June 27: Cats, Yawning Play, and Do-Overs

Olivia is our cat and today is her birthday. We selected the day to be close to Carl’s birthday to help us remember the date. I think Amy is the only one to think of it, as Olivia is her nearest and dearest Cat Best Friend Furever (CBFF). Last night Amy made a card for Olivia, and it is the most elaborate card she has ever made. She said she stayed up until 10pm working on it and then flung herself into her bed. She also made a Spotify playlist for Olivia, complete with Amy’s favorite songs from the musical CATS and with a “song” of a cat purring. 

Last night Sarah and I were cracking up during the bedtime preamble of hanging out together in her room. We were sitting on the bed and I yawned for real. Sarah maybe yawned legitimately too. Then she started fake yawning and the sheer goofdom shining out of her eyes had me laughing so much I couldn’t even yawn for real when I wanted to. She was laughing too. After a few minutes she flung her arms around me with an affectionate, “Mommy Mouse!” 

Sarah continues to have super bathroom-door-closing radar, especially at bedtime. She may be happily having quiet time in her room looking at pictures drawn by Sc or reading a book, but if she hears Amy close the bathroom door then Sarah must use the bathroom this instant!! It is imperative that she brush her teeth right NOW! Never mind that she could have done so easily in the many minutes that preceeded this one. When Amy does open the door, Sarah tends to bulldoze past. Amy gets nervous about being body checked, though I remind Sarah not to bump into Amy. Sarah hasn’t been touching Amy lately but she does still go fast and Amy gets anxious. So last night I said Sarah needed to go slower or I would start having Amy brush her teeth before opening the door. Of her own accord, Sarah slowly retraced her steps and slowly performed a do-over of the previous moment. She apologized for going too fast and said she would go slow. Amy was still grumpy, but I was quite pleased.

Amy is a rising fifth grader, as her last day of school was June 18. Next week she and Sarah attend Magic Camp, at our house and joined by Anna. If I understand things correctly, Amy and Anna will alternate participating as students and as teachers. Amy’s new witch’s broom arrived just in time, with a companion broom sized for a grown-up.