A Fancy Lunch

Genevieve got to have lunch with Grammy, Aunt Muffy, Aunt Robert, and Daddy. She was very excited to tell me about it. She said that they ate at a restaurant called Fancy, and it is for womens! In fact, they went to the Cincinnati Women's Club. Genevieve couldn't wait to go to the Womens restroom with Aunt Muffy; twice. (For the past two weeks, she has been telling Daddy that she is a girl and should be going to the womens restroom). She too was very excited about the elegant purse with a handle cookie that she was served.

After lunch, she got special play time at Mount Storm park playing camp with Aunt Muffy and Robert at her pretend campsite spot.

...And the Treats Keep Coming

Today, one of Genevieve's dreams came true. She got to pick apples from a tree! She has been asking Daddy to take her to pick apples from a tree for over a year (last year the drought and the Itlay trip got in the way). Her fantasy was even more special because she got to bring Lily and Alex along. The orchard Daddy chose was Iron's Fruit Farm. All kids were able to pick apples (some with John's help). We had a picnic of sorts in the orchard. After we picked our peck and ate a few, we checked out the rest of the farm's offering. We skipped the corn











maze, but spent quite a bit of time on the playset with the "banana slide." Daddy visited the store and found pumpkins, apple fritters, and jack-o-lantern cookies. When we were finished at the fruit farm, we found more treats at a roadside produce stop. Each kid got a cool gourd and a tiny bag of popcorn. As Mommy passed out the popcorn, she remarked that "the treats keep coming," a phrase which made an impression on Genevieve. Later in the day when she wanted another treat and was told no, she reminded that I said that the treats keep coming. She did get more treats. Aunt Kristen and Uncle Todd brought her a souvenir ball from the Bengals game.

After a very tearful departure from Lily, she fell asleep in the car on the way to visit Grammy, Aunt Muffy, and cousin Robert (also known as Aunt Robert). She awoke and was very grumpy and shy. Then, she warmed up and chatted Robert's ear off. After dinner in the cafe at Twin Lakes, we enjoyed the evening at the duck pond. Genevieve fashioned a fishing pole from a dead flower and got Robert to do the same.

Does the girl need a doll?

Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit, which put Genevieve in manic mode. Grandpa was her new best friend and she wore him out! We took a stroll down Ludlow Avenue. Grandpa got some coffee and Grandma browsed her favorite local florist shop. We visited the fountain, where Genevieve made me a delightful salad. It started with just "lettuce" (in fact leaves), but was quickly dressed up with other "vegetables" and nuts.

After the excitement of Grandma and Grandpa, I was afraid Genevieve's mood would turn, but she was remarkably sweet most of the day. She went with me for the produce pick-up. On the way, she asked if we could go to our garden. I answered maybe later, quite sure she would forget. She did not. At the garden, we found many, many tiny tomatoes - barely bigger than a pea. As we were picking red ones, Gigi told me that Greenie really likes green tomatoes, so she was going to pick green ones just for Greenie.

When we arrived home, she took great care in washing the tomatoes. Then she asked me for the frog bib and the frog bowl - for Greenie. She said Greenie needed a bib because she is a little messy when she eats.
After Greenie was finished eating her tomatoes, Genevieve carefully removed her bid and set her on the sofa so that she could rest. Do you think it is time to get the child a doll?

Hot Water Soup

Daddy wanted leftovers for dinner, so Gigi and I made soup. She helped for nearly an hour! She used vegetable scraps - squash seeds, carrot peels, chard scraps, etc. to make an "ostrich house." She was so impressed with her own cooking, she ate three helpings!

Genevieve had her first fall Musikgarten class with Miss Amanda. Three girls and three boys; just the right size. Then, lunch with Grammy - playing restaurant, fishing, watching the ducks, and throwing rocks at the Twin Lakes pond are some of her favorite activities. Getting gas for the car these days is a huge ordeal with Genevieve. "You didn't stop at pump 3!" I reluctantly turn the car around and go to pump 3. Sometimes she doesn't notice until after I am out of the car and is yelling at me from inside the car -- my selective hearing kicks in.



