Fear Strikes in my Heart

...so we're driving to swim class this evening, which was unfortunately cancelled due to rain. Anyway, on the way there, T utters words that literally stuck actual FEAR in my heart. Real, mind-numbing fear. What could be these dreadful words, you ask?

...Mama, I hurt. I have bugs in my tummy. I have to go to the bathroom.

YIKES!!! Luckily, we were just approaching the Coral Gables public library. I vered the schoolbus (aka my van) off to the right and screeched to a halt. A handy bathroom was just inside. Luckily, turns out there was no need for concern. But remember, T is no longer in a diaper. The ramifications of that statement could have been dire!

Swim Class Update

Not much to report, other than swim class is coming along nicely. I tried to get some video footage from today, but somehow screwed it up, and just got this short take. I'll try and get better footage as the week progresses.

Slip and Slide Fun

Remember this fun thing from our childhood? Dot and I never had one, and I ALWAYS wanted one. It looked like so much fun. Well, T and I were over at my parents house this weekend, while Leonor cleaned. I decided to make a target run, to look for something with which to entertain T, as she had no toys over there. I was thinking that I'd find a little pool. While scouring the "water play" area, I came up with this little gem. On major sale, too. I think it was like $5.00.

I took it into the parent's back yard, set it up, and T proceeded to have the time of her life. Now, she wasn't really slipping and sliding like you'd see the kids in the ad on TV doing and I couldn't demonstrate givne my trick back and my bum foot. No matter, T had fun running back and forth anyway, and splashing in the water. Finally, after about 2 hours, we called it a day and I dragged her home.

We're storing it at my parents' house for future use. I highly recommend it. Problem is, you need enough fairly level grass space. I don't...too many pavers in the back, but the grandparents yard is perfect! I must admit, it was nice seeing T playing and having fun in the same yard in which I played and had fun as a child. My parents moved into that house just before my 3rd birthday...just about the same age as T. Though literally a lifetime ago, funny how it seemed just like yesterday.

Unfortunately, no pics, b/c I didn't have my camera.

Potty Issues

Its funny how fast T changes. As you all know, for the longest time T didn't want to go to the movies or to sit on santas lap. Suddenly last week, she loves it. When T was really young, one of her favorite things to eat was the olive dip at Nordstroms. She'd eat it to the point that her whole face and shirt would be covered with the stuff...despite wearing a bib! Last night, she dipped a french fry in it, took a bite, and for the first time....started blowing raspberries saying over and over, "I don't like that". She wouldn't touch the stuff for the rest of the meal. These things I can deal with. However, there were bigger changes this week....

T has been potty trained for quite a while now. At night however, I have always put a pull-up on her, b/c there's no telling when she'll sneak into my bed, and every once in a while she has an accident. Not often, but maybe once every two or three weeks.

This last week? She's woken up for four days straight with a sopping pull up. I thought that maybe she'd gotten lazy and is taking the easy way out, so the last 2 nights, I had her in panties. Both nights, she's wet the bed. Poor thing, she comes into my room between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m., sopping wet.

Last night, we had a long talk before she went to bed, and I even left the bathroom light on, thinking maybe she didn't want to go in
the dark. She seemed to understand, but right on cue at about 3:30 a.m., she was in my room. What's worse, this time she was crying, poor baby. Now, as you can see, she's sleeping in my bed. I love when she sleeps like this. She doesn't do it too often. It so reminds me of when she was a little baby!

So, now I'm wondering if I've screwed myself by keeping her in the pull up to the point where she thinks its OK to go in it during the night?

Should I continue the pull up, or continue letting her wet the bed?

Maybe I should find those special pull ups that supposedly feel really wet and uncomfortable if she goes in them?

Any advice on this topic would be greatly appreciated! Please recall that I'm a single mom with absolutely NO EXPERIENCE raising a kid. Further, the last baby in our family was my cousin Erin...who was born in 1970! Please feel free to comment AT LENGTH!

HHHHEEEELLLLLPPP!

Families on the Move and GymBucks

Hi all,

I've tinkered with the families on the move list. Deleted families who have completed their journey and more importantly...added a family who just arrived in China. Check out Anna Li. The parents appear to be in their 30's with 2 older kids...and are adopting a 12 yr old. The site has music (Christian music) so if you're not a fan or are sneaking at work, hit the mute button before exploring!

