Watch Out, World!

I decided to convert the blue car into a "walker" for Joe.  Right away, he knew what to do with it.

In the last few days, it has become obvious that babyproofing the house isn't enough.  It's time to toddler-proof the house!

Happy Birthday, Boyo!

Two weeks ago, we celebrated Joey's first year of life.  Is it just me, or is the first year of any child's life the Longest Year Ever?  I'm very proud to announce that we successfully completed it, so on to Year #2! 

One month old!

12 months old!

We were planning on a very quiet celebration for Joe at home, but the day before his birthday one of my neighbors called (we get together regularly for a Bible study once a week) and asked if we weren't able to get together that day.  We usually meet on Friday and it was Monday, so I was NOT at all prepared to go. 
Then Panchita mentioned that Rosario had bought a cake to celebrate Joey. 

Well . . . in that case, I guess I can hurry up the kids' naps a bit so we can celebrate my son.  ;) 

Joey's first birthday turned out to be a surprise party--for me, too!

Rosario got these hats at a wedding the weekend before.  Clara thought they were great.  Joey . . . not so much.

Modeling the . . . parrot?

Not having had any experience with this before, Clara helped him blow out the birthday candle.

Mmmm . .  cake!  (And cracker, in Joey's case.)

My wonderful neighbors

Big Enough for the Playground

Joey is finally big enough to play on something at the playground, and I've got the video to prove it!

He starts at one end and scrambles his way to the other end and then shoots himself down the slide.  For the video, he was going rather slowly.  (He was pretty interested in the other girl on his jungle gym.)

You go, Joe!

He was just fine after going down the slide sooner than I expected.

Three-Year-Old Geography

While I've spent some time with other three-year-olds, I'm absolutely clueless about what is "normal" for a child of that age to pick up on geography.

My three-year-old has been blessed with probably more travel experiences than the average three-year-old, and this is starting to come out in her conversation.  A month ago, we were able to go on vacation to the Gulf coast of Texas.  Sitting on the beach, she turned to me and, in an incredulous tone, announced to me, "they're speaking English!"

Yes, yes they do.

Since then, she's been asking to go back to Texas.  And, as we have a visit to my parents' coming up soon, and this last week she added "Indiana" to her vocabulary.  I know she picked up in this in conversation, because I don't remember flat-out telling her that Grandma and Grandpa live in Indiana.  (What a smartie!)

She also knows that we live in Saltillo, and often asks to visit her abuelos in Mexico (the city, not the country).  Trying to explain that Mexico is both a city, a country is something I'm hoping to leave to her teachers.  I could see it blowing her mind at this point.  But then again, as we cross the border fairly frequently, she may be able to accommodate this into her worldview fairly easily--who's to say?

And she also knows where we're talking about when we mention Toluca (where her Tia Lili used to live and Mario had to spend a week in a few weeks ago) and Jojutla (where we have other relatives).

The other day she overheard someone speaking English somewhere and told me, "those are English people."  Instead of trying to blow her mind and explaining exactly what small fraction of English-speakers are, indeed, English people, I simply agreed with her.

Then I asked her, "are you an English person?"

She thought for a minute and then nodded.    

Random Thoughts About Not-So-Random Kids

Update on the kiddos:

Joey

• is finally sleeping through the night!  (Maybe I shouldn't write that here, so as not to jinx him.)  However, whenever he seems to get on a solid stretch and we decide that it's a good idea to put Clara back in the room with him, SOMETHING happens and he starts screaming like a banshee in the middle of the night. The last time we tried them sleeping in the same room, Clara fell out of bed.  She cried, waking him up, so he cried, which upset her even more.  It's this never-ending cycle of screaming children. I know we're not the only people in the world who have their very young children sleep together.  Tips?  Thoughts?   

• about two weeks ago, something finally clicked in his head and he realized that he does not HAVE to put everything he comes across in his mouth.  I can't begin to explain how much easier this has made my life.  And really, it happened like that, like a switch turned.  All of a sudden--BAM--no more foot-to-mouth syndrome.  It's wonderful!  

He insists on putting his feet on his highchair tray  Always.

• he has realized that he just might have the ability to pull himself up to standing (or even on his knees).  However, the only time this occurs to him is in the bathtub, which besides being the slippery hazard it is in most people's houses, is even more dangerous in ours as our bathtub is perched on a small metal table, at my waist level, in our laundry room.  I was hoping that I wouldn't have to put the tub on the floor for another year.  

• eats voraciously

• loves to swim, particularly on his belly and does a great frog kick.  I'm so excited that neither of my children are scared of the water (to date). 