After an hour nap in the car and a quick snack, it was onto an art session at Happen, Inc. The theme was shapes and Mr. Junk Man (shown to the right) just happened to have a bunch of Polaroid cameras. We were given 1/2 hour to find the letters/symbols in Gigi's name. Gigi is very much into letters and armed with a Polaroid around her neck, went trotting down Hamilton Avenue looking for things that looked like her letters. She found a neon lit g, a cursive i, another "G" that was a door handle of a car, and a fence post that was a lower case i with a metal ball on the top for the dotted part of the i. She also took a picture of a 3 because, well, that is her number and her age.

Mommy came home and Genevieve made up a new game. "I will throw a ball, and you yell HER-HAY!" Many her-hays followed.

At bedtime, she wanted to know what river Granny Ele has. I told her Granny Ele has three rivers in her town, and she wanted to know what names they had. She then wanted to count our rivers: The Ohio, the Miami Ladybug, the Okeenie, and the Prugo (I know of only the Ohio and the Little Miami).

Tuesday with Gigi

When I arrived home, I was greeted by a girl who was very excited to tell me about visiting the library. She chatted about Mr. Eric (the librarian storyteller and singer) and the bakery. She "helped" me make dinner by cutting tofu and eating it. She wanted to know how it would feel in her mouth and on her face, so she tested both--very tactile today. The big cooking excitement came when it was time to slice the eggs for Daddy's salad. It was so much fun, she decided that she would have a salad too (just so another egg would need to be sliced). She did not like the dressing on her salad initially (caesar), but had a change of heart and ended up eating two servings with more dressing on the side for dipping.

She talked more about Ava's house today. She told us that Ava has an orange cat that jumped up on her big girl bed. They were playing doctor, so they checked out the cat and the cat was okay. She then exclaimed, "Ava has a BASEMENT!" She let us know that the basement had letters and a horse and a board, and a flower power board and..... It went on long after we stopped listening.

Daddy was not home from his whitewater rafting trip, so Genevieve had to awaken early to ride the bus downtown with Mommy to pick up a rental car (business trip to Lexington, KY). Entering a jam-packed bus was a bit intimidating, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, where will we sit?" She did not wait for an answer. She made her way to the back of the bus and squeezed between two strangers. There was no room for Mommy. For an instant, she considered moving to panic mode. Instead, she bravely asked for Greenie. I tossed Greenie back to her. I could hear her chatting with strangers about Greenie. I knew she was okay.

After we picked up the rental car and Genevieve was safely tucked into her car seat, she remarked that Greenie smelled a little funny.

She went to Ava's house to play for the day. She got to watch Ava's swimming lessons, and now she plans to take swimming lessons herself when she is "four or five."

Our evening walk ended up at the playground of the neighborhood school. Genevieve addressed us as "People" in such a tone she might as well have called us her loyal subjects, which greatly amused a dad, who too, was visiting the playground with his daughter.

On the stroll home, a tired Gigi told Mommy that she did not want to stay with her anymore. Further questioning revealed that she wants to live with "just Aunt Kristen". She seemed to have a change of heart after she was tucked into bed. Many, many excuses to call mommy followed: I have an itch, duck fell down the crack, I have a question, I just need to cuddle you for just one minute.

Big Fun in the Fort

An action-packed weekend! We met Grandma and Grandpa earlier at the Johnny Appleseed Festival. Grandma bought apple pancakes for all, which the girls ate while watching pioneer cloggers. We took in the sights. Lily got a bow and arrow demonstration (which she had been curious about). We saw cousin Vanessa and Mark and Gracie in pioneer gear (Lily remarked about the dead coyote Mark was wearing).

Next it was off to a fun-filled afternoon at Soloman Farm with "baby" Grayson (who is actually a full-fledged toddler now), his mother Christen, and his grandmother Karen.
There were many activities - a great petting zoo, hay ride, field corn search and shucking, tractors on display, oat threshing, and a tree to climb. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves - especially Lily and Gigi, who got to jump in the giant pile of straw.














