Daddy got a new video camera as a delayed birthday gift (delayed gift; despite the efforts, I’ve proven unable to delay birthdays). This is the first video recorded on it — Allison spinning a story. (Folks receiving the blog via email may need to click through to the blog website to see the video.)
Allison’s sad future
- Me: Are you going to be a daddy when you grow up?
- Allison: Yes! I’m going to have the same glasses and the same hair!
Probably my fault
“In college, I’ll be six years old. In college, you have to be six years old!”
Allison’s got game
Sunday brought another first for Allison: her first baseball game. The Cardinals were in town, and Lara’s alma mater Washington University In St. Louis was having a lunch-then-the-game event. Lunch was at the Los Angeles Police Academy, which you would think would have a lovely rock garden area for such things, but does.
We reckoned that we’d probably get half a game. Between the rather slow nature of baseball (and her lack of understanding the game) and the looming clouds, we figured on something unpleasant by inning 5. We brought along umbrellas just in case, but the first place we tried to get in made us check them… and then when we discovered that we were in the wrong place, we picked them up, went up to where we were supposed to be, and found they wouldn’t even check them there, so we had to throw them away.
The game looked to be an interesting one on several fronts. The Cards had shut down the Dodgers 4-zip the night before, and the home team was debuting a new pitcher just up from the minors, Clayton Kershaw. And as it turned out, Allison was up and interested throughout the whole thing, even if little of that interest was directed at the game. She liked the chanting and the cheering, going along with chants of “Boo LaRue!” and “Lets Go Dodgers!” (despite being in the midst of a batch of Cardinal fans) and even “Lets Go Lakers!” (despite being at a baseball game.) And she liked snacking on peanuts (we’d had Cracker Jack at the lunch… ever wonder how much of the annual sales of Cracker Jack are derived from its inclusion in the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”?) The game stayed close, the fans grew more intense (except for those who were leaving while the score was tied - really, why did they come?) And Allison, fueled on lemonade, grew almost problematically hyperhappy by the time the game ended when, with 2 outs and a full count at the bottom of the 10th, a Dodger doubled and drove in a game-winning RBI.
And it seems like timing was just about right, because Allison had burned through her energy. The trip back to the car involved lots of crying and wailing over our not having our umbrellas any more. She fell asleep on the drive back.
a real puzzler
Allison playing with two coffee cans that have been turned into stilts:
“Two of the coffee cans look the same, but can you find which of the cans is not the same?”
Proof she’s my daughter, part 317
We are watching a show in which Curious George rides a rocket. “My trip to the moon was just a dream,” says Allison repeating it several times until she could be understood through early morning mumblemouth.
I’m excited, because she almost never talks about her dreams. “That sounds like a great dream. What did you do on your trip to the moon?”
“I got a comic book… one that I already really had in my room.”
Speaking of which, she will be getting some comic books today, and maybe you should, too. Today is Free Comic Book Day. Most comic book stores will give you at least one free comic book (sometimes a bunch!) just for stopping in.
Allison in action
Allison is riding her tricycle on a basically-unused street end, with Daddy watching carefully over her. She terms, and zooms as fast as she can go (admittedly, not that fast), with a bit of a downhill, and goes bonk into the high curb, almost throwing her from her conveyance.
“Did you just go bonk into the curb?” asks Daddy.
“Yes!” responds Allison.
“Why?” asks Daddy.
“Because it’s my job!
When Daddy picked up Allison from preschool today, her teacher Miss Tammy pointed out a long but shallow scratch on the wee lass’s cheek.
“It was a bit of a fight. Allison had a toy, and the other girl wanted the toy, and Allison didn’t want to give her the toy…” Miss Tammy explained. “But she wasn’t too bad, and we cleaned it and put some ice on it. And she was very brave and calm through it all.”
“I’ll maintain proper decorum,” explained Daddy, “and not ask whether the other girl got a black eye.”
Miss Tammy laughed. “I’ll give you this — she fought back, and she gave better than she got.”
