[Juniper's last day of daycare is tomorrow. Thus, this is our last Thursday Morning Daycare Report. We're trying to come up with a new weekly feature to replace these snapshots of how Juniper spends her days in the words of her unintentionally poetic daycare provider. I could try noting down what she does all day and ask the Chinese guys who live in our basement to put it into their own English, but it just wouldn't be the same. If I don't come up with something quick, I think Dutch is going to start publishing juicy selections from his high school diaries on Thursday mornings. I need to nip that in the bud. He's got like ten thousand of them]

As always, verbatim:

Monday:

Juniper still has some runny nose, it's green today.

I wonder why she wouldn't take her bottle today in the morning.

I was bouncing the ball and Juniper was looking at me, I said "Look at the ball, Juniper." Then she crawl to me and said "ball," and she would repeat it again later.

A lot of times she would hand me a toy but she wouldn't release her hand or sometimes she would pull back the toy. But when I fed her and if I open my mouth and Juniper would give me a Cheerios by putting it into my mouth.

Tuesday:

Juniper has more running nose today, but it's not green.

Juniper was sitting and look at me walking out so she start to crawl and followed me, then later she crawled back in again and look at me sitting down so she crawled into the ball pit and throw out the ball one by one.

Wednesday:

We have this new small bouncing ball and Juniper was looking at bouncing and I gave it to her and she did the same. She would throw the ball to me with her right hand.

When she threw the ball over the gate to the other classroom and she would cry.

Juniper was standing in front of the shelf, she was holding a cube toy on her left hand and hold on the shelf with her right hand. And then she released her right hand on the shelf for a few second and hold on to another side of the shelf again, and then she released her hand again and picked up a cloth book and put on top shelf without holding on.

Juniper was playing with the baby doll and she heard I start humming her friend to sleep and so she turned around and she look at me put her friend to sleep and so she turn to the baby doll and start patting on the baby's tummy. Later she hold the baby's head with both of her hands and she look at it face and kiss the baby's face with her mouth wide big.

Juniper's primary provider was out sick several days in the last week, leaving us without much material for the daycare report. Here's everything he wrote for Tuesday:

Recently when I put Juniper up on the chair to eat and as Juniper sees I put the tray up then she would raise up two hands to let me put the tray in.

After her breakfast, Juniper was sitting there drinking water and someone clap hands and say "hooray" and Juniper clap her hands and say "yay."

She was pretty fussy after her breakfast so I put her to nap and she went down pretty fast. When woke up she was pretty fussy too. I heard she said "Mommy" while she was whining.

And here's all the sheet for yesterday said:

I heard she said "Mommy" today again.

Here's hoping that we get lots of descriptive reports next week. It's her last week in daycare.

[as always, verbatim from the sheets we get from her provider]

After Juniper's bottle, we went outside for a walk on the buggie.* At first Juniper would cried when we put her down to sit on the buggie but later when we go out and Juniper was so happy, she was talking and laughing. At one point, I heard she said "Daddy."

Juniper went into the ball pit and used two hands to grab the big ball and throw it out and she watch the ball roll (throw 2 balls).

Juniper pull the baby doll out from the shelf and she used her pointing finger to feel the baby's mouth and eyes.

Recently, when Juniper is having her meal with her friend and she would turn to her friend and wave hi to him but she wouldn't say "Hi," she would try to say something.

Juniper crawled to the corner which is a place that has lots of pillows and once she got there, she turned around and lean backward and raise her left leg real high while she look at me and gave a big smile.

*Juniper is now now old enough to go out for rides around San Francisco with her friends on this modified wagon with eight seats in it that her provider pulls down the sidewalk.

Juniper picked up an egg shaker and put it in front of her mouth and take it out and say "Mah wah" (did it a few times) and then later she did the same thing with the ball.

Juniper was eating the book and she saw me looking at her across the room and I told her not to eat the book but she still chew on the book so I crawl to her and she quickly throw down the book and crawl away, so I picked it and read it and she crawled to me and took back the book and started to flip the pages.

Juniper was dragging the xylaphone down the stairs from the ball pit and somehow the stick that hit xylaphone got stuck so Juniper can't drag it any more so she pull the xylaphone and she couldn't take it out so she yell out loud for help.

Juniper is so interest in playing with the tubes today. When she sees her friend was playing and she would crawled over and pull it from her friend but she couldn't pull it and she was saying something to her friend and crawled away. So I went to get more tubes and one for Juniper and then Juniper smile and she follows me to do the same thing by saying or vocalizing into the tube.

When I put Juniper to sleep and I haven't start to sing or hum her to sleep yet but she started vocalized already.

I was changing Juniper's Diaper and then the children and teachers from other classroom finish singing and cheered "Hooray" and clap hands and then Juniper heard and she clapped her hands happily and say "Yeah" while clapping her hands. . .

Juniper was eating lunch with her friend and then Juniper was looking at her friend clapping his hands and then Juniper smile and clapped her hands too.

Juniper picked up a cheerios on her table and I thought she was gonna give it to me but she took it back and put it in her mouth.

Juniper was holding a blue ball on her left hand and she knock the xylaphone with the ball while she tried to say something and then throw the ball and watch the ball roll and one of her friend came and took the xylaphone, Juniper raise out her hand to take it back but she couldn't and then she yell out softly, and she got it back she turn around with the xylaphone.

