diaper change dialogue

Mommy:  Buddy, it's time to change your diaper.
(He walks over and sits on my lap. I adjust his position and begin changing him.)
Buddy: Poop!
Bear:  I hope he doesn't put his fingers in it.  Then it will be stinky pinkies!

Ok, I know this type of conversation after a month's hiatus is not exactly favorable to some people.  But I thought it was funny.

Quotable

As we drove through Atlanta in the pouring down rain the day before yesterday, Bear exclaimed,
"Mommy, look! The chimpanzees are getting wet so they can grow bigger!"  Thankfully, the traffic light turned red so I could look for the source of her excitement.  She was pointing to some "pansies" in a flower bed.  I laughed and explained the difference.

So, at the library yesterday I happened upon a book about chimpanzees with a big photo on the cover and asked her what the book was about.  She answered correctly.  :)

18 months and growing

My baby boy is a year and a half already.  We took him to his check-up today... Daddy took off work, just as much because I knew Bear would be difficult during her boosters.  She fought more than Buddy.

I was given "homework": teach  the kiddo his basic body parts.  When Doc asked if he points to them, I told her he would if I had taught them to him.  Hey, at least he's not like the 57 pound 3 year old with a pacifier in her mouth that we saw in Wal-mart.  Other than that, of course he is growing normally.  57th percentile for height, 43rd for weight, 95th for head circumference.  (More room for his brain... must not neglect that and teach him his body parts... pronto! ha!)

The Pediatrician is nice to the kids, seems to know her things, but Mommy and Daddy  suspect that she does not have kids of her own yet.  Maybe our prior experiences at a more laid back family practice just spoiled us, maybe pediatricians teach to the lowest common denominator, we don't know.

Here are some things he does:
*climbs on whatever he can: kitchen table, chest, couch (to reach the light switch), beds, toilet seat (to reach whatever is on the counter).  He has been known to move something to step on it and reach something else.
*plays peek-a-boo with the blinds
*takes the clothes off the princess Alexa doll that sings
*language development.  Some words are understandable, some are only to us, but he is vocal.  His jabbers are adorable, and he likes to "talk" on the phone.  Or just listen to whoever is talking on the other end.  Frequently heard (in his language): hi, hello (huhwo), bye, please, thank you, dada, mama, bah (bottle/cup/box/bath) uh-huh, this (dis), that (dat), up, door, juice, uh-OH!, book, brush (b-ush) shakes his head yes and no, points and grunts
*he's beginning to show interest in the potty.  When I told big sis to go potty and brush her teeth the night before last, he followed her to the bathroom, tried to open his potty seat, pointed at it til I did, then sat down on it with his clothes on.  When he was done he closed the lid, stepped on it, and asked for his toothbrush.

learning by doing

I love when a child becomes excited about learning. It's especially exciting when it's your own child who wants to learn.  As a Mom, sometimes it's hard to find the balance between letting a child help and getting things done quickly.  As I folded laundry today, Bear wanted to help me.  Her folds of anything larger than a dish towel ended up being more like clumps.  She tried so hard to help.  She even put some of her folded clothes away in one of her dresser drawers and was thrilled to do it all by herself.  And she grew frustrated when I tried to help her fold the towels better.  But eventually, with a little teamwork, we did it well enough.  :)

Bear cut out her first paper hearts tonight, with just a little assistance from Mommy.  I had finally found some blunt-tipped scissors for her, and came across them when I straightened the counter last night.  So as I checked my e-mail after putting Buddy in bed, I gave Bear some paper and a pair of scissors and she began snipping away.  She has used a pair of plastic "fake" scissors that don't cut worth beans, and she also has some jagged-edged plastic-coated craft scissors (kid-safe scrapbook-ish style), but they have seemed difficult.  With her other scissors, she would end up ripping more than cutting. 

After showing her how to hold them correctly, she snipped away at a piece of grocery list paper.  Her pieces were much smaller than I would prefer, but she had so much fun and did not draw blood when she did touch her skin with a blade.  Since my kids are not in pre-school, I don't know when most kids begin using scissors on their own.  I have a big scar from playing with scissors as an elementary kid, I haven't rushed that motor skill with her.  But I heard somewhere that it's a skill they like kids to have in Kindergarten, so I figured it might be good to introduce it to her.  

