At the park

Because I haven't been sleeping well, and because I know I need to get some exercise, and because I worry about Amelia spending her entire day in front of the television, I decided to take the girls on a walk to the park this afternoon.

Before committing to the trip I went outside to check the weather. It seemed nice and breazy at first - not bad at all. But I quickly found the walk to the park to be quite hot and tiring. All of us were very happy when we arrived. No other children were playing - their parents probably had enough sense to stay out of the heat. I put Amelia and Diana in swings and both of them had a lot of fun swinging back and forth.

Amelia, who is starting to show a lot of independence kept telling me, "No mommy, don't push!" Of course, she wanted one big push from time to time to keep her going, but once she got going a little bit she wanted to try to handle things on her own.

What was unnerving for mommy was Amelia's insistance on climbing the jungle gym, over and over again. Like a cat, or a climber atop Morro Rock, Amelia could not get down off the playground equipment once she had climbed it. She would ask for mommy's help and then protest and say, "No, don't help me!" every time I put a hand on her.

Amelia seems to be understanding her role as an older girl and big sister. She has taken a sudden interest in watching and re-watching Elmo's show on babies. She also speaks for the baby (a common trait in big sisters and brothers) and has started saying things like, "No baby, don't eat the crayon!" Though I'm not completely sure this is a good thing, she also takes the baby by the waist and tries to help her to her feet after she falls down. As she tugs on her sister, unsuccessfully, she says, "Let me help you."

I guess Amelia feels that babies like Diana need help, but big girls like herself do not. Will this translate to independence in, say, potty training? Only time will tell.

Lisa