Playgrounds and Fonts

One Very Happy Grandpa
I think She Wears it Better than I Do

Our grandchild has survived yet another day of our care which is renewing some confidence in the whole parenting arena. Yesterday following her nap my wife was preparing her patented spaghetti dinner so my granddaughter and I struck out for the neighborhood playground. She made a point of showing me all the apparati and the specific sequence in which they had to be used. We also made of point of trying to chase down any squirrel we came across, channeling her inner-Buddy.

Helping Abuela in the Kitchen

Impossible to Resist

We also ran across a lumbering ground hog which was kind of jarring in the New Jersey metropolis but he seemed to know where he was headed. I made the trip to the playground transporting her via the stroller but she was having none of that for the return trip. I think it was the squirrel chasing. During a conversation later in the day her mother related that she loves to walk and eschews the stroller at every opportunity.

Remarkably Clean after Dinner

After Action review with Abuela

Here Abuela - You Need Cleaning Up

My granddaughter turned out to be a lot tidier with her spaghetti than her mother was at a similar age. We’d hoped to generate another photo like the one we’ve tortured my daughter with for decades but she was cleaner than I usually am after devouring her plate. After reading about the polite lions another seventeen times the First Blog Reader retired with nary an issue.

We were repeatedly woken during the night by my daughter’s cat. He, who gained infamy during the move to New Jersey in a Newark hotel (see that blog entry), was up to his old tricks. He was trying to open the bedroom door so aggressively that both my wife and I were woken up repeatedly. Finally, after the two am attack, I followed him back to his third floor den. Just as he was mounting his perch to contemplate his next crime I scared the bejesus out of him. We didn’t hear from him for the rest of the night. When I fed him this morning I’d like to think we shared a look of mutual respect. We’ll see tonight.

Dressed to the Nines - Courtesy of the Great Aunt

Helping Abuela Down the Stairs

Ready to Dominate

This morning saw us at church. My Favorite Panamanian was bound and determined to take her granddaughter to see baby Jesus. Maplewood is blessed with a fabulous, very inclusive Catholic church and we hit the family mass. I could see how much my granddaughter had matured in the short time since our last visit there although she did require some time to inspect Jesus’ swimming pool – the baptismal font.

At Church

Font Check

Of Course She Made some Friends

She pitched a fit when I put her back into the car seat and said we were going home, she only calmed down when I asked her if she wanted to go “bye bye” instead. She acquiesced for a return trip to the playground where we chased some more squirrels and mastered the sequence again. She is getting so independent. She now asks that she be allowed to place herself into the car seat instead of being hoisted into it. I think she’s going to have a deep stream of independence; just another thing to be proud of her for. Not that I need another reason. I will say this weekend is going way, way too fast.

With Abuela at the Playground

And Grandpa

Squirrel Chasing

No Fair - They Always Run Up a Tree

Grandpa Invited into the Ball Tent