Sharing: On Her Terms

Hannah has done things on her terms since birth - sharing is no exception. She's not quite ready to share toys with friends; generally, she begrudgingly shares with Hunter though sometimes it appears to be willingly.


Today, she decided to share her food with Baxter - she even broke it into smaller pieces for him. He seemed as shocked as the rest of us, which might explain why he didn't run away. You see, this girl loves her food far more than any toy. So, to share her food willingly really is a tremendous sacrifice for her. Of course, the chance does exist that this was Hannah's attempt at a peace offering for some event that caused Baxter pain or distress. Either way, this was such a sweet moment for these two.

Preschool Music Program

The kids had their end-of-the-year music program on Thursday. Last year, Hunter lasted just over a minute on stage before he realized that Hannah and I were in the audience. As soon as he saw us, he bolted off the stage and never looked back. This year since the kids would be together, I was hoping for at least a few additional minutes. I got it!

Initially, Hunter and Hannah were on opposite sides of the stage. Hannah erupted in tears just after the beginning of the first song, so the teachers moved Hunter beside her. She stopped crying and calmed down. Neither child had any interest in singing or standing with everyone else, though both children love to sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" to us every chance they get.

Hunter lasted through the third song. At this point he just calmly exited the stage to sit with us, refusing to return. Hannah, bless her heart, was left sitting on the stage completely confused about what just happened. It seemed as if she didn't know what to do - should she leave like Hunter did or just stay where she was - she's a thinker! Her teacher saw the wrinkled brow and knew what was coming next, so she helped Hannah off the stage and back to us.

Who knows, maybe next year we'll make it the length of the program!

I really tried to do a good job with the video, but Pete and I kept giggling at the kids' expressions and behaviors. I'll try to do better next time :-)

Caterpillar Awareness

I probably should have done a better job elaborating on the caterpillar itself. Not all caterpillars are dangerous - just some! Several of the varieties at the zoo and other places down here are the more dangerous ones. Hunter encountered a buck moth caterpillar at the zoo. They are probably the most common ones down here right now. Hunter typically has terrible reactions to ant bites and mosquito bites, which is why we were all surprised that the caterpillar event wasn't any worse. Here's a little more information to help you identify friendly and not-so friendly caterpillars.

Here's a link that gives more information about them.

http://www.heraldguide.com/printer_friendly.php?id=312

Here are some pictures of various caterpillars:

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef003.asp

Fun with Dad and a Painful Lesson

Since Pete rarely has the chance to visit the zoo with us, we took advantage of some family time on Sunday and took the kids to see the animals. Both kids would willingly go everyday if we would take them. Hunter couldn't wait to show Dad the "new" sea lions - they aren't really new; they just returned a few months ago from their temporary home following Katrina, but Pete had not seen them which means they were new to him.

Clearly Hannah had the best seat of the day!

Hunter's frustration - we had to wait a few minutes for the sea lions to appear.

Hunter was obviously thrilled when they appeared. Notice that Hannah remained emotionless as she continued eating her animal cookies - nothing interrupts a good snack!

Hanging out inside a tree!

Louisiana is great for a lot of things and not-so-great for a lot of others. One of the not-so-great things is the mass population of caterpillars around this time of year. Some can be very, very dangerous. We've told Hunter not to touch them; he has never tried to before. But, Sunday was different. Apparently, he found the perfect caterpillar; before anyone could warn him otherwise, he touched it. Everyone standing near him, even total strangers, reacted with gasps and warnings after the fact. All of the commotion scared Hunter more than the caterpillar itself. The effects took a few minutes to appear, but within a few minutes it became very obvious that he had definitely made contact with the caterpillar. Thank goodness for cell phones! I called the dr's office and our very favorite nurse, Jan, was on call. She called us back immediately and told us what to do and what to watch for over the next 48 hours. We found the medical personnel at the zoo and began the process of pain management.

Luckily, the wound didn't get as bad as expected. Hunter says it doesn't hurt anymore and the swelling is starting to subside. Jan even called to check on Hunter today. Hunter was a champ through everything. Hopefully we learned a valuable lesson and won't play with the caterpillars anymore!

Hunter's bobo after the zoo's medical personnel put baking soda paste on his wound and bandaged him up!

The Zoo

Note: Before you classify me as old, realize that I started teaching right out of college; plus, I teach high school - ages 14 to 19 - so some of my students were almost my age when I was first teaching. And yes, Julie, I know that I will always be three days older than you - thanks for remembering!!

