The County Fair

On Monday, we went to the County Fair. Since having Fi, we have been going in the early afternoons after her nap (that used to be earlier in the day). But now that she naps late, we decided to go in the evening and have our dinner there, and also keep her up a little later for the special occasion.

On this particular Monday, she napped earlier, so we were excited to get to the Fair earlier than anticipated, that is until we waited for almost 45 minutes for a shuttle bus to arrive, that then took a wrong turn in the large government center parking lot and let people off in the wrong place, thus taking even longer to come and get us and all the other annoyed patrons waiting in line in front and behind us. Truly, I intend to write a letter to the Fair’s organizers because this is the second year in a row that there have been issues with this particular shuttle stop, and by issues I mean long wait times or shuttles that never show up (a la last year).

Eventually we made it and had a great time. Fi LOVED the rides and we spent most of our time there.

Fi rode the cars, the “dinosaur” ride that was really spinning dragons, the swings, the giant slide, the helicopter ride, a train, a Ferris wheel, and the funhouse! When she was on the train, she kept yelling “I’m on a train! I’m on a train!” I think it’s because at that point, she had eaten quite a bit of ice cream and the sugar mixed with fatigue was starting to make her a little loopy. None-the-less, she had a great time and I had a great time watching her.

We also visited the livestock barn, but as soon as Fi heard the cows mooing and sheep bleating, she got very upset and wanted to leave. She was much happier looking at chicken  and bunnies in cages. However, as of tonight, she claims she likes loud noises (for example, the vacuum). We spent a great deal of time playing tonight. We had a pool that we jumped into and toys we had to fish from the bottom of it, hot pools (jacuzzis) to sit in, whales to swim around, boats to drive (she can reach the pedals), trains and buses to drive, and cows to nurse. Yes, Fi nursed an imaginary cow she named Cowie. Cowie is now napping in our hallway linen closet. On a side note, Fi will occasionally refer to some chickens she has that follow her around. She buckled them into the cart at Costco and became very upset when we forgot to unbuckle them before trying to return the cart. Fi told me to be careful where I walk lest I walk right through the cows’ pen. After about an hour of pretend play, our of nowhere, Fi announced that the “hot pool” is not really a pool, it is a toy box, and the cold pool is a carpet, and we are using silly words when we say they are anything else. It was surreal. All of a sudden, we were back to reality. I really do not understand at all what is going on in her head most of the time, but I think it is really neat and exciting to try to follow along with her. Her imagination is really detailed and seems complex to me. I cannot remember every single thing she said to me tonight, so I summarized, but I can say it was very specific with very vivid details.

Back to the Fair, here are my photos of the occasion.

Riding the cars:

 

 

 

The helicopter ride:

The “dinosaur” ride:

 

Fi on the swings:

 

Chickens and roosters:

 

On the Ferris wheel (and proof I was actually there):

On the little train ride:

My mom paid for some memorial bricks, so lots of people got to walk past these on their way into the fairgrounds:

My parents, Fiona, and I went to the Fair together on the bus, and John met us there later. Here is a group shot:

Obligatory Fair entrance photo with big Ferris wheel in the background:

Speaking of pools, the reason Fi is playing that there is a pool in her room is that she has been doing swimming lessons this week. They are going really well. She cried the first two days, then I got her some goggles and now she loves it. She can’t wait to go back, really likes the instructor, and tries to go off by herself. At the beginning of the week she was very upset about going underwater. Now, she doesn’t want to come up. Her favorite is picking plastic rings off the bottom of the pool and jumping off my lap into the water so she can go underneath by herself. The lessons are at the instructor’s house, in a nice warm pool, and there is also a jacuzzi (hence “hot pool”) that Fi really likes. You can’t take the plastic rings in the jacuzzi, but you can in the hot pool in Fi’s room, because according to her, the person who built the pools “said it was ok. They said.” We also played “Going to the Fair” and riding all the rides with each other and all of Fi’s dolls. Fi buckles everyone in and starts the engines. Right now, there are cows in her room with water bottles in case they get thirsty at night. I made her put away the (Ikea cloth) food she gave them when we cleaned up at the end of the evening. In another bout of reality rearing its ugly head, Fi told me that pennies are not like people and they do not wear hats. They live in wallets that go in your purse. She was referring to a book she has in which a large penny wears a hat. Sometimes I wonder if she thinks we are crazy for going along with some of her imagination games.

Here are some swimming photos. I have video, but I have not uploaded it yet. I only got to use my camera today because my mom came along and stayed in the water with Fi, to keep her from leaping in when the instructor was busy with another child. It’s crazy to me how much Fi has progressed this week with regard to being in the water. So much can change in such a short period of time. It’s exhilarating at times, scary at others. I worry, will I remember this in a few months? Is it just my imagination? Should I take more photos so I don’t forget? Did anyone else see that?!?

  

 

This is Fi picking up rings at the bottom of the pool:

I think the pool is about 4 feet deep at that point.

Anyway, it has been quite the week with the lessons every day, the Fair, going for rides in the Burley Bee (I learned Fi can’t nurse Panda in there because the straps prevent her from lifting her shirt), lots of dinners at home. It’s been a really fun week. Probably the first week home that actually felt like summer vacation, even though summer vacation is almost over and I went to work twice this week and have been doing work all week long.

Here is Fi with Bitty Baby and Eileen. I can’t remember where it was she was taking them, maybe to swim:

 

Not a crime scene, just the babies sleeping on the couch:

I was saddened to hear Fi telling Bitty Baby, as she was changing the doll’s diaper, that she needed to stop pooping in diapers and should do it on the potty. She said, “Stop pooping in diapers. Stop. Stop.” emphatically. It made me feel like a bad mom, even though I never told her to stop pooping in her pull-ups. I think she has internalized the idea that John and I want her to poop on the potty, even though we do not make her do that. Being a parent is hard, but not always for the reasons I thought it would be.

On a more positive note, Fi not only let me wash her hair tonight, she then spent the rest of her bath washing her own hair, filling a little cup with water then pouring it on her head while keeping her eyes closed. I feel like this week has been big in terms of Fi’s development and maturation. Then she told me there was whale in the pool that burped in her face, but it said “Excuse me” so it’s ok. It’s a polite whale.

God, I love that kid!