How did she do it?

Jenny . . . or should we say Houdini, has been having trouble staying in her crib. She needs naps--I mean, she really needs naps! But she has trouble settling down and ends up wandering the room and the halls during naptime.

Yesterday, I decided to put up the dreaded Crib Tent. This is a little mesh tent that goes on top of the crib. It's safe, but it prevents children like my Jenny to get out and wander around. Or so I thought.

Today, I put Jenny down for a nap, turned on the white noise, and shut the door. I didn't hear anything, so I put Lizzy down for a nap in my room and fell asleep for a few minutes.

When I woke up, I decided to check on Jenny and see if she was still asleep. She was sleeping peacefully, but she wasn't in the crib tent! Astounded, I inspected the crib tent--and it was still zipped up. I still have no idea how she got out!

Deep Thoughts, by Jake

Two days ago, Jake handed me a book and said, "Read my life skills book, Mom." There are some gems in there that I had to share.

Here's how Jake would communicate with an alien: "I would create a body language you would communicate with your eyes. For example, 4 blinks equals 'hot dog.'"

Here's what Jake would tell his stressed-out teacher to do: "I suggest she makes a schedule to keep track of all her work so she knows when she has free time. Another way I do it is to eat food when my blood sugar is low, because sometimes being hungry makes things seem a lot worse than they are."

Here's what Jake would do with a million dollars: "My mom, dad, grandpa, and grandma would have me save it. My sister Maia would probably try to get her a pie store. My friends would try to get me to buy new video games. I would save some, buy a tiny, and give all the rest away."

Here's what Jake would tell a unicorn with low self-esteem: "It's okay to be different, and actually you're similar to more animals than you know. YOu're super similar to the horse. You're also similar to the donkey. See? You are also very likeable. I bet you could make friends if you tried."

Those are great words of wisdom, Jakie!

Another bathroom story . . .

A couple of people commented on my last post that they wanted me to share my embarrassing bathroom story (now I know who you are, Anonymous!). At the risk of not being able to show my face again, here it is.

Two years ago, I was playing the violin for a benefit concert in Oceanside, CA. There were a variety of performers there, and I was scheduled to play the theme from Schindler's List and Orange Blossom Special. I had to go to the bathroom but thought I could wait.

The performer right before me was a pianist with a comedic streak. He had the audience in stitches, and he seemed to be enjoying himself--I decided that I could risk going to the bathroom quickly without missing my cue.

I ran to the bathroom with my violin, but there was no counter to lay my violin down upon. So, the next best thing was to lie it on the tile floor in the stall, right in front of the toilet. I was afraid of the germs on the toilet seat, so I gathered up my floor-length dress and squatted above the toilet seat.

I'm not sure whether I was in too big of a hurry or whether the gathered skirts messed up my aim. But for whatever reason, I completely missed the toilet and peed directly on my violin!

With a gasp, I corrected my aim and finished the job. Then I picked up the violin and gingerly wiped up the mess with toilet paper. With a quick wash of my hands and a quick wipe-down of my violin, I was back in the concert hall in no time and still had plenty of time to spare.

The violin seemed no worse for the wear--but if you ever notice a faint smell when I play, you'll know why ;).

Here's a link to the performance right after "the incident." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylm7wnAQgwI

Bathroom stories

On Monday night, I was driving Jake, Maia, and Maia's friend Kylie home from their acting class. Somehow the subject of incontinence came up, and I remembered a couple of good stories!

When Jake was four years old, I enrolled him in a karate class. I was trying to find a sport that he was interested in, and karate seemed like a good fit for a conscientious little boy who didn't have much natural inclination for balls but could follow instructions really well. Little did I know how well he would follow instructions! At the end of the hour, I noticed Jake was standing in a puddle of his own making. "Jake!" I cried. "Why didn't you go to the bathroom?"

Jake, equally panicked, said, "The teacher told me I had to stand in ready position!"

****

One day, I was picking up three-year-old Maia from preschool. As we were getting into the car, Maia said, "Mom, I have to go to the bathroom."

"Okay, Maia," I said, distracted. I was in a hurry to get home.

A few minutes later, Maia said again, "Mom, I really have to go to the bathroom."

Okay, Maia," I said. "We're on our way home."

Maia didn't complain about having to go to the bathroom for the rest of the thirty-minute drive, so I continued home. But when I opened the car door to get Maia out of her carseat, she was completely drenched.

"Maia!" I said in exasperation. "You're sopping wet!"

"I told you I had to go to the bathroom," Maia said.

I realized I was completely to blame for this one. "You're right, Maia." I said sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

Cute girls, bad habits!

Lizzy and Jenny have been experimenting with their tongues, lately.

Yesterday, Jenny and I were coloring in a coloring book. I have a bad habit of chewing on my tongue when I am concentrating (much to the delight of my tennis teacher, who would take the opportunity to poke fun whenever possible!). I noticed I was doing that while I colored. I looked over at Jenny, who was also concentrating on her picture. And--wouldn't you know it--she was chewing on her tongue, too! There's got to be some weird gene for that!

Then today, Jeff took Lizzy and Jenny to the mall to get some dinner. While he was ordering noodles from Mongolian Barbeque, Lizzy took the opportunity to lick the metal, cafeteria-style bar all the way up and down the counter--until Jeff noticed and cried out in horror!

Cute girls, bad habits!

It's a . . . Girl!

I went to the Doctor, yesterday, and it is confirmed: We are having another girl! We are so excited!

I was a little worried that Jeff would be disappointed. He wants to have another boy, and one that will carry on the Cook name. But he was really excited to have another little girl, because he loves Maia, Lizzy, and Jenny so much. They're all so different, it will be interesting to see what this little girl's personality will be like.

It was fun to see the baby on the ultrasound, too. Even though she only weighs half a pound, it's amazing how all of her body parts are already developed.

We really like the name "Allie," but I'm not sure about "Allison." Could you call someone "Allie" if her full name is "Alicia" or "Alexis?" Are there any other good names that can be shortened to "Allie?" Or should we just name her "Allie?" So many decisions ;).