Seeing older children finally find a family of their own is one of my favorite things!! BTW, these Cheeto-Mulan photos have nothing to do with the subject of this post. They're just here for your viewing pleasure!

Meanwhile, long-time readers of this site know of my love affair with all things Gymboree. That's pretty much the only place I shop
for T, as I absolutely know what size will fit her. I can't tell you the $$ I've wasted buying other brands at Macy's or the Nordstrom Outlet that don't fit. In fact...they'll NEVER fit. So, I stick with what I know.

Anyway, Gymbo has a nasty little marketing scheme that they use. Its called GymBucks. At certain times during the year, you earn Gymbucks with your purchases. These Gymbucks, which are in denominations of 25.00, can then be used at specified times in the future...usually a month or so away to give you time to lose the damn things! So, when its time to "redeem" the stupid Gymbucks, you feel obligated to do it. Problem is, you have to spend double the amount, i.e. to redeem 25.00 of gymbucks, your total purchase before the bucks must be at least 50.00. So basically, its a 50% off sale.

I am proud to state, that I have $75.00 worth of gymbucks currently burning a hole in my pocket. I'm even more happy to state that for the first time ever...I'm controlling my shopaholic ways and NOT
USING THEM! Ha! Take that, Gymboree! Of course, I admit I've come close (ooops!). I currently have a shopping cart full of stuff totalling 152.87 from their online store. However, I'm refusing to click "Purchase". I keep telling myself..... She has enough clothes...She has enough clothes.... For god's sake, I just scored 7 bags of loot from Aunt Ceci and Gabs, T does NOT need more clothes! I just need to stand firm for another 2 days, then the time to redeem the coupons will be over.

The damn bucks expire on Sunday 7/27 at midnight. If anybody wants them, let me know and I'll email you the serial number and pin numbers. I have one coupon for 25.00 and another for 50.00. You can have one, or both, depending upon what you want to spend. First come, first served! You'd be doing me a great financial favor!

Ears, Tubes, and Stats

First thing this morning I called the doc to get an appt for T. She has been pulling on her ears as if something is wrong. I peeked in over the weekend, and thought I saw something in her ears. Figured it was the tubes finally coming out. Last night I looked again, and saw nothing. Therefore, I figured that the tubes either fell out or she pushed them back in. Either way, I figured the doc better take a look.

Yep, one peek inside and the doc reported that they're lodged in her outer ear...not up where they're supposed to be, and stuck in wax. The doc got out her nifty tools, and seconds later the tubes were history. I suspect that they finally came out due to a recent growth spurt.

Yep, its official and you heard it here first: T HAS GROWN!!!! T weighed almost 30 pounds today, with her clothes and shoes on. Up a whopping pound and a half. What's bigger news is her height. She's been at 36 inches for about 6 months or more. Today, she measured a towering 37.5 inches. We've finally broken the 3 foot mark!

So, all in all, a success! Swim class is coming along nicely and after the doc worked her magic, T wasnt' tugging on her ears in the pool anymore.

Meanwhile, I think I'm going to look around for a martial arts class. No idea what type of class. I'll have to do some checking. All I know is that before KungFu Panda, and especially now afterwards, T can't seem to stop herself from KungFu'ing and Hiiii-Yaaaa'ing all over the house.

If anyone has any recommendations...I'm all ears!

Kung Fu Panda at the Moviehouse

Aunt Dot was over bright and early and chased both of us out of bed. We had a date with a Panda. The KungFu Panda! In theory, T really wanted to go and see the movie...or so she said. Upon arrival, she was somewhat afraid, but allowed us to carry her into the movie and sat in my lap for the first 1/2 hour. Once she got used to it and was watching the movie, she then moved to her own seat. I was interested to see if her weight would actually hold the seat down, and was happy to see that it would, somewhat. We all really enjoyed the movie. We can't wait for it to come out on DVD. Hopefully, it will be out for xmas, and that can be a present.

Afterward, we went off to Johnny Rockets for Burgers and Fries. It's conveniently located across the street from CocoWalk, where the moviehouse is located. Look closely, and you can see Aunt Dot's cast. I kindly cropped out her head, b/c she'd probably kill me if I posted a pic of her taking a big old bite of french fry!

