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[ Wednesday, March 31, 2010 ]
I keep hearing about child obesity in the United States, but it wasn't until recently that I saw definitive proof of how widespread that is. I don't know any obese children - there are none in Kate's school, none in the neighborhood, none in friends' families. Kate has consistently been average to slightly-below-average weight for her age. But when I switched her winter wardrobe for new spring/summer clothes, I realized that not a single pair of pants fit her. They are all size 5T, and Kate is almost 5 and a half years old. One would expect them to fit, right? Not so fast. Every pair of pants she tried on literally fell off her hips. You can fit a Kate and a half in them! They are from the same store (Gymboree) where I've always bought her clothes. At this time last year, she was wearing 4T pants. So how could this happen? Well, it is clear to me that Gymboree - and probably other stores - are adjusting their sizes to match the expanding size of American children. Unfortunately, Kate is not only average in weight, she is also average in height, which makes her old 4T pants way too short. While I search for better fitting clothes, Kate gets her wish: I stocked up on dresses.
[ Thursday, March 25, 2010 ]
Kate is a girly girl. I find that fact hard to swallow because I was such a tomboy as a kid and really don't know how to handle her obsession with dresses, jewelry, and nail polish. She recently had two birthday parties back to back and while I could convince her to wear pants and pigtails for the first party (since it was in a giant inflatable bouncing place), I had to cave in on the outfit for the second event (a tea party). I have to say she looked beautiful in both outfits but she definitely prefers the dress. Her latest request is a make-up table. A WHAT? I wasn't allowed clear nail polish and clear lip gloss until I turned 15! Now my 5-year-old wants eye shadow and red lipstick. Here are the two party outfits I mentioned... I still prefer the first one.  
[ Monday, March 15, 2010 ]
We've been busy moving Kate to a bigger bedroom, which involved new furniture, painting, built-in shelves, electrical work, etc. Two full weeks of hell, but she loves her new room - particularly the Barbie fashion comforter (very grown-up). We had to go to IKEA yesterday in search of last-minute items and much to my surprise, Kate had a blast. She wanted to seat on every chair, lie on every bed, and play with every toy. It was looking like a very long afternoon. She got so excited that I had to crouch down, look at her in the eyes and ask, very quietly: "sweetheart, you are very excited. I need you to calm down a little bit, ok?". She took one deep breath, looked back at me and said "it's not working!" and ran out again.
[ Monday, March 08, 2010 ]
Kate was watching a Barbie DVD in the car on our way to school, when this exchange almost caused an accident. Kate (very matter-of-fact): All the boys in the movie want to marry Barbie because she is so pretty... (pause) That's the same thing that is happening to me. Me (nearly driving us into the sidewalk): Excuse me?? Kate (explaining patiently): All the boys in school want to marry me. But I told them no. I'm going to marry Goran. Just Goran. Side note: Goran is a 5-year-old boy who Kate used to hate. As she explained to Gigi later, "Goran used to be with Samantha, but not anymore. Now Goran and I are together." Apparently Goran isn't Kate's first boyfriend, either. And if that wasn't enough, she added "Gigi, I like talking to you about boys." [ Monday, March 01, 2010 ]
Kate surprised me the other day by saying she didn't want any more dolls and that she was ready to give away all but two of her Ariel dolls. She sounded very grown up when explaining that she was more interested in games and puzzles now. When we were at the Homestead last month, she played checkers with GrandDad several times, and started to learn chess. So it all made sense. Yesterday we went to a store and I told her she could choose a toy. And she chose an Ariel doll! "I changed my mind, mommy", she explained calmly. That is probably Ariel doll number 25. I really do wonder how many different dolls can be made of a single character.
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