And Daddy felt a bit of guilty but genuine pride…
Black code J
wsabjjkhdssffwbdhnbdhsjsjshdjshaqsnswhhwtggg
dhdhggrgggeheygffsdfddsas
–Written by Daddy, dictated to Allison
Once upon a time there was a peenoligis song. And for a long time a day go, jeanie tawn, lynt a wand.
–Written by Allison, dictated to Daddy
The cat who runs the mouse: Once upon a time there was a chainewer mouse. (A chainewer mouse is squeaks along with a cat.) Then the cat came home and long time. And momistoss. (Momistoss means you’re naughty.)
–Written by Allison, dictated to Mommy
See, she’s getting older
Yes, yes, because you demanded it. Or at least politely requested it repeatedly - new photos! Including Allison and all three grandmas! Yes, she’s losing her babygirl cuteness and is looking very much like a human being, although still an adorable one in her own way.
For zesty flavor…
Allison is drawing shapes using a pencil.
ALLISON: Do you like the copy of a comic I’m making?
DADDY: That looks very nice. What’s it about?
ALLISON: A mermaid, and lemons!
Sniggy
Once upon a time there was on this day and on the fifth of May they went for a walk. And the end!
–Written by Allison, dictated to Daddy, who hopes he got it right.
A problem Allison will not have
Now some of you may have read the L.A. Times article today on how tough it is to get into the top private kindergartens around here. Do not worry; no top-flight private kindergarten will reject our daughter.
Allison’s mom went to public kindergarten. She ended up with a doctorate from CalTech. Allison’s dad went to public kindergarten. He ended up graduating college at age 18. That’s not to say that there weren’t other things done at home to help turn us into educated folks along the way, but we expect that we can provide that for her as well. And we’re too cheap to shovel out the $20,000/year for it.
Besides, I don’t know of any private kindergarten that will really prepare her for the NBA.
Exercise machine inquiry
“Did you ever try a machine with two guitars and a hamster? And handlebars you hold onto so you don’t fall off, and then go back and forth and back and forth?”
School report
Sorry for taking so long to get to reporting on the first day of preschool. Frankly, we don’t have that much to report — we took her into the preschool, and she immediately said “Hi, everybody!” We checked in with Miss Tammy, made sure Allison put her lunchbox (her mother’s old Snoopy lunchbox) in the right place, and left her to assimilate.
Picking her up eight hours later… well, if you asked her later what happened on her first day, she will tell you “I was making cookies, and suddenly, Daddy appeared!” And that’s it. Oh, and what was listed as “circle time” on the schedule was actually “square time” (perhaps an April First variation?)
We did get a report from Miss Tammy; Allison was good and happy and involved and playing. She was the last to get to sleep at nap time, but she’s used to later naps.
So, all is well.
But, having taken Allison to various preschools when we were trying to find the right one, we are now having trouble convincing her that when we take her to preschool again on Friday (she’s on a Monday/Tuesday/Friday schedule), it will be to the same school. She’s actually looking forward to seeing another one.
I’m really proud of how she took to it. As a loving dad, I want her to have all the education I never got. In this case, that means preschool, fourth grade, sophomore through senior year of high school, and grad school.
After that, she can go back and fill in the rest.
Our academic daughter
We just dropped Allison off for her first day at Simon’s Rock, er…, Little Oaks Preschool.
Report to come later.
Latest talent discovery
“I know how to watch TV and eat cheese at the same time!”
(Yes, she takes after her daddy.)
Look out, Barack!
Allison (making a good catch): Oh yeah, bay-bee!
Daddy (always curious where she absorbs language): “Oh, yeah, baby”? Where did you learn that phrase?
Allison: In Presidents school!
It’s Blatmit and Tone
Once upon a time there’s Blatmit and Tone and there was slorry and corrine and caline and waline and Allison. And these wanted to get easy and some chocolate. So they went to the chocolate shop and they went to the chocolate shop, that was it. So if he ate the chocolate and he drank juice and ate chocolate, a felashy came along with them. And then Tone said “What are you doing here?” And that’s the ending!
Written by Allison, dictated to Daddy