When I put her to sleep I was about to humming her to sleep and Juniper would vocalize right away.

I was changing Juniper's diaper and then Juniper was holding a toy with mirror on it and she hold it with two hands straight up in front of her face and she put the mirror closer to her face (it looks like as she's kissing herself). Then she take the mirror off her face and look at herself and she smile and tried to say something.

From this week's reports. As always, verbatim:

Juniper was holding an icy chewing toy and she put it in her mouth and hold on to it with her mouth and crawl to the mirror and look at herself and she takes the icy out to hold it and she hit the mirror with the other hand while she talk.

Juniper was eating breakfast and she dropped one cheerios on the apron and Juniper grab the apron that holds the cheerios and put the cheerio in her mouth.

Juniper has a lot of runny nose today.

Juniper went outside after her breakfast and awhile later Juniper look inside and saw me and she would cry so she came back in to have bottle and nap.

I just come in and look at the pictures of mom and dad w/Juniper and point to the pictures and say, "Mommy, Daddy" and Juniper look at the entrance. Later I did the same thing again and I thought I heard Juniper say in a very low voice "Daddy."

My favorites from this week:

Juniper was standing in front of the mirror and she was looking at me in the mirror and I look at her and Juniper smile.

Many times I worry when she doesn't drink much milk.

Wood, you were right about Juniper going underneath things because she tried to go between my legs.

Juniper pick up one of the drumstick with her left hand and started to hit the drum and then Juniper looked at the drumstick and started to put it in her mouth, and then I called her name and she took it out and smile.

Juniper crawl to her friend and look at her friend knocking the toy and she tried to say something.

I was building a tower of big blocks and then Juniper was watching and she crawled to me and then she crawled to the tower and then knock them down, and look at me and smile.

Whenever someone near her cried and Juniper would watch them for a long time and it looks like Juniper wants to cry too.

Highlights from the last week, and as always, transcribed verbatim. Perhaps you find these gems fascinating for their insight into ESL writing, or maybe you're able to see what I see -- an amateur poet recording his observations of babies. Whatever it is, I hope you enjoy them. We do.

Juniper look at the basket w/toys inside and then she pull the basket out of the shelf and raise the basket up w/two hands and bite the basket and then she put the basket down and reach her hand inside the basket and take the toy (a ring) out and put the ring on the floor and then picked it up and put it in the basket again. -- Cognitive.Juniper picked up the toy that is a mirror and she looked at herself in the mirror and she smile, and then give it a bite and then she hold a mirror on one hand and picked up an egg shaker and bring the two toys together.When I was giving her the bottle and she heard and look at the children on the other classroom eating snack and talking and she pull her bottle out w/two hands and try to say something to them.Juniper crawled up the slide on one leg and her other leg is on the stair and then she crawl into the ball pit and she sit up and pick up two balls and hold two balls on two hands and knock the two balls together.Juniper was playing and she heard another child was crying and so Juniper crawl to that crying child and raise up her left hand and softly touch that crying child's face.

From yesterday, verbatim:

Juniper likes to stand up in front of the shelf and pull out and down the toys, when she sees a toy that interest her, she would slowly sit down and play with that toy. I put, I rock Juniper to sleep and so I hum her to sleep and Juniper was talking and then later she hum too. So I stopped humming and then she look up at me.

I was playing w/one of her friends (tickling) and Juniper was watching and smiling and then Juniper crawled to me and put her face to my tummy.

Whenever Juniper is in the ball pit, she would hold up the ball with two hands and put it in front of her mouth and she would do the panting.

Juniper was about to crawled up the stairs to the ball pit and she stop and look at her friend and smile and also say something in baby language.

Apparently, our daycare provider works undercover for Similac. The evidence:

1) He once said, "Has she started formula yet?" I said, no, still breastmilk. He said, "Oh, the milk in her bottles looks like formula." It seems he must have been a member of the Future Farmers of Vietnam prior to coming to this country 12 years ago, and can tell the difference between the fresh-squeezed-nectar of my boobs and it's synthetic cousin just by the way it sits in the bottle. Or at least he thinks he can.

2) Every morning, I fill out a sheet about Juniper's eating, pooping, and sleeping, and every morning in the little box on the form I write: "Breastfed at 7:00 a.m." We then discuss this, as in, he says, "When did she last eat?" and I say, "7:00." He then says, "How many ounces did she eat?" and I say: "I don't know, she breastfed." This always seems to be news to him, and he says, "Oh, really?"

3) Every day, my kid only consumes a drop or two of milk from a bottle while she's in daycare. Yes, this is disconcerting, especially since she's a skinny little waif of a baby, but at this point, it's her choice and she's just being stubborn. Today he had a new suggestion for this problem. While cooing at her during our daily-hand-wringing-she-won't-eat-conversation, he said: "Baby no like breastmilk! She want formula!"

Juniper's daycare provider left me these notes yesterday:

Juniper very cuddling when I hold her.

Juniper was sitting on the floor & she grab the ball w/ both hands & she raise the ball up high while sitting, she raise up so high that her body was curving.

Another child was babling & Juniper look at him & he looked at Juniper & Juniper make a funny face.

When I clap my hands give my hands out to her & she would raise her two hands up & let me hold her.

Please clip her nails for me.