said to her in no uncertain terms that that was "not nice" (to use a phrase she frequently says and the teachers use with the kids) and she needed to give the phone back to Ella immediately. It took about another 10 seconds or so for her to think through what I had just said and hand the phone back over to Ella. Then came the sit down strike...ok Mom, if you're going to make me give it back then I'm going to sit myself right down here and sulk. Trouble with that plan was that it was time to go home. So I picked her up and out the door we went. The howling that ensued started the second my hands lifted up her body and did not really end until we drove up to the house. The worst of it of course was actually leaving school where she screamed and cried and squirmed in my arms all while longingly reaching back towards the classroom (over a plastic Barbie cell phone). I did my best to stay calm and not react one bit to it and tended to the business at hand. We sat in the car for about five minutes to let her calm down a bit so I could get her into her seat. Calm down is a relative term here though, I think at some point she could no longer recall exactly why she was so upset but she knew something wasn't right. What stopped the onslaught? I kid you not, it was an unexpected box in the mailbox (our electric company mailed us two free compact flourescent light bulbs) that prompted those tears to turn off like a switch...ooooo, what's in there?
I tell you all this to say that interesting enough, this is the first time where I actually was able to talk to Katherine after the fact about the incident. That night I asked her about the toy and "You really wanted to play with the Barbie cell phone didn't you" Shook head yes with the lower lip out just enough. I explained the need to share and take turns and that Ella was taking a turn with the phone and she needed to wait her turn. That if she wanted it, she needed to ask nicely for it and Ella may or may not let her have it right then. That the phone would be there on Monday to play with. A lot of conversation over a plastic phone but I think she actually got the point of some of the conversation because at various times during the weekend she would say..."We have to share". I'm not expecting any long term retention of the concept however or any generalization past the Barbie cell phone. I'm sure we'll be repeating this coversation over the next toy she has her sights on that someone else is using. This sharing business is just plain tough!
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