Spurs Fever in general is a good thing. But it can have some nasty effects in a select few children three and under. Common symptoms include crying, turning your back on people, and making unusual faces.
Even so, Charlotte would agree, the positives of Spurs Fever far outweigh the bad. Calvin, via his mom and dad, brought Spurs shirts for Charlotte and Happy. Charlotte was soooooo excited to wear her shirt to daycare/school the next day, and made sure Happy wore hers too.
So thank you Calvin, Sophia, Sarah, and Brian! The shirts look a lot better than these pictures do.
And one in four stairs are also susceptible to Spurs Fever apparently.
Our nephew Calvin is in Minnesota for about ten days, visiting from San Antonio. He is spending a good chunk of it at Wolf Ridge for a summer camp but will also spend some time with us. Calvin's visit is very exciting for Charlotte. He was here for one night before heading to camp. In the morning he was in the room with Big Nacho and said, "Hey Emily, that's Nacho average cat." Emily laughed and Charlotte overheard that and then she heard Emily retelling the joke to me later that day. So now Charlotte insists we call Big Nacho by his new official name because Calvin deemed it so. So according to Charlotte, Big Nacho is the in the past and from here on out we call him "Nacho Average Cat." And to Charlotte's credit, that is what she calls him too.
Calvin also came bearing gifts. One my personal favorites is this card Sophia (his sister) made for Haps and Charlotte. We hung it on the fridge and it makes me smile to see such a nice card from Sophia every time I walk into the kitchen.
In the spirit of the Spurs pending finals matchup against the Miami Heat, this video seemed fitting. It appears that Tim Duncan just discovered he has arms. Well, Charlotte has made a similar powerful yet simple discovery: the combination of "what's" with "that" yields amazing influence over conversations and parents. I am happy to indulge her, even if I know she knows the answer.
It's only fair. Whenever we look at books, we both know I am often asking her wh- questions that I know she knows the answer to. So it stands to reason that she can, in turn, ask me "what's that" questions, even if we both know that she knows the answer.
Wow there was a lot of theory of mind going on in that last paragraph. I'm glad I'm not reading this post to Charlotte out loud because then she'd ask me "what's that" about theory of mind, and I'd feel obligated to explain it to her in a way she'd understand. In the meantime, you can imagine what the bulk of our conversations have been like lately. A lot of her asking me "what's that" and a lot of me trying to find a short honest answer.
I had no problem working around these questions when I was working with kids Charlotte's age. Funny how the rules change when it's your own flesh and blood, in terms of what you let go and work around and what you don't.
Sumer weather has finally kicked into full gear here in Minnesota! I feel so fortunate to have a job I love that gives me a schedule I love even more. I am really looking forward to the time I will spend with Charlotte. I really want to focus on keeping our days simple and linear. And I also want to focus on keeping them outdoors.
This next picture is one of the rare times I've been able to get Pancho to sit or lie next to Charlotte. When she was a newborn he quickly became protective of her. And around the house he has become more protective of our house, barking a lot more at people and dogs passing by, and guarding the entrance to whatever room we are in. He still does that, but he chooses not to interact with Charlotte. He is more focused on the attention I give her. Pancho doesn't seem resentful, just kind of bummed.
But I have already started working with Charlotte and Pancho to make sure that they are indeed good friends when the time comes. He will learn that Charlotte is the biggest blessing a dog could ask for on the Throw Me A Ball and Give Me A Treat fronts. I think the walks and trips to the park we take together this summer will also help a lot. I mean heck, look how happy he was this morning.
Even if her name is is Charlotte, you won't find any Bobcats fans in this house. Meet the newest member of the Spurs bandwagon. Once you're on, you never get off, as we all know the Spurs have the most loyal fans in the league. I am proud see my daughter a Spurs fan at such a young age and Emily couldn't be happier to see Charlotte's favorite member of the team is its mascot.
And for fun at the end you can watch Charlotte watch herself on the laptop. On tap for tomorrow: show Charlotte her first M.C. Escher drawing.
