We go to McDonald's

Hafta say, "It's only for Big Girls, it's only for Big Girls. It's not for you, Maia, it's not for you, Maia. It's only for Sistah 'cause she's 9 years old."



Maia was talking to Kristina about a cup I had bought her when we had gone out this afternoon. She was rolling it in front of her, by this point, playing a game with it.


Maia's "Sistah" is a pretend person that Maia uses in a way that enables her to talk about herself to Kristina. Sometimes she will perform in the Sistah role and make Kristina sit and be her audience and make the pretend Maia sit next to Kristina, while she sings or dances. Then she will say to Kristina, "Hafta say, 'It's okay, little Maia, it's your turn, you can do it.'" Things like that. And when she takes the Maia role back on, sometimes she will cry about having to sing or dance or whatever it is.

Complicated.



I had taken her to Ala Moana Center (a big shopping mall) because we had had a rough morning. We had bought the cup on the way home.



Her hair again. She likes it pulled up into a pony tail at the top of her head. It has to be absolutely perfect or she has a fit, and none of us know what makes it perfect.



At Ala Moana, I had asked her if she was happy. This was at McDonald's. Not sure why I asked. "Yes," she said. "Are you happy, Daddy?"

"Yes," I said.



"What about Mommy?" she asked. "Mommy not happy," she said, answering herself.

"Maybe we could bring her something," I said. And so she thought to bring her some french fries and the rest of her cheese burger, too.




John, Saturday, June 2, 2007 (cont. on Monday, June 4th)

Maia loses her first tooth

I had gone back to work last night--the same case I've been working on for the last 15 months.

The phone rang. I could hear Kristina handing it over to Maia. "Daddy!," she said. "I lost my tooth!" Then she started to cry, and Kristina was back on the phone.

"She lost her tooth?" It had been loose for several days, and we were wondering if it would come out.

"Yes, and now she wants it back."

I drove home to see.

"See?" she said. And then she started to cry again. Sometimes, I think she can do that on cue.



"Put it back!"

"Well, sweetness," I said, "it just means you're growing up. You're going to have a new tooth there, now, a big tooth."

"And what are you going to do with it tonight?" Kristina asked.

"Put it under my pillow," she said. "For the tooth fairy," she said.

"For the tooth fairy," Kristina agreed.

"The tooth fairy is pretend or real," she wanted to know.

I laughed. She has begun to figure this stuff out.

"Well," I said, "suppose it was pretend. Then who would the tooth fairy be?"

She puzzled over that one. She hasn't closed that loop yet.

John, Friday, June 1, 2007