We ate dinner with Ele at Concord Village. Genevieve was angered when a resident called her "little angel." I suggested some more polite ways to respond (rather than using a nasty tone and expression with "I AM NOT A LITTLE ANGEL!") Fun as always was Granny Ele's organ, pushing elevator buttons, and bead necklaces. The kids discovered that the cane "mic"
arrangement could be extended to include the walker as well. Finally - "mics" for all three!



Early Sunday, we had a quick visit to the Hogans. Lily fell in love with TJ. The girls created a dish "moss poss" made out of, you guessed it - moss (mulch and grass too).

Then it was off to Uncle Lyle's and Aunt Kathy's (where Grandma & Grandpa's house on wheels is: Ossian, IN) for a fun picnic with campfire marshmallows and ice cream too. The girls got to continue nature play and watch the horses. Aunt Kathy let them pick flowers from the flower bed! Alex made himself a nice little set-up for outdoor car table-driving with Grandma's little bench.

Road Trip

It was a VERY high-stimulation day for Genevieve. She rode the bus to school (with Daddy) which is always exciting. After school, Aunt Kristen picked her up and they went to the zoo! Gigi and Alex had a snack and rode the train while Lily took a "Turtle Power" class with Leela.

Then, Aunt Kristen and the kids picked up Kara from work and departed Cincinnati for a trip to visit Granny Ele in Fort Wayne, IN. After several side stops, we were finally on the road. Traffic was slow. The trip was loud (with singing and voices of Lily and Gigi's imaginary play), but relatively smooth.

At a rest stop, Kara was exercising the girls with a simple obstacle course. Genevieve started creating her own course. In a burst of enthusiasm, she slipped on brush and bear-hugged a tree to break her fall. Much sadness followed. She needed Greenie. She needed to be held. She told me I needed to take her to the hospital. I assured her that she was fine, and then I noticed a fair amount of blood. Lily was grossed out and averted her gaze immediately. She made it very clear she wanted to see NO BLOOD. After first aid was completed, Genevieve announced that when she grows up, she is going to be an ostrich doctor named Gigi Lily Aurora. Lily stated that she would be a dolphin doctor named Miss Lily Elizabeth Page Gigi. Lily then told me the very fancy name for the doll she was playing with-- Maravella. No drama there!

Big Punkmuns Have Arrived!

She woke up silly today. She could not use her fork to eat breakfast because, "He's (her fork) lying down enjoying the sun, Mommy. That's the sun." Genevieve pointed to the overhead light.

Her report from school was that she sang a new song during circle time and she played with Merina, and Ollie a little bit. She sat next to Merina and Jackson at snack time and ate chips and hummus and carrots and "little cheese bits that were so, so small like this." She also said that Isabelle was not there.

The nearby Kroger store was once again open for business, so it was our family's evening project to pick up food items for Daddy's whitewater rafting trip. Genevieve prepared herself for the trip to the grocery. She chose to wear her gold dress-up princess gown, a hot pink jacket, a sun hat (although it was already dark), green crocs, a magic wand, and of course, beloved Greenie.

When we arrived, she was delighted to see big "punkmuns." She wanted to check to see if she could move them. She could not. Next we saw the sign on the door, "no cold food." The storm recovery is still underway. There were indeed many empty shelves. The great trauma came when we went to Genevieve's FAVORITE part of the store -- the cheese aisle! It is the family ritual that if snack cheese is on sale (which in our experience it always is), she may choose a piece. She noticed the empty shelves throughout the store, but was still shocked and confused and disappointed to see her special cheese spot empty. The picture, below shows when she discovered there was no cheese. The bottom picture is when I told her to make a sad face.

Gigi has a Potty-Mouth

The girl wore me out yesterday! So much so that I fell asleep directly after story time in her bed. So, no blog. But boy, oh, boy was there ever material! It seemed nearly everything she did or said was blog-worthy, but not in that "my-child-is-so-amazingly-creative-and-sweet-and-smart-and-charming-and-a-joy-to-all-experience-her" way. It was more like "who-is-this-kid-and-will-her-parents-please-do-something?" I made the mistake of offering her a rare treat - some M&Ms (rainbow candy to her). About an hour later, I was half crazy from listening to the hyper singing and goofy voices. I asked Daddy what on earth was wrong with her and he reminded me - CANDY. Yikes.