All together a successful day! T can't stop talking about how fun it was to go to the movie. She's getting to be such a big girl! She even claims that she wants to sit on Santa's lap come xmas. Longtime readers will remember her previous responses were always, "No, I don't like that man!".

The Dangers of Swim Class

Today, I took Leonor over to Dot's house to clean. You may recall Aunt Dot is suffering from a broken arm, and will be casted up for another 5 weeks or so. She pretty much gets daily lectures from me, about how she's not resting her arm...which is necessary to have it heal properly and to reduce pain. Like everyone else in my life, Dot pretty much ignores my lectures. She did, though, realize she needed some help with heavy cleaning, and I took Leonor over to assist.

T and I took advantage of th opportunity to get in some pool time at Dot's great pool. Unfortunately, there are no pics from the day, as I forgot my camera. It was a perfect pic day, too. Dot was confined to a lounger, similar to how I was confined to the pool deck on our last Disney trip and could have gotten some great shots. Ah well.

Meanwhile, let me dwell for a moment on the dangers of swim class. Remember the old adage: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing? That fairly accurately describes my life at the momment. T believes she knows how to swim. In fact, she'll tell you that quite emphatically, if asked. She even makes impromptu public service announcements about it...just in case anyone in the grocery store, the restaurant, or Nordstroms is wondering. Problem is, she's only 1/2 right.

T can push off from somewhere and swim about 6 feet, or whatever distance it is that she can hold her breath. Then, its all over. May DAy...May Day....! T can't yet take another breath and she sinks like stone. We're still majorly working on those skills. No matter, though, who needs to breath in the pool?

After our two swim class lessons (the other 3 cancelled due to rain), T has totally lost her fear of the water, and jumps right in from the deck. She swims to me, turns around, swims to the wall, climbs out, and does it all over again. Over. And over. And over. After about 20 minutes of frenzied swimming, she sat on the steps, and implored me to sit with her...which I did. I figured she was resting. Silly me.

I'm sitting right next to her, and she gets up. Dummy me thinks she is just going to play on the steps. Nope. The kid from a step or two down, launches herself out into the great blue yonder and starts swimming away...with me still sitting on the step! I lose my mind and go tearing after her, and catch her before she gets into trouble, i.e. needs to take a breath. Well, you can imagine the lecture that she received after that. Unfortunately, my lectures really don't make too much of an impression on her. She suffers through them with the panache of a sixteen year old. I swear if the kid knew how to roll her eyes in her head, she would. So, with an obligatory, "OK mama, Sorry Mama", she was off swimming again.

As I said, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing!

Thank you, Aunt Dot

Here's T modeling her new nightgown, courtesy of Aunt Dot. She loves it, despite the fact that she refused to put Woody down to pose for the picture!

Meanwhile, swim class tonight was a big success. She'll have her skills back in no time!

The Tails Survived

I'm happy to report that the pigtails survived school today. In fact, they survived so well, the I worry I won't be able to get them out of her hair tonight.
T has spent the whole night changing from one dress-up outfit to the next. Over. And over. And over again. Each time, she'd hold her pigtails to ensure that they were still in place. She was protecting them so much that you'd think they were the Holy Grail.

For the first time she chose this outfit, which was a nice hand-me-down gift from Sophia P., who outgrew it. T didn't quite know what to make of the tube-top-like shirt.

Pray for me. I forsee a big tantrum tonight, when I take them out of her hair for bathtime. Meanwhile, it was another crappy day in Miami. Pretty much rained the whole day. Swim class was cancelled.

We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Pigtails on the Fly

T is slow to rouse on any morning. Today was particularly slow. Not sure why. Note her patented "sleepy morning" look.

As we're walking out of the house this morning, T asked for a ponytail. Since her hair won't do that, I gave her pigtails instead. Despite the zig-zaggy part (isn't that the style these days, anyway?), I think a did a pretty good job for doing it on the fly.
I'm very interested to see how these tails last through a hard day at daycare. Especially since today is a water-play day!

SWIM CLASS HAS STARTED!

Swim Class has officially started. Yesterday, to be exact. T did very well, and many commented that she was the only kid there that was actually excited to go into the pool. Of course, she was one of the only kids there for a refresher course vs. first-timers, so her lack of hysterics wasn't such a big deal. In fact, T was so excited that she literally wouldn't stop moving. As Miss Julie reached up to bring her into the pool, T was busy kicking her legs in mid-air. She was like the little energizer bunny in the pool. Not much work was done on floating, but she certainly worked on her swimming and kicking skills.

