cat named pig

Here we will attempt to capture, word for word when possible, Siena’s musings, ideas, and royal decrees. Comment space is available for you at the bottom of the page.

12.02.08

Siena had a sleepover 10 days ago, in which she and her cousin slept on the floor in their sleeping bags. Her room hasn’t changed since then, and when I tried to convince her to move back up to her bed, she responded:

But it reminds me of all my sleepovers and how much fun it was in our sleep right there.

She gets another night.

…

11.11.08

We put a small cup of “cold water from the fridge” next to Siena’s bed each night, in the hopes that she won’t come to us in the middle of it. Well, she was at my bedside Monday night - at 3:27am - cup in hand, tears forming in her eyes:

Daddy, I spilled this a long, long time ago…right after you put me to bed.

…

09.27.08

Driving to the farmer’s market on Saturday morning, Siena’s looking out the window and notes:

Siena: That building has eyebrows.

Laura: You mean the green awning over each window?

Siena: No, up at the top of it.

We look up and, sure enough, the top of the brick building has different colored bricks rising above two windows, which look like eyebrows. Observant, this one.

…

09.24.08

After waking up from a nap, laying by me on the couch, Siena softly said with a sleepy voice:

Daddy, I think my tummy woke up on the wrong side of the bed…pause…that means that it hurts right now.

…

09.11.08

Siena had to suffer and watch with me the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. There were endless interviews with delegates, one of which caught her attention:

How come she’s a girl with a boy’s voice? - about a Texas delegate being interviewed on Public TV before McCain’s speech.

I had no answer. And this, after she and Elliot were playing with blocks, and I had announced that it was his bedtime:

Now I don’t have to worry about knock-over boy.

…

08.23.08

Siena was drawing large circles, stacked, at the table the other day.

Siena: Mama, guess what I’m drawinnnnng?

Laura: What?

Siena: A fat little munnnchkinnnnn. And you know who it is?

Laura: Ummm….Elliot?

Siena: Nope. Grandpa Larrrryyyyyyy.

Not very nice, but still provided a laugh. And isn’t it supposed to be controversial?

…

08.02.08

Elliot had just dropped his cup on the floor at breakfast, which usually signals the end of eating:

Siena: Elliot, do you remember all those times I picked up your sippy for you, again? Well, I am done.

And she was, as she proceeded to go watch WordGirl on PBS.

…

07.14.08

I was driving in the car last Thursday with both Siena and Elliot in their seats.

Siena: Daddy, do you know how to play the game Not a Carrot?

Matt: No, sweety, how do you?

Siena: It’s when you’re next to a boy who’s one or zero, and you put your finger up to his mouth and if he tries to bite it, you say, “That’s not a carrot.”

Matt: I hope he never gets the carrot.

Siena: No, the finger.

Matt: Of course.

Also, Siena was on fire this past Saturday afternoon.

We were flipping channels, watching different sports on tv. We saw Tiger Woods in an ad for golf.

Siena: Is Tiger Woods playing?

Matt: No. Tiger hurt his knew. He plays next year.

Siena: What happened to his knee?

Matt: In your body, besides bone, you have ligaments that stretch and bend and hold things together. Tiger hurt a ligament in his knee, had to have surgery and needs to rest until next year.

Siena: Daddy, Barbie’s grandma was playing and she broke her knee.

Matt: Oh, that’s too bad.

Siena: Yeah, it was.

These next few rolled off her tongue in about a 10-minute stretch.

Daddy, wouldn’t it be funny if I was older than you and you weren’t going to be older than me? Wouldn’t it be funny if there was a door on the way to upstairs and we had to open it? Barbie’s at school right now, and she has a teacher named Sam. Sam is a really good teacher. She, Barbie, always makes pretty pictures for me at school.

Daddy, one time I took Barbie to a game, a Puma game, and they only handed out balls that grownups and kids could have. Siena has been to a MNLynx basketball game with her friend, Avery. Lynx and puma are related, right?

Siena: Daddy, sometimes I have to not feel happy for Barbie?

Matt: Why?

Siena: Because when she was napping, I heard her saying and doing some bad things to her little sister. And I couldn’t even go in her room to do anything, because I didn’t have time. I only heard her little sister.

Siena was excited for her sleepover at Laura’s mom’s house Saturday night.

Siena: It’s been a long time since I’ve had a sleepover at grandma’s house.

Matt: I know. It’s been a few months.

Siena: Daddy, what if every these days, I have a sleepover at grandma’s?

Matt: These days?

Siena: Yep.

Matt: I’ll look at the calendar.

And finally…after she came out of the bathroom.

Siena: Daddy, did you know I had a snake poop this time?

Matt: What is that, Siena?

Siena: It’s when it is really long. It was this big…and this big…and this wide (as she makes her arms even wider and wider).

Matt: I think I hear Elliot awake.

…

07.03.08

I was making a list of items we’ll need for Siena’s 4th birthday on Saturday. After dropping Siena off at school, Elliot and I were heading to Target for food items. I was listing off what I had written so far…

Matt: …pickles, ketchup, mustard, milk…Siena, can you think of anything we need for your party?

Siena: Maybe some grown-ups and some kids?

Matt: I’ll see if they’re on clearance.

…

07.01.08

Normally, nothing makes us angrier than Siena coming out of her bedroom more than once after we’ve put her down. We’re usually trying to get through a Netflix movie/show we’ve had for a month. However, just now, at 10:04pm on Laura’s birthday, Siena came downstairs and very seriously said:

Mama, I just saw a bug in my room. It was really moving. And it was ALIVE!

Yep, she’s Laura’s daughter.

…

06.13.08

Siena: Daddy, a kitty found Tio Matt in Los Angeles.