Her friend, Rye, and his parents and little brother, Denham, came for dinner, which pushed the mania to new heights. Because she had an audience of a peer, she used the words poop and diaper liberally when she thought we were not listening. After our evening walk, Genevieve "fell asleep" in the stroller so that she could be carried upstairs.

Her sweet side returned for a trip to Grammy's at Twin Lakes (Montgomery, OH) today. She took a few of her animal forms to Grammy; one in particular that she wanted Grammy to play with was the yellow duck. "Grammy, after yellow and orange, what is your next favorite color?" Green was Grammy's answer.

We went out to the lake to see the ducks. Genevieve eagerly played by the side of the lake, threw rocks and played restaurant with Grammy. "Would you care for french fries or rock, Grammy?" When I returned from getting Grammy some water (leaving the two of them alone for a few minutes not knowing how things would be when I returned), Genevieve was sitting in a chair next to Grammy - with hands behind her head - and said "Grammy was crying and I gave her yellow duck". Lo and behold, it must have worked, because Grammy wasn't crying!

Clean-up Day

Today started the big clean-up from the storm (Blackout 2008). Much of the neighborhood (and the city) are still without power. This meant many exciting things to watch around the neighborhood. It's not every day a girl gets a backhoe in her front yard and mommy home on a weekday!


Genevieve's questions about the storm continued - "why did Aunt Ceci's house have a hurri-game that was the same as our house?" She also wondered if it was the same storm that filled Grandma's house in New Orleans (Katrina) and that's why her house now has wheels. She also asked if Grandma was driving her house today.
















Because we can (yes, gloating about the power in our home), Gigi got to watch a movie. When daddy suggested she relax, she assumed the posture - reclined with hands behind her head; wearing a scratchy tutu.

A Blustery Day!

Another high stimluation day for Genevieve! Cousin fun continued. Playtime was inside today as there were terrific winds outside blowing trees, debris, and what-not (including a large "shoe" planter from our balcony which luckily did not hit any one).

Genevieve attended her neighborhood friend Rye's 4th birthday. It was moved inside due to the heavy winds that knocked down many branches in his yard. So, there were no squirt gun fights or water balloons as planned. Instead about 8-10 kids played indoors, ate cake and ice cream, and helped Rye open gifts. Genevieve was more in tune with the birthday protocal than ever -- gleefully singing Happy Birthday, relishing two scoops of ice cream with a piece of Batman cake, helping tear open gifts, and announcing to everyone that she, too, will be four on her birthday.

Creative Cousins

It was a day of much excitement for Genevieve. After what felt like an eternity, Lily and Alex arrived for a sleep-over! They played in Gigi's kitchen for a bit (wearing matching maxi-dresses), and then it was off to Uncle John's adventures.

First stop was a bluegrass festival in Camp Washington to see the Mt. Pleasant String Band ( a favorite of Daddy's). The kids got to go inside a teepee, meet Sunflower, and test some instruments (drums, gourds, and a flute).

Next we went to the open studio at Happen, Inc. The last of the race car project was finishing as we arrived. Instead, we did the butterfly project. The kids painted clay butterflies with glaze. They got to pick their favorite, which will be made into a garden ornament after it is fired.

We finsihed in time to go to Crossroads. Lily chose to go in the 4-year old room "and make some new friends" rather than joining Gigi in the threes. Lily got a special surprise when Leela McCart was in her room! They were still jumping up and down from the excitement of it all when I picked them up. Alex kept with his record and cried his way out of Kid's Club. He seemed to be excited about going and jumped right into play when he arrived, but twenty minutes later, his number was on the screen.

Dinner was a kid favorite - Skyline Chili. We pushed our luck and knocked out an errand before heading home. Everyone had excellent behavior and got to pick a treat from the Target $1 spot. Lily and Alex both chose heart-shaped light-up Elmo rings. Genevieve selected some tattoo/bling gem/nail decals that were my last choice. As much as I tried to promote other items, she stuck with her choice. Ugh.

Gigi got to play at Aunt Sharon's friend Patrick's house -- loving his house numbers 324 "my numbers!! " 3 for her, 2 for Alex and 4 for Lily. She was excited to make stone soup in the backyard and to shoot hoops on the front porch. It took her awhile to warm up to an old friend/nemesis --- Sharon's cat (via Crissy); Charlie.