Today, swim class was cancelled. Its been raining all damn day in Miami...the perfect day to stay in bed all day snuggling under the covers and watching soaps. However, I was at work :( What's worse, my cell phone wasn't charged today, so the only way we knew swim class was cancelled was showing up there, and seeing the empty park and pool. So instead, T is running around the house playing in her swimsuit. Oh well, perhaps we can do it tomorrow.

UPDATE: Meanwhile, remind me in the future never to let T play in a swimsuit with embroidery. See those 3 cute little flowers on her suit? Now, there's more like 2 and a half. There was about a 45 minute lull in the noise factor last night. I knew I should have gone and investigated! Apparently, she spent that time busily picking apart one of the flowers. Crap.

A Nice Calm Weekend

Yep, its always nice when you have a nice, calm weekend where nothing special happens. We did some gardening...a home depot run for mulch and then planting some succulents in pots. T, of course, timed having to go peepee until right as we approached the cashier after waiting in line. Therefore, had to vere out of line, and go charging through the whole store like crazy women, to get to the bathroom in time. Luckily, we were successful. I'm certain, though, that she holds it until the perfectly most inappropriate time, just to drive me nuts.

On Sunday, we did a Target run after visiting my parents. Bought a new Incredibles and Toy Story 2 DVD, since she has worn out the old ones. Also scored some pint-sized gardening gloves and two pint-sized folding lawn chairs. Target's got all their summer/gardening stuff 50% off to make way for all their back to school crap.
Lastly, I leave you with a picture of T enjoying her ice cream cone. We're very excited, b/c swim class starts tomorrow (Monday). T's class is at 7:00 p.m, every night, M - F. No one will be more relieved than me, when T regains her skills. Hopefully, it won't take too long.

Ciao for now

Another MaoNan Sister in Florida!

It is with great joy, that I add the blog Journey to MaryAlice to the list of T's MaoNan sisters. I discovered this blog via the Rumor Queen. Mom (S) is single, lives in No. Florida and received a referral, which due to private reasons she had to reject...a singularly scary and brave thing to do given China's anti-single-mom sentiments. Well, before S received her first referral, I had predicted that her baby was in Guangdong...where T was from. Very recently, S was referred a second baby. A gorgeous baby girl from T's same SWI! Yippee! T will have another MaoNan sister living in Florida. We hope to meet someday.

I look at little MaryAlice's face, and see T, Sara, Audrey and all the other girls in our group in her face. She has the same eyebrows, dark thick hair, and big eyes of T. Her nose is a little more petite and pointy like Sara or Audrey. Cute cheeks like MaeLi, Emma, and Olivia. I'm thrilled to see that Half the Sky, a charitable organization which now works out of MaoNan, is having positive effects. I see new, nicer backgrounds in the picture, and most of all...she's a healthy little pudge...at least compared to our poor emaciated little girls at the time of their referral!

During T's time at MaoNan before Half the Sky's presence, we're all very suspicious that our girls were never given solid food...as almost none of them knew how to eat, some at very advanced ages. T still has food issues, especially with stuff with new textures.

The photo of MaryAlice laying on her stomach also reminds me of T...remember that alert look like she's interacting with someone beyond the camera? It didn't register with me until all the experienced moms commented on it. And boy, was that a harbinger of things to come! I couldn't ask for a more alert, curious, energetic, mischievious little girl. Good Lord, T even more energetic would kill me! Anyway, check out S's site. She's got photos up. I can't wait to follow along and see her get her daughter.

T's First "Mama Party"

The last thing to report from our trip to Tampa was that I bought shoes. REAL SHOES! Today is the first day that I wore them. This is such a big deal I can't even say. You can't imagine how nice it is to put on a real pair of shoes after not being able to for over 3 months. Unfortunately, these shoes cost a king's ransom, but they're the only shoes that fit both my feet. So, I also bought them in black. Look closely, they even have a heel! The brand is BeautiFeel, and I can testify that they truely do feel beautiful on my feet. Lots of support, an arch in the right place, and leather that feels like butter.