After we totally demolished the "list" and made the tiniest little paper man with arms (she is so creative, she wrapped a narrower strip around a rectangle and called it arms, and asked me to give it a head), I found some construction paper.  I decided it might be safer to have her cut along a line than continue free-styling.  So I folded the pink paper in half, drew half a heart, and set her up.  She needed me to help her around the curved part a little bit, but for her first real cutting experience at home, I was so proud of her.

She asked why I taught her to cut tonight.  I told her I thought it was something she would enjoy doing, and that she would need to know how to do when she goes to school some day.  I asked her if she wanted me to be her teacher until she goes to school.  Her face lit up, "You mean like Aunt Cheryl teaches Emmy and Maddie?!"

Maybe we will wean away from all that TV time we've defaulted to lately.  :)

 

oh, and she seemed to favor holding the scissors in her left hand... I wonder if she'll be a lefty or ambidextrous like her Grandpas?

knows what he wants

Buddy left his half-full sippy cup on the floor, so I put it in the fridge.  Not 5 seconds later, he ran from the living room to the fridge yelling, "ba! ba!ba!" at the top of his lungs while trying to pull the fridge back open.  Guess he wasn't done.

first words

I have not tracked all of Buddy's 1sts as well as I did with Bear.  He is definitely becoming more verbal.  He likes to say Mama and Dada, of course.  He says a nice throaty "aaaagh" while holding his baby triceratops toy or Bear's pterodactyl.  He tries to say or sign "please" and "thank you" when prompted.  His current favorite?  "Hot", which sounds a bit more like "ha."  He'll point to his plate and say, "hot."  When something is in the oven, he does the same.  This morning he walked over to the stove and pointed toward the steam rising from my pot of water for tea.  You guessed it, "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"  (He actually kept me from ruining another pan.)  And last night when we were out about, he said, "co" in reference to the COLD winter air.  No problem with this kid's comprehension.

"laundry" time

"What is she doing?"

Laundry doesn't belong IN the basket, people, I do!

unless I have sis trapped underneath....

Bear took the initiative to fold... it was not mommy's idea.  And she did not even ask for a check mark on her chart!

I don't think I like the "improvements" blogger has made to photo-posting.  Back to Facebook I may go....

Happy New Year!

I should have thought before opening up the living room by moving the ottoman right next to the door... Buddy's already trying to figure out how to unlock both locks.

We're in the process of implementing a reward system for Bear.  She gets check marks for doing simple, age-appropriate chores. She has something in mind that she wants to earn, and has been asking for an allowance.  But we don't keep cash on hand.  I somehow ended up with the pink glass rocks from my sister's wedding (flower arrangement accents).  So this morning we decorated her "job jar."  We'll count up the check marks each day and at the end of the day, put the rocks into the jar.  When the jar is full, she will get the reward she has earned.... right now she wants a lap desk that has a cup holder in it.  Thanks to Aunt Becca for the idea for this system!

So far so good, but she did just come up and ask if she gets a check mark for washing her hands.  :)

(not-so) accidental milestone

Buddy was bathing and a familiar expression crossed his face.  I really did not want to have to bleach the tub and all its toys again... so I grabbed the padded potty seat, scooped him up, and set him on there.  We've had false alarms where nothing has transpired before.... this time was not a false alarm.  I think he liked the praise he received for using the potty, because he kept climbing out and wanting to sit on the potty seat again. 

The funny thing was that I pulled Bear's training potty out of storage today.  It makes a good step stool and the two of them have been fighting over the Dora step stool ever since Buddy has become obsessed with brushing his teeth.  Looks like it might be mutipurposed.

there's a new name...

in Buddy's vocabulary
and it's ella's, yes it's ella.

(sometimes la-la.)

He giggles and grins with pride as he looks at his 4 month old cousin and calls her name.

Precious.

Wordless Wednesday

(Thank you, S&G, for these wonderful photos!)

an unwelcome guest

Hannah was playing in our room when she let out a small shriek and exclaimed, "Mommy, there's a lizard in there!" First she said it ran behind the bookshelf. Then she said it went under the dresser. She also said it was very tiny and then changed her story to very long. She also thought it was beautiful rainbow colored. I looked and did not see anything, jostled the shelf and the dresser, to no avail. I told her to tell Daddy about it when we got home, but was beginning to doubt her story. She has really gotten into imaginative play, and she likes watching dinosaur train on pbs, so could she have imagined it. "It ran away because it was scared that I am so much bigger," she said.

Daddy came home. After the cuddle fest in the living room, the kids climbing all over him in sheer joy, he went to our room. I had Hannah tell him what she saw, and sure enough, peeking out from the doorway to the bathroom, was an ugly lizard, 4-6 inch lizard with creepy eyes.