Today the kids and I went to the zoo to meet one of my former students (from my very first teaching job) who is in her final year of law school at Tulane. She, very bravely, agreed to go along for the experience. The kids loved her instantly - nothing new for Hunter but very surprising for Hannah. Hannah was practically begging to hold Laura's hand as we entered the zoo. Laura is only the second person I've ever seen Hannah let touch her on a first meeting, the first being Kimberlee just two weeks ago. Either Hannah is softening up or these are two very impressive people (my vote is for the latter).

Laura got a new camera for Christmas and has been wanting to take pictures at the zoo. Though she did get some great animal shots, she captured some precious moments of the kids today. Photographs are so much easier when someone else is taking them. I'm considering hiring her for more of our weekly outings:)

"Sissy, see the turtles!"

You seriously want me to smile?!

Okay, I'll play along!

This really isn't so bad after all!

Yes, we know all about the real animals at the zoo, but they don't let you climb on them!

Talk about embracing nature!

According to Hunter, "I'm not happy!" Really??? Who would have guessed?

I think I see an alligator!

Can I PLEASE ride the carousel? PLEASE???

No, but how about a nice whale?

Strategizing for the ride home?

A few of the animals...

Laura, thanks for a wonderful day and lots of great pictures!

It's Definitely Monday!

What a day! I'll spare you the majority of the details, but here is a glimpse into life on Planet Peterson today:

• The kitchen trash disappeared. Apparently, it learned to play hide-n-seek only to be found sometime later behind the elliptical machine. How do I know the trash can was hiding? Hunter told me so! Who knew trash cans made such great playmates? (hint: one very silly three-year-old)
• While returning from delivering dinner to a friend who just had a baby, the same aforementioned three-year-old announces, "Mommom, it's raining in the van!" Realize, there is not a cloud in the sky and it is NOT raining anywhere around us. As I get to the stoplight, I turn around to see the rain. Rather, I see what had been Hunter's snack crackers now reduced to mere crumbs gently falling from his little hands all of over the carseats and floor. It actually did look like some type of precipitation - probably more like dirty snow than rain though! He's never really seen snow which explains the rain.
• Hannah proved she can remove not only her shorts but also her diaper as she announced she needed to go potty. She didn't make it all the way to the potty; she had an accident on the newly mopped kitchen floor. The same floor that she spilled her milk on earlier this morning. Someone please remind me why I even bother to mop! I guess she's getting a little more serious about this potty training thing - we'll see! She wanted nothing to do with the potty for the rest of the day - her timing not mine - I know!!
• After putting Hunter to bed, I kept hearing noises coming from his room. I investigated only to find Hunter hiding behind his rocking chair with a ziplock bag of cheetos. I have no idea when he got them or where he stashed them, but he was quite proud of himself. I still don't know what the noises were, but he was certainly up to something!

And now, I'm off to bed...Here's to a calmer tomorrow!

Road Trip

When we learned that the Westlakes (friends from our time in VA) were traveling to our time zone for spring break, we couldn't wait. As many of you know, I have tried several times to return to VA for a visit, even getting as far as the airport check-in counter once, but never has the trip actually happened. So for a piece of VA to be that close to us, I couldn't pass up such an opportunity. We arranged to meet at the Gulfarium in Fort Walton.

All of our Christmas card pics are still on the fridge and Hunter can identify everyone if you prompt him with names which explains why Hunter considers each and every person on our fridge his friend. So, when he heard we were going to see Ian and Isabelle, he was ecstatic to be going to see his friends. Hannah will probably be more excited next time, but she was game for whatever the rest of us wanted to do.

My mom, the kids, and I left early one morning for the four hour trip. We arrived slightly before the Westlakes, and Hunter was desperate to find his friends. Once they arrived, Hunter was delighted. Hannah was unusually friendly, offering Kimberlee a hug from the beginning, a welcome reprieve from her typical NO! (Kimberlee, you should feel very special!)

We had a wonderful time - too bad we can't do this more often! Hannah is still talking about the dolphins. Thanks for spending the day with us Westlakes. We wish we could have had more time, but we are certainly thankful for that day! What's the plan for next year?

Hunter and the first shirt of the day.

Hunter and his second shirt of the day. The first one was drenched when he tried to go fishing in the touch pool.

Hannah amusing herself while waiting on the show to start.

Best Buddies!!

P.S. Pictures are compliments of Kimberlee W.