I wore the shoes today, because we had to go to a "Mama Party" tonight. A friend has been appointed judge, and her going away party was tonight after work. I had T practicing on the way there, and right on cue she said, Congratulations. Hello Judge Flora. T was quite the hit, but of course, we were only there for about 20 - 30 minutes. Enough time to put in an appearance and then get out of dodge before you-know-who acted up. However, T was on her best behavior albeit slightly disappointed when she realized there was no birthday cake.

So, since we were already dressed up, off to Nordstroms we went for dinner and a girls' night out. Yummy!
Meanwhile, I had to bribe T and let her take a picture of me, before she would pose nicely for me. She's becoming quite the photographer. That's all for tonight. We're looking forward to a nice, uneventful weekend.

Cute things she's said...

Here's a few cute things she's said that has made me laugh:

* Ceci gave us a bunch of leotards. T put one on and said, "I want to go to the pool". No, Baby, this was for ballet or tumbling, not the pool.

*while typing on the computer, T took a sip of my soda. Since we're out of diet coke, I'm drinking Cherry Coke Zero. T's never tasted that before. She takes a sip, gets a funny face, and says, "I like that medicine soda".

*T saw a Disney Fairies commercial, and screamed, "Wow, just like my panties!" Yes, now everyone knows that T is the proud new owner of disney fairies panties.

...she then proceeded to sit on the floor and do her yoga.

Gabby Shirt

Here's a shirt from the Gabriella line, teamed with hot pink shorts, sneakers, and socks with purple piping to match the back of the shirt. The Perfect Daycare Ensemble!

Yes, sir; Yes, sir; Seven bags full!

One of the things that happened in Tampa, was the Ceci and Gabriella gave T seven bags full of clothes. The sizes ranged from 3 to 6x. I finally got to sorting them tonight, and getting rid of some of T's smaller things. Here's some highlights of some dresses that either fit now, or soon will.

Thank you Ceci and Gabs for all this great loot! T wasn't exactly cooperating in most of the photos, but they give you an idea of how some of the stuff fits.

I LOVE When a Plan Comes Together!

Yep, I'm thrilled!!! All of the pictures I ordered for T's room came at the same time. This Ariel picture, I couldn't resist from Disney.com. It ended up being about 20.00, if I recall. 30% off the reduced price. Gotta love that! Especially since I don't think it's that offensive, as far as Ariel crap goes.

Meanwhile, the 2 pictures that I have been coveting for over 2 years arrived today as well. I can't say enough times how thrilled I am with them. They are so gorgeous. This photo doesn't even do them justice. Perhaps now I'll have incentive to paint that stupid spot on the wall, that I've been meaning to paint for almost 3 years.
Lastly, this is the nightlight I ordered. Ceci specifically asked for a photo of this, as she may start carrying them on her site. Its beautiful and very well made. The only complaint I have about it is that I prefer night lights that go on and off automatically, depending upon the room's darkness. That's ok, though. I already have one in the room that does that. I'll let T play with this one, and decide if and when she wants it turned on.

Saturday Fun and Calamity

After all our fun at the 4th of July Party, we came home and grilled burgers and dogs. We admit to being exhausted (at least the adults were, the kids were still raring to go!). Since G and T were making a lot of noise marching around the house as if in a parade, I took them outside and let them parade for real. Those who know me well know that I'm the Queen of Parades...the Parade Master if you will...I've marched in more parades than their combined ages! So, they marched all around the neighborhood shouting out "Happy Fourth of July" at the top of their lungs to every house we passed and car that drove by.

In this picture, they're woefully out of parade formation, but having fun nonetheless. The dried-up old tree branches they found were handy pretend-batons. It was an odd parade of 2 drum majors, marching to a beat all their own. We then watched firewords across the bay from Aunt Ceci's back porch and called it a night.


Then came Saturday...

The plan was for the girls to go to visit their friend Emma, who just turned 6 in July. They got all dressed up, and went off with Dot. Or should I call her Calamity Dot? Yep, surprisingly enough, I suffered no great calamity on this trip. Can't say the same for Dot. Dot was taking a shower, bent over to pick up the dropped soap, and took a spill... litereally out of the tub, pulling down the shower curtain as she went. After untwisting herself from the curtain, she came downstairs to report a swollen wrist. Based upon my tragic experiences, I counselled her immediately to go to the ER, but she declined and the girls went off to the party.