Matt: Oh? Tio Matt has a kitty now?

Siena: NO! Tio found a kitty in Los Angeles.

Matt: Did he take it somewhere?

Siena: No, I think he fed it, gave it water and took it to the vet and did lots of nice things for her.

Matt: That’s nice. Does he still have it?

Siena: Yes, I think he does. I think it will be like our cat named Pig.

Matt: Oof. He might not have it that long.

Siena:Maybe. I don’t think she hisses like Piggy.

…

05.01.08
(Siena singing in a voice best described as somewhere between opera and church congregation:

Verse 1
I am a princess
Maybe with a prince
Soon I’ll be in The Nutcracker
And I’ll have so much fun
So, how about you?

Verse 2
I am bigger than my brother
My mama is bigger than the sister
And my daddy is bigger than mama
We are all different sizes
(repeat last line for finish)

Appropriate lyrics considering Laura’s main page posts from April 30th.

…

04.23.08

I’m glad I answered yes to the following question at 8:08pm:

Siena: Daddy, are you going to let me stay up a little bit longer?

I answered, Yes,” and this is what followed:

Siena: Well, ok. Hmmm…are you still hungry daddy? In my restaurant, you can have an ice cream cookie sandwich, pizza with soup, hamburger without meat, peanut butter sandwich, banana peanut butter and jelly sandwich or just some veggies, and I think that’s it. Would you like some pizza with soup?

Matt: Yes, all of the above.

I think we’ll turn it into a 24-hour joint.

…

04.18.08

at 8:01am on Friday morning

Siena: Daddy, do you think mama is noctournal…and that she sleeps during the day?

Probably needless to say that Laura was still in bed.

…

04.12.08

Siena’s tricycle has some loose handlebars, which causes her to go off course a few times in a ride. This is what I heard her yelling at her bike after going about 25 feet down the sidewalk and then veering off into the neighbor’s fence.

Siena: WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME, TRYKE? YOU ARE NOT MAKING THIS BE ANY FUN FOR ME! IF YOU KEEP DOING THIS, THEN I AM NOT GOING TO BE YOUR FRIEND!

…

Siena’s other favorite phrasing to use recently is, “I’m really sorry…” followed by something she wants to do. The latest went something like this, while I was watching baseball on tv:

Siena: Daddy, I’m really sorry.

Matt: For what sweety (thinking something was wrong)?

Siena: Well, I’m really sorry, but we’re going to have to change baseball. I’m really sorry. Me and mama are going to watch Ratatouille now. I’m really sorry (with head shaking and sad eyes for emphasis).

Matt: Well, I guess that’s too bad for me, isn’t it?

…

03.02.08

(After one of Matt’s basketball games. Siena had said before the game to get 80 points.)

Matt: Well, hon, we didn’t get 80 points, but I think we got to 50, which is nice.

Siena: How many did you get, Daddy?

Matt: Can you guess?

Siena: 18?

Matt: Close.

Siena: 19?

Matt: Lower than 18 and 19.

Siena: 19?

Matt: No, lower. For example, seven is lower than eight, eight is lower than nine. What would be lower than 18?

Siena: 9?

Matt: No, well yes, but lower than 18.

Laura (from the kitchen): Maybe start at 10 and count to the number.

Siena (because she couldn’t exactly hear Laura): Daddy, I’ll go to Hedden’s with you.

Matt (laughing): What? No, we’re not going to Hedden’s, Siena. We’re still guessing the…oh, nevermind. It’s 17.

Siena: (whispers something to Laura, but in a kid’s whisper, so I can still hear her)

Laura: Daddy, you’re a chatterbox.

….

02.25.08

Matt: Siena, did you have fun today?

Siena: Daddy, you and mama have different names.

Matt: I know. What are our names?

Siena: You are Boy Drosselmeyer and mama is Girl Drosselmeyer.

Matt: Oh. Well those are different.

….

02.23.08

Matt: “Come on Siena. It’s time to update your page.”

Siena: “I don’t want to do it right now.”

Matt: “But don’t you want people to read what you have to say?”

Siena: “No.”

Matt: “But you might have fun saying whatever you want to say to the world.”

Siena: “You can do it for me. Or I’ll tell them after nap.”

….

01.14.08 [On the way home from ballet class]

”Oooh, Mama - it’s getting dark out! And swan princesses are getting hungry.”

….

01.11.08 [At lunchtime the other day]

Siena: “Mama, what’s Elliot having for lunch?”

Mama: “He’s having split pea soup.”

Siena: “He’s having SPIT PEE POOP?!?”

Mama [in her head]: Yes, that’s exactly what he’s having. And you have to change the next diaper.

….

01.06.08 [After Matt returns from playing basketball, a real game, for the first time in almost 2 years]

Siena: Hi, Daddy. I need a hug. (She was going to bed.)

Matt: Hi, sweety. You should be sleeping. It’s almost 9 o’clock.

Siena: Daddy, did you win your basketball game?

Matt: We did, sweety. Goodnight.

Siena: Did you score some 3 points or 5 points?

Matt: Yes, sweety, I scored some 3-point shots and we won by 8 points.

Siena (in her most shocked, surprised voice): I can’t even believe that you won your game.

Matt: I know, sweety, I know. I’ll tell you about it in the morning.

At this point, Matt walks out thinking, “I can’t even believe I played in a game and lived to tell about it.”

….

Siena (in the basement): “Hey, why is Piggy coming down here?”

Mama: “I think she’s coming down to use her litter box.”

Siena: “Her glitter box? Why is she using her glitter box?!?”

…

“Mama, you are bad. And old.” (When I wouldn’t let her watch a movie at nap time.)