I had caught a lizard OUTSIDE for Bear last Spring, but the thought of having one in my own bedroom FREAKED me out. It HAD to be caught. I retrieved the canning jar that once held homemade canned tomatoes from a dear friend (thankfully we were able to used them up before the lizard came and it was clean). Sensing the jar alone would not do the trick, J went and got the broom and dustpan. The goal, to sweep the lizard into the jar. We got Bear to go to the other room in case we had to kill it, but I really did not want lizard innards in my bathroom or bedroom, or to explain to our tenderhearted girl why it had to die. I pushed a box into the doorframe to try to block it in the bathroom. J tried to sweep it into the jar. It escaped onto the carpet. Thankfully, he stopped it by catching it by the tail with one of his tools, scraped/swept it into the jar, and I got the lid on. Whew. Crisis averted.

Bear named it Alexa, after one of the Barbie Princesses. I hardly think the name fits. I did not want it anywhere near our apartment, so I do hope it was just a common salamander/lizard and not another tenant's exotic escapee, because Daddy and Bear set it free among the landscaping outside. I hope a cat or some other animal finds it for a snack.

Halloween Trip home 2009

The kids and I went home to Tennessee for the weekend, and we had a wonderful visit. My parents' house is on the market, and they are praying it sells so they can move further south this winter, so this may be our list visit to the place they've been since I was almost 17.

The kiddos enjoyed having more space to run around (inside and out), and for Halloween we visited our old neighborhood, where we spent time with some of our best friends in the subdivision and went trick or treating together. This was my first year trick-or-treating as a Mom, and I was tired out, but glad we did it. Last year, Daddy took Bear around the 'hood while Buddy and I greeted the trick or treaters. The year before, we went to a church event in Memphis at Gramma Debbie's church, and the year before, well, Bear was only a week old so a select few got to peek at her before they took their treats from my Mom.

Bear dressed up as a fairy princess, and Buddy was disguised as a penguin, which suited him perfectly with his current gait as he learns to walk.

Some parents avoid Halloween altogether and some substitute it with a church based activity, but we've taken to participate in the fun aspects and not focus on the scary in the tradition I grew up... trick or treating in our "safe" neighborhood, with parents and friends. This year's weather in Middle TN was perfect... crisp, cool fall air, the sound of leaves crunching under our feet, and the scent of someone burning a fire in their fireplace. Hannah was so excited about being home that when we encountered a scary costume or decoration, it did not phase her. In fact, after she got over being startled by a pirate ghost at one home, she kept tapping it with her wand and laughing, and then Brandon laughed too. The man who was giving out candy just stood there waiting to finish playing with his "scary" decoration, with an understanding smile.

The funniest encounter of the evening was when I took Brandon out of his costume. He had stuffed a plate from our friends' plastic tea set inside his puffy penguin suit, and apparently it stayed there during our adventure trick-or-treating.

Bear's FOUR!!!

We had a good weekend for Bear's birthday. Caslon and Camera Guy and the sweetest little girl born since mine came to celebrate with us. Daddy came home from "school." The theme was Disney Princess. Early arriving gifts from others as well as gifts from Mommy and Daddy were wrapped in pink princess paper. Balloons abounded, and the cake was, of course, Princess themed (From Publix).

This is the first year that Hannah really anticipated her birthday. Since the arrival of her tutu a couple of weeks ago, she has been asking about when her party would be, who would be coming, etc. It was hard because so many people we love could not be with us due to distance, one friend who we hoped could come got sick, and the others came off of a CRAZY week and could not make it, either. Thankfully, when it came down to it, Bear seemed to enjoy the time we had, and it was great to just hang out and relax with family.

Now all about my girl. She's a good mix. While she is obsessed with all things princess, Barbie, fairy, and my little pony related she also like watching old she-ra videos and has such a vivid imagination. Her hair is darkening and her curls fall in looser waves than they used to. She keeps asking me when she will get freckles, and pointing to non-existent ones that she thinks are on her arm. She wants a dog, but seems to know not to push the issue too much. In the last couple of weeks she has wanted to pay for things by herself at the store, so I think it might be time to start working on an allowance and teaching her about earning. She is sweet, a great big sister, and super-sensitive. If I am talking on the phone and she hears an emotion in my voice, she asks what is wrong. She asks if I am angry,sad or frustrated when she senses it.

I cannot believe my baby is growing into such a sweet girl so quickly.