She noticed Halloween items at the store and started planning her costume "I want to be a princess - no- a ballerina!" She also asked if we could get out her "punk-mun" purse.

She made a friend at the bus stop. Her new friend was a Brazilian Cincinnati State student. She let him know that she was three, and going to school. "My school is nine thirty. Miss Carmey and Miss Nicholas are my teachers. I will be four (exhibiting confidently her four fingers, my cousin Lily five, and cousin Alex three." He is engaging and pleasantly amused by her conversation.

Chef Genevieve

She is busy in her kitchen! Tonight she was making "hot water soup" for Daddy. It was explained to me that I was not allowed to have any because it is too spicy and I am not big enough. I am so, so tiny - but Daddy is so big, so he can eat it.

There were many secret ingredients. Genevieve would "go to your kitchen" to pick up ingredients like green apples, pears, and yellow apples. Then the ingredients had names like "cholde" and "ponge" and "spoichee" (all these items were specific refrigerator letter magnets).

As I watched her, it seemed I had a blossoming spokesmodel before my eyes. Her ensemble of choice was a bathing suit with gold lame flip-flops. There was a good bit of tip-toeing, and the new and most alarming thing - presenter hands. When she showed me which plate was mine, she said simply, "This is your plate." Both hands gestured slowly as if she were offering me the next item up for bid on the "Price is Right." Yikes! The same thing happened when she showed me a pair of sparkle shoes (with a perfect hand sweep added), and various pieces of play food. Where did this come from? Who is offering things or acknowledging objects with dramatic hands?

Later she was catching fish (actually balls) with a butterfly net. She had some buddies with her. Their names were interesting: Oddish, Strado, Ermis, Jodie, and Lily-Fish.

She performed a puppet show for Daddy today, and a very brief one for me. The star was a girl in her underwear - which for some reason was funny to her (although that is how Gigi chooses to play quite often). The girl in the show was sad because she could not find her friend, Ballerina. She threw in some bathroom words for comedy. I sternly admonished, but secretly found it funny.

For 9-9-09 Nine Things

Nine things about Gigi that amuse us today

Her announcements
Dramatic gestures and sound effects
Her love of Greenie
Her new words - samperation, tivity, etc. - and of course, Quinge
Covering her face to avoid unpleasantness
Songs and word deviation - like Jack Johnson's "Taco in Town"
Arranging of objects - also known as working on her art
Selection of outfits and accessories
Her greenness, "You're wasting, Mommy! Stop wasting!"

Ramps for Grammy

Genevieve loves Grammy. As a result, she is very aware of ramps. With her building blocks, she will announce, “I’m building ramps for Grammy.” Walking up the stairs to the apartment, with broad arm movements and sound effects, she says she is turning the stairs into a ramp for Grammy so "she can come to my house and play with me". Visiting me at work (Valvoline), she climbed up the steps to the entrance and exclaimed, “A ramp! Grammy can come to your work”! When she finds any food that is vaguely triangular (usually tofu or bread), it becomes a ramp. She then plays with her food (which drives me a little batty); with a hand or a bean or a spoon being her and another being Grammy. On a walk home from Aunt Sharon's house, we encountered a spot with no ramp. "Oh no! There is no --no..." She could not verbalize what she was thinking, so, I helped her out and said that the cut-away in the curb was missing. She said that it was not very nice and why did summa-body do that? She then said Grammy can't come here. Our little advocate.

Something is a- Happen inc.

Another studio day at Happen Inc. Genevieve and daddy wrote and illustrated a book which she titled Rainbow. There are many numbers, and a Fountain Square is involved.

Sample Hound

Family errands. Gigi is really pretty well-behaved for trips around town. This is especially true of grocery store trips now that she has discovered SAMPLES. She can spot them aisles away. As soon as she is loaded in the cart she states, "Mommy, I want a sample!" She tries all of them, and often asks for seconds. I try to explain that a sample means just a taste. Three year old logic kicks in, and she says simply that she needs to taste some more.

