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Doe a Deer

As soon as Mom and big sister Frog leave for school, little Bird rushes to her sister’s bedroom and takes possession of Frog’s favorite stuffed animal, a toy deer. This toy is basically off-limits whenever her big sister is around, but ‘when the Frog’s away, the Bird will play.’ I’m impressed that Bird has created this routine, recognizing that school days are the best time to play with Frog’s dolls and toys. 

I haven’t shared anything about the grandkids in quite some time, so I thought this would be a fun topic for today’s slice. Let me see if I can find a few fun photos, too (without sacrificing the children’s privacy).

Here, Poppa and the girls make biscuits together.

Frog started preschool in August, leaving Bird in the care of her grandparents. (Both sets of grandparents share childcare, on different days of the week). Two year old Bird is getting lots of focused and loving one-on-one attention, and in these few weeks, we are all noticing a language explosion. To date, Bird hasn’t been as verbal as Frog, speaking primarily in one word utterances and relying primarily on nonverbal pointing and grunting. I credit her older sister with this…I mean, if Frog is speaking for you, why do you have to speak at all? Bird comprehends everything we are saying; she simply doesn’t try to talk – silence has been the path of least resistance. Now, however, with Frog away all day, five days a week, using her own voice has come in very handy. Bird’s language is truly blossoming.

For Bird, her sister’s toy deer reigns supreme. She loves to carry it throughout the house while Frog is at school, letting it keep her company as she plays with other toys and activities. Most days, she won’t be separated from it. She even likes me to perch the deer nearby to ‘watch her’ when she eats her meals. (We have to keep deer clean/away from the food, yes?) 

Here, a full menagerie joins us from a distance, to watch Bird eat lunch, lol.

In my very best Julie Andrews imitation, I started singing Doe a Deer as she carried that little toy around, and now we sing this all day long. I honestly think this one song has been the key to her stringing more than one word together, she loves this song so much. When I arrive in the morning, Bird now greets me with the words ‘doe a deer, Nana,’ and that’s my cue to start singing. Bird has learned every word of the song and sings along. She sings this to herself, too, and all of us are trying to capture a recording, but so far we have failed. Her singing is precious.

Our own house is in the midst of remodeling, so we come to Frog and Bird’s house to babysit rather than vice versa. It’s been eye-opening to see the children in their own world, becoming more familiar with their most favorite activities and where they like to spend their time. We have been having lots of fun together. Before Bird goes down for her midday nap, we always take time to put things back the way they were in Frog’s room, tidying the room to be welcoming for her when she comes home, and laying deer on Frog’s bed to greet her. 

Bird has her own favorite lovey, a chipmunk. Here, she feeds him acorns.

When she gets home from school, Frog needs a little bit of time to herself in her room (“quiet alone time”) and then we all have good fun together. The current favorite activities are dance parties, playdough, playing outside, building with Legos, and coloring. 

I’m so glad I know how to make homemade playdough!

That’s all for today, except to say – we are truly blessed by these little dears! (pun intended)

It’s Tuesday and I’m participating in the Slice of Life. Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community of teacher writers.
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9 Comments

  1. I can’t resist a post about grandchildren! You captured the routines so well, even down to Deer watching from a basket during lunch. And it’s good that Deer is returned safely to Frog’s bed before she comes home. I love Chipmunk and his real acorns. We love making our own playdough too!

    • Thanks, Ramona! I’m sure you agree, grandkids are the best, the very best. Those acorns (and lots of other treasures) get picked up on our daily walk…thanks for commenting.

  2. I left a comment just a few moments earlier. Not sure where it went. Now you’ll probably end up with two from me.
    I can’t resist a post about grand kids, chocolate, or books. They always grab me!
    I loved hearing about your daily routines. And we love making our own play dough too.

    • I think your comment went to ‘moderation’ first – but great to hear from you twice, lol. Yes, the homemade playdough recipe is a real treasure from my preschool teaching days. I can make it with a blindfold on!

  3. Maureen,
    This is such a sweet post and a wonderful glimpse into Bird’s day. I especially like all the insights into Bird’s language development. I’ve found some playlists on Apple Music I listen to w/ my new grandson. One is a collection of bath time music , and it’s full of songs w/ repetition to teach children, so in my mind I seeing and hearing you sing Sound of Music tunes! The pictures are so cute. I understand the privacy concerns as my son and daughter-in-law have chosen not to share photos of their son online. It really is a mater of keeping children safe.

    • Always great to hear from you, Glenda, as you know! Yes, I think our children are very wise to be concerned about privacy for our grandkids. We have a private photo-sharing platform that we use for just us in the family; it is not affiliated with Facebook or such. Otherwise, the kids stay anonymous – and I become good at cropping photos. Even their little hands at work are quite magical, I think! Thanks for commenting.

  4. Maureen, I love hearing about grandchildren. We have been so busy lately that I have not had a chance to read about mine but I have some good stories to tell, just like you. Frog and Bird’s stuffy Deer is adorable. You are teaching Bird a good lesson about tidying up her sister’s room. Thanks for sharing your joy.

  5. There was so much to love about this post, Maureen. I could hear you in my head as you were singing to the grandkids, and I could just sense the joy through both your words and the photos you gave.

    I also smiled to read about Frog and Bird, especially when it came to one speaking for the other. That DEFINITELY happened with my sons. The younger one, while eager to DO all of the things his older brother did, was more than happy to let the other one do the talking…

  6. eileen english eileen english

    So nice to read of your happiness with your grandchildren, and theirs with you and Tony. You and I were lucky to have Grammy Dugan growing up, though that was a bit of a different experience, I treasure the memories of long walks with her laughing all the way.

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