The girls had a great time together. They had lunch and sang on a kareoke machine. Given T's ability to carry a tune, I'm frankly relieved that I didn't have to suffer through, I mean enjoy, that performance. How do you like this pose? They look like the next generation of Charlie's Angels to me!

Anyway, Dot met us at the mall, and was complaining about her wrist. Finally, she deigned to go off to the ER at around 3:00 p.m. The ER is just up the street from Aunt Ceci's house. Dot returned around 11:30 p.m.... well after Uncle Peter and S had to deliver provisions to her...diet coke and dinner.

Diagnosis? Broken wrist. Luckily, its her left arm, which is in a cast from her fingers to above her elbow. She's screwed for about 6 weeks. Luckily, it wasn't a bad break, and they didn't even have to set it, which hurts like the dickens. Plus, she can also drive.

So, between me and my pronounced limp and Dot with her casted arm, we're quite a sight to behold as we chase after T. Luckily, we returned to Miami without incident and are now happily nesting in our own homes. T, finally, is exhausted and is napping on the couch in her Ariel dress. I told Dot that T and I are at the ready. Just say the word and we'll move in with her and take care of her. So far, she's declined.

A Day at the Races

Nothing makes the Fourth of July better than a good race...Here's G and S (standing in the tubes) waiting for their turn in the relay-inner-tube races in the big pool. The boys won that one. The girls won the earlier race of pushing a greasted watermelon across the pool.
Shortly after the above races, G (pictured in the one-piece on the trike) and T entered the Tri-cycle relay race. Oh.My.God. I can't tell you how cute this was. G was the first on her team and gave them a good head start. T brought up the rear. What was hilarious about the whole thing, was that the toddlers' actually had the advantage. They were much quicker than the big kids, who were hampered in their riding by their long limbs. Well, if my T has learned anything in her time in daycare/school, it's how to ride a trike with the skill, speed, and lack of fear of a Nascar driver! My competitive little T was in her glory. The pool scare was a thing of the past.

Here's the video of T's portion and her team's winning of the race. The end gets blurry when I tried to zoom the camera.



Needless to say, T's team of 6 girls won. If you look closely, you'll see that they had a few more toddlers on their team than the others. Anyway, my scrappy little T employed a little strategy at the end of the race as she barrelled over the finish line. She "mistakenly" rolled right into another team's racer, foiling that racer's start. He.He. Hmmm, coincidence or by design? You be the judge!

Pool Fun...Or not!

Here's T working her magic with Uncle Sam who was charming her with his bubble machine. T was basically confined to the little girl pool, when I realized that she has totally lost her swimming skills.


We had a big scare in the big-girl pool. I was sitting on the top step leading into the pool. There are about 5 steps in total. T was busy standing on the bottom step playing. She went down to the last step on which she could stand, and was playing holding the railing.

Well, I was busy sitting on the top step, watching her and taking in the scenery. Literally, I turned my head for 2 or 3 seconds to look out over the bay. When I turned back, T was out about 6 inches out from that last step, fighting for her life. She was starting to drown. I'm sad to say that it took about 1 second (a lifetime in that situation) for me to realize what I was seeing. I thought I was going to throw up. I don't think I've ever moved so fast in my life, and without a care at all for my stupid foot. All was well and I was able to rescue her with no harm to either of us, except a few more grey hairs for me. We both suffered a bad scare. The 12 lifeguards who all looked about 16 - 18 yrs old? Standing around socializing with each other. No one except me noticed a thing, and the pool was crowded.

Needless to say, after that drama, T sayed in the baby pool unless actually in the arms of me or Dot. I was yearning for a stiff shot of tequila, but I still had a long time left to watch after T, as this happened as soon as we got to the club. I had to keep my senses about me. Interestingly, by the end of the day and after our swimming on Saturday afternoon in Ceci's pool, T was regaining her swim skills.

T still can't float on her back or breathe while swimming, but she was pushing away from me and swimming to the wall from about 3 or 4 feet out. I was so proud of her. She didn't let "the incident" scare her away from the water. She kept insisting on doing it over and over. Repeatedly demanding "AGAIN!"

Lastly, no T hasn't passed out under the table from sheer fun. The boys were playing a blistering game of pingpong, and T appointed herself the official pingpong ball chaser. As you can see, she did it with her usual enthusiasm for the task.