Bear speaks

Bear: "Mommy, you did good job making this yummy fruit salad."
Mommy: "Why, thank you. It wasn't very hard. I just popped open the can and there it was."

Overheard, a few minutes later: "She just popped open the can and there it was."

Watch out world! (and watch your stuff)

Buddy is walking. Almost running. And he likes to hide things. As I type this, he's trying to hide his jammie-clad self and a clean diaper which he confiscated out of his cainet behind a small wicker chest. I suspect the chest will not survive the attack, as little pieces keep cracking off. My camera is down in the car, Bear is in the bathrub, and I am trying to understand his fascination with cramming himself into tight places. He also retrieved a sock he had hidden back there. This morning I found a toy train in the top of the diaper champ, along with wipes he thought needed to be thrown away. In the past 5 minutes, I have picked him up and moved him no less than 10 times. He's behaving almost like a puppy who has found its spot to mark... but he is dressed, so I don't have to worry about cleaning up that kind of mess this time. Ok, to his play saucer he goes. If you keep up with me on facebook, you know this attempt to corral the kid won't last long. He has figured out how to climb out. He grips around the top and under the edges with his fists. Kicks his legs back and tries to shimmy his legs up through the seat. Then he either shakes the saucer til it tips over and he climbs out sideways, or manages to straddle one leg over the side and then the other without tipping it. Except right now he's tired and getting frustrated instead of remaining determined. (Yes, I do believe it's time to clean up the saucer and put it into storage.) I smile at him from across and he cries in protest. I do believe it's time to finish off that sippy cup and go to bed, son.

new words

Brandon- My friend Cheri took the kiddos down to her church's nursery tonight during their revival service so I could listen to the preacher. Brandon was characteristically fussy after being taken from his Mommy, so she took him for a walk outside. Apparently when he saw Frosty the white kitty, he tried to say "cat" but doesn't quite have the hard "c" sound. Still, she has 4 kids of her own and knows when a kid knows what he's saying. He's saying "ba" for a lot of things. "bye", "bottle (sippy cup), and "bath", to name a few. and he's beginning to use a couple of signs. Waving his hands= all done. He tried to sign "please" after I modeled it for him today. He waves bye, even though I think his palm is usually toward himself, and that can mean "Bye" to someone or "I want to go bye-bye."

Hannah- I told her Bear she was "exasperating" me tonight as I tried to get her to brush her teeth, etc.... "What does "sassassperating" mean, Mom?"

they're growing too fast

I haven't taken Brandon in for his 1 year check-up yet, and he's 13 months. He's big. And walking more every day. And climbing to the point that he scares me, but I don't want to confine him into the saucer ALL the time. However, I might have to if he does not stop being such a dare devil. I really am getting scared that he might hurt himself by climbing, and falling and cracking his skull. When he heard Daddy's voice through the phone, he said "da-da." He LOVES the phone... puts it up next to his ear and grins. He also loves talking to his Grandparents. Every once in a while I get a reminder that he's still a baby. He woke up at 10:30 last night for some milk, which was followed by snuggle time on Mommy's shoulder. I don't mind the wake-up at that time, especially since he tends to sleep in until 8 am most days now.

Hannah is growing up, too, obviously. I can't believe her 4th birthday is approaching sooo quickly. She's handing daddy's mid-week absence for training so well. We're almost 1/4 of the way done! She does ask about him, and sometimes when she misses him a lot, she tears up but won't talk to him, but she's doing well. She tries to watch out for little bro, most of the time, except when she wants to wrestle him or hug his neck. (Sometimes she forgets that she's not gentle enough.) She resumed gymnastics this week, and really seemed to like it. She loves old She-Ra videos and her all things princess (disney or Barbie) and Fairytopia. She asks about our old friends and our old house, but she also loves having a playground in walking distance as well as a swimming pool and balcony. She has taken to sleeping in Mommy's bed while Daddy is away, which would not be so bad except she hogs it. I love cuddling, but don't like feeling pushed out of my own bed. One of her favorite nightime phrases is ," Mommy, I NEED you!!!"

you can't keep a good man down

watch out, world!!!

Brandon took 8 steps last night! He's taken 1-3 steps on several occasions.

*****
I asked Hannah to clean up her potato heads. I began helping her, to reduce the whine factor. Brandon immediately followed suit, picking up the pieces and putting them into the case.

****
overheard during play-doh time: "This is a necklace because it's for wearing around your neck." (Hannah made jewelry out of her play-doh.)