A Tiny Tot Comes for a Sleepover!

Our much anticipated sleepover visit with Catie our 3 year old granddaughter has finally happened and was it ever great.

Yesterday afternoon my beloved and I picked up our Catie-Girl for her first overnight visit at Nanny and Pappa's house. Because at almost the age of 4 she is still too tiny for our booster seat, Pappa tethered her car seat into the Honda and away we went.

On our way home we had a few stops to make and each time we did, Catie wanted to be reassured that she too would be coming along, not just being dropped off home again.

First stop, a "junk food" restaurant, hint: guy has huge big feet! And don't worry Momma, we ordered milk too for the "healthy portion of her meal!" After lunch, Catie spent a short time playing in the indoor playground. It was really interesting seeing her all alone, without her siblings to either follow or relate to in a new envirnoment. At first Catie tentatively interacted with children, then bravely. A funny we observed--when she saw some kids heading towards the slide entrance, she speeded up her tiny steps and ditched in there well before they got there. Pappa and I laughed at that. We don't call her Mighty-Mouse for nothing! There was a big blue slide, which her Pappa and I were sure she couldn't climb up because she was wearing a sweater and trousers that we were convinced would make it impossible because her clothing would make it too slippery-were we wrong--she did it and several times at that!

See how steep the slide is!

Next stop, the grocery store. She sat in this cart with 2 steering wheels and of course, we had to take a picture! Catie already looks like a pro in the driving department, madly turning the steering wheel when we turned corners. It has been years since we took such a little one grocery shopping and we had forgotten how much fun it can be. Do you know, she pretty well likes everything, because she told us so. "I Like That", she'd say! When we got home she helped put things away. I Liked That!

We never had neat things like this when our kids were little!

After drinks and yogurt, Catie got to play outside. Fortunately for us, yesterday turned out to be the better day, weather wise so she tried out her pink princess bike. But really, she was the princess, the bike, just a vehicle to carry her.

Go Catie, Go Catie!

For some reason, maybe just because she's 3, each time she went outside she took her barettes out of her hair!

Look at the look on her face--priceless!

With Aunty Amy's Puff-a-Lump

In for a bite of supper and out they went again, finally dragging them both in so that she could have a bath. While they were outside, I chose some books to read to her before bed, McDuff Finds a Home, Yoko, A Bunny Hears, and How Do you Make a Rainbow. They were all hits, but her favourite by far was the ribbon book, How Do you Make a Rainbow, which I had bought when her one and only brother, Cameron was only about a year old. After kisses, a cross on her head, and assurances that we would be right here if she needed us, she fell right to sleep.

The day started about 6:30, with Nanny pretending she was sleeping (nice Nanny aye?), so Catie grabbed the books beside her and she started reading How Do you Make a rainbow. How did I know it was that one? Well, last night as I was reading it to her, I tapped my finger on the different colours on the page, red, blue, orange, yellow, green and purple, and little Catie as she was reading the book to herself, each time she turned the page, she copied me by doing the exact same thing. It was all I could do to keep from laughing. See, children do learn by example! If that isn't a scary thought to all adults around little kids, I don't know what is!

After breakfast I pulled down some age-appropriate toys-puzzles, blocks to string, stacking items and words/picture matches and she and her Pappa played with them over and over again. Tiring of those activities we moved onto stickers, then snacks and a trip to the local pool.

A close-up of the masterpiece now hanging on our fridge.

At first, Catie was a little hesitant at the pool. It is such a big place, so many people, and quite loud, and I think perhaps her first time to a big pool, so she found it overwhelming. After about an hour of walking around the edges, and allowing her Pappa to hold her in the water (but not really that enthusiastically) Nanny decided that we should go home. As we were walking back to the change rooms I asked her if she wanted to wade in the water before we left-she did-and then she got playful and daring and ultimately just loving it-it was an amazing turnaround to watch her go from a little gal who really didn't want to be there to kneeling in the water, trying to float, kicking her feet, and "saving herself" as she proudly claimed when she fell down.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. She, Pappa and I had a wonderful time together, just the three of us. It was wonderful to have some precious two-on-one time. Playing, watching, learning from each other. What a little blessing she is.

A couple of things I had never realized were:

one, how much this little doll giggles, and

two, how quiet our house is after a great visit!