Intentional Time

After the success of my Mommy/Daughter date with Cate two weeks ago (the one-on-one time did wonders for her soul and she was a much more patient and helpful big sister afterward), Eric and I decided we really needed to be intentional about giving her that time. That time to be a big girl and do the things Brennan can't do. That time to have Mommy's and/or Daddy's undivided attention. Last weekend, Cate and Daddy got dressed up and headed to the Symphony.The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra does a couple of concerts a year that they dub "Lollipops" concerts. They are geared towards younger kids in several ways: they're early in the day, they have musicians in an "instrument petting zoo" beforehand that show the kids how the instruments work, the concerts are an hour or less, and no one frowns or makes a face if a kid talks through the whole thing. Last Saturday's concert focused on the music of Mozart. So while Mommy stayed home with Brennan, Cate and Daddy found their seats...
...and watched a show (I really need to teach Daddy how to use my camera--he did well though).Eric said Cate got a little bored towards the end, but then it was over and she's talked about it a lot the last two weeks. What really amazes me though, is that when Cate hears a piece of classical music she's heard before, she can tell you where she's heard it. When one of the Mozart pieces started playing on her Little Einsteins game (she can only play with this when I'm nursing or changing a diaper-- it's a wonderful distraction), she said, "Mommy, it's like the concert." Another song on the same game prompted her to say, "Mommy, it's like my phone" (referring to her toy phone ring-tone).

Today I had planned to take Cate back to the little boutique where she took art classes in the fall. We didn't purchase the whole session/series, but plan to pay as we go on weeks we can make it. Eric has to staff workouts most Saturday mornings right now, so getting to art class depends on if I can get the three of us fed, dressed, and out the door on time. We made it on time today, only to find out it was canceled (we didn't know b/c we're not on the phone chain since we didn't pay for the whole session). Cate was really bummed because she had been looking forward to painting or doing something. Brennan was sound asleep in the carseat/carrier, so I made a decision to take her to a local paint-your-own-pottery studio. I wasn't sure if she'd be old enough to enjoy it or not, but she picked a piece and jumped right in (and all I had to document the moment was my cell phone).
She chose an owl bank and loved painting all of the different colors on him. The first thing she added was a smile.After 25 minutes though, she was just done. She wanted to paint something else even though the owl wasn't quite done. I rallied her and got her to finish the owl. Next time we'll go with something smaller.
The other part she didn't quite "get" was that we had to leave the owl there to "bake in an oven" and that we could come and get him next week. She wanted to take him home right away. Finished pictures will come next week. Luckily, Brennan stayed like this the whole time: Next Saturday will be a day totally focused on Cate as my sweet girl turns three. Yikes! She is officially a "preschooler" and not a "toddler" anymore as far as parenting books are concerned. We weren't going to have a party, but decided a small one with close family and our small group friends (the kids are Cate's friends by default...haha) was in order. With so much attention paid to Brennan lately, Cate deserves a celebration on her special day!

~Melody :-)

PS...Sorry for the long post. Thanks for hanging in there and reading with us.