Cisneros Family Chat

Will you just look at these sweet faces above? I'm such a lucky girl to have these two to adore.

Another week in the trenches. Yesterday, I came home and was so exhausted mentally, but I couldn't figure out why. When I reflected on the cases I'd had yesterday, I realized that every single client I saw had a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent, Severe. All but one of them was Severe with Psychotic Features. Yeah, I think that will drain the mental energy out of anyone. Interestingly though, all the clients I saw today were bipolar. Lord help me if that means that all of the ones I see tomorrow will be schizophrenic!

I was briefly worried about Rebecca yesterday. On the way to work, Nanny Rebecca texted me to ask if Rebecca had been sick. Before I left, I had made Rebecca's blueberry waffle with cream cheese and gave her some raspberries to go with it for breakfast. She'd been eating it and watching Little Einsteins and was just fine. Apparently, Nanny Rebecca was in the kitchen making lunch to take with them to the beach, and Rebecca said, "I messy!" When Nanny Rebecca went in, she realized Rebecca had thrown up all over herself and the couch. Nothing else the rest of the day though. Rebecca played just like always, so they went ahead to the beach and she was fine. Odd that she would throw up with no sound or warning or anything. Not sure what happened, but glad it was apparently a one-time occurrence.

By the way, I don't think I've mentioned that Rebecca is fully in regular big-girl panties all the time now, day and night. For awhile, we'd done the pull ups if we were out and at night, more for our comfort than anything else. But we've gone all week with regular panties at night, when we go out somewhere, all the time, and no accidents. She still wants an audience to go with her while she uses the bathroom, but I suppose that's fine.

Also, have I mentioned to all of you that she's brilliant, on top of being so beautiful and funny? She knows all her colors and shapes, and she's been on that for quite some time. We realized tonight, however, that she can identify letters correctly also. She's doing well learning to write the letters. The "A" is kind of hard and it often comes out more like an "H", but she's definitely got the hang of it. She has lots of notebooks that she likes to use to "write." We have regularly nightly song-fests, with Rebecca's various CDs and acapella songs. She's also very interested in all kinds of pretend-play. She washes our hair for us, styles my hair (complete with her hairbows!), cooks food for us, and takes care of her babies and animals. Recently, she was trying to make Baby Lucy and Baby Sunny sit up on the floor to watch television. Baby Lucy's body was cooperative, but Baby Sunny's was not (Baby Sunny was the $2 dollar-store doll that had been "dressed" in cheap Native American garb and sold to us for $10 in Arizona - had we known how dear she would become, I might have bought a spare, because her construction isn't of the highest quality!). Rebecca tried so hard to position her. In a high-pictched, sing-songy voice, Rebecca says to Baby Sunny, "No be afraid, Baby. You be fine. You fine, Baby Sunny!" She then picked her up gently and lovingly and lay her on Rebecca's little chair, stroked Baby Sunny's forehead, and gave her a kiss. It was such a sweet moment, and I had just started thinking how sweet she is as a little mommy. That reverie was broken when Rebecca climbed up on the chair and stepped on Baby Sunny's face while she was trying to do something else!

Ramy and Rebecca are out for a run. Rebecca has special "running shoes" and she thinks it is a treat to be able to wear them to "ex-a-cise" with Daddy. Unfortunately, going for a "run" doesn't really seem to tire her out. Rather, I think it gives her a second burst of energy and she's willing to stay up much later than we some nights!

We're looking forward to Grammy coming to visit us for a long weekend. Rebecca understands that Grammy will bring her suitcase and come on an airplane to "mama's house." I'm not sure how I became the sole owner of this place, but the home in which we live is only "mama's house." Rebecca's house is the little shed in Costco (which has recently been taken down, now that they are moving away from outdoors/gardening merchandise and toward holiday merchandise - it was a tragedy!). Grammy's house is in "Tiss-see." Poor Daddy, he has no house, according to Rebecca! I guess it is lucky for him that I let him hang out here with me! Maybe that's why he's so awesome about house cleaning!