Many Moods at the Museum Center

Today Genevieve got to do one of her favorite things - go to the Cincinnati Museum Center. The trip was made even more special because she got to go with other kids! Lily and Alex (her cousins) met her there for lunch; and later, Will and Charlie Hamm came. Because her feelings for the museum center are so passionate, trips are often an emotional roller-coaster. It is so hard to leave a good time, or follow certain rules, tantrums may ensue. Today was no different, which is a comfort for me, knowing that Daddy experiences the drama too. This is what happened when Daddy tried to take a picture to commemorate the day:

When all else fails, threaten to leave (which we have actually done before), and the turn-around begins!

Moments later, the total turn-around makes one wonder who that defiant, head-strong, mad-at-Daddy girl was.

Alex, Genevieve, and Lily at the Water Works station -- possible budding careers with Cincinnati Water Works? They were able to pet a large python snake - and Genevieve for the first time the snakes underside; run around in tutu's (Alex was in public so I guess his mom, Kristen, kaboshed his tutu); play lunch counter waitresses -- great job Gigi - Lily, you're fired! (She brought me spaghetti and meatballs, a hot fudge sundae, and watermelon when I had asked her for a cheeseburger, fries, and soda) Her mom said, " Well, she was just bringing you what she thought you ought to have." And Kristen wonders why we call her "The Hoss?"

In addition, they played at length in the sandbox, built sculptures, played with balls and trains, and even pottied together in the mens room!

During lunch, Genevieve and Lily were admiring the mosaics of people that circle the rotunda (see above). Lily noticed the American Indian and asked "who is that"? I explained that the Indians used to live around here years ago, but that our ancestors moved here and claimed the land. "That's not nice!" retorted Lily. What else could I say?

The Strolling Artist

When I met up with John and Genevieve this evening, she had her dolly stroller. The stroller had no doll or stuffed animal, but two blankets - Greeenie and Pinky-Pink. In the storage compartment were two scarves. Gigi told me, "Greenie's blanket is purple, and Pinky's blanket is yellow---- and Greenie is my blanket." I laughed. Blankets have blankets? She did not understand why I found this amusing.



At Staples, Genevieve told me she was shopping for a pink bag. Instead, she got to pick glue sticks and beginner scissors. As soon as she got home, she started working on her art. She continued with cutting fringe on sheet after sheet of paper. When it was time for a family walk, she said she wanted to take the stroller. I assumed she meant her doll stroller. Wrong! She said the "purple stroller that you push." She then informed us that she would be taking paper, scissors, a black marker, a yellow marker, and an orange crayon to work on her art in the stroller. She was busy the entire walk.

She kept referring to herself as an artist "like Aunt Lizzy" and pointing a toe; dramatic ballet style. Is this something Aunt Lizzy does?

The Artist formerly known as Tonk

Genevieve often says she is an artist - "just like Aunt Lizzy" (not better than Aunt Lizzy, as cousin Lily claims). Yesterday, while riding in the car, she shared a vision for a work she wanted to create. She was very specific, and spoke of it at length. She explained that Daddy would draw around her foot. Then she would cut it out, and color it, and put sparkles on the top.

This morning, she set to work. There were some roadblocks, and it took some tears to work through them. In the end, it was not exactly her vision, but she made many, many versions (eventually moving on to Mommy's foot). She discovered that she could not cut the foot out by herself, and was hysterical when Mommy cut it out wrong. Instead, she created a fringe effect with small cuts all around the paper. "Look Daddy, I'm learning!" For her first attempt with scissors, I thought she did fairly well.

This one was not of the foot series, I just thought the googly-eyed butterfly was funny.

Genevieve has been plagued by bug bites. The other night she needed a bandage as a result. She told me it was bleeding. I checked and told her it was not. Her response was, "Yes it is. It's white blood. Some blood is red, and some blood is white. This is white blood." She went on to explain that she needed a circle bandage, or a pink one - since it was white blood. How can one argue with that? I gave her the circle bandage.

Tonight (going to bed), she called me into her room to tell me that Daddy and I needed to take her to the hospital so they could take her bug bites off because they would not stop itching. I gave her a pink bandage instead.