• a few Sundays ago, I propped him into a standing position on the back of the pew at church (so he could see the people behind us better) and he held himself up for almost a minute.  Every couple of days I try that again, and he keeps supporting himself well.  Yesterday he even took three steps toward me while I was holding his hands!  Yikes!  Once he learns how to pull himself up, he'll be unstoppable!  I'll enjoy this stage while I can (because it's clear that it won't last long). 

Clara

•  has decided that Joey is Spanish-dominant and insists on speaking to him in Spanish.  I'm glad she's using it and that he's hearing it somewhere.  

Clara really wanted to hold him.  Joe was not so thrilled.

• Still thinks that jumping is the best thing ever.  Today we were walking down some slippery tile stairs at the mall.  I was carrying Joey and holding her hand and she thought it would be a good idea to jump down them.  She was wrong, and luckily caught herself before she fell too far.  Getting to be a daredevil, that one!

• Her best friend is Mickey Mouse.  We've let her watch a few Mickey videos on YouTube and now she tells me all kinds of things that Mickey's doing, what Mickey likes to do, what Mickey wants to do, etc.  I think he's her new imaginary friend.  Except, everybody knows who Mickey Mouse is.  So, can he really be an imaginary friend?  Hmmm . . . 

• We went to a friend's pool and borrowed an inner tube--Clara swam around the pool, like she owned the place with the help of that inner tube!  I had no idea she was so capable!   That was one of the summer's more exciting moments for me. 

Clara helped pick our first tomato!

• She still loves to be a  help--she'll even offer to throw away Joey's diapers for me!  (sometimes)  She also likes to wash dishes.  As I have to double-check her work, help her rinse them (as I'm washing my own dishes), and put the dishes on the drying rack for her, I usually think having her help is more trouble than it's worth.  But when she does help and we're done, I notice how much faster we finish than if I were on my own.  It is so worth encouraging her to help!  And it really is a huge help that she can open the fridge on her own and bring milk, juice, cheese, etc, out to me--and even pour her milk herself sometimes!  

• Lately, her very favorite book is Ayudo a mi abuelita, a story about a little, bilingual girl who helps her grandma (who only speaks Spanish) do the shopping.  The book is almost completely in Spanish, except for the lines where the girl asks for milk and bread and oranges at various stores.  I read the narration and Clara "reads" those lines in English!  I love it! It's like we put on a little play every night. 

Look At Him Go!

Joey still doesn't crawl, but he gets around pretty effectively.  Given how well he scoots, I don't think he has any incentive to belly crawl.  I guess we're all just creative movers as babies in this family!

Proudest Mommy Moment To Date

We grill out on a fairly regular basis.  Whenever we grill, I have a standing rule with Clara that, provided she eats a decent amount of whatever we're grilling (and/or any sides) she may have a marshmallow after dinner.

Her dinners rarely merit a marshmallow.

But yesterday, she gobbled down beef and kept asking us for more.  (It was pretty excellent.)  And, of course, she remembered the marshmallow agreement, which I enthusiastically complied with.  If she has a marshmallow, I, of course, have to have one two.  Marshmallows are one of my many weaknesses.  I ALWAYS toast mine.  Clara always eats hers raw.

Until yesterday.

Not only did she want her marshmallow cooked, she wanted to cook it!  So we sat together, in front of the grill, bonding as only two people can bond over still-hot coals.  It's a beautiful memory and I was thrilled that Mario thought to document it. 

A Busy Big Baby

They say good parenting is all about staying one step ahead of your kids.  I feel that I've done a pretty good job with the first child. 

However, I feel like I'm running to catch up to Child #2!

Check out the wake of Hurricane Joe.

While I was helping Clara get her sandals on her feet, Joey managed to throw his swimsuit, shorts, and a diaper pin into the basil plant.  When we took them out, he insisted on putting them back in.  I appreciate that you want to put things away, but the basil pot is just not the best spot for them!

On an upside, I haven't had to fish leaves and sticks out of his mouth for a few days now.  Unfortunately, he has developed an appetite for concrete. 

He keeps me on my toes, this one!

Problem Solved!

Joey is a biter. 

And last Sunday, after I had been bitten 5 times--including once on each shoulder--I had had it with him.  He was crabby and cranky and fussy and just not at all pleasant to be around.  Now, we're all allowed be cranky from time to time, and babies more so than the average person.  But this had been going on for too long, building up for weeks really.  At night, in the back of my head, I admitted to myself, "I'm not sure I even like him anymore."

WOAH!  How horrible did I feel then that I could even consider that I didn't like my own son?  It was pretty awful.

So on Monday morning, when crabbiness ensued once more and I tried everything I could think of, I finally just set him in his bed and let him wail his little head off.  After a half-hour or so, he mercifully fell asleep--for TWO HOURS!

That's when I dawned on me--I have not been real consistent about making sure that he gets a good nap or two in a day.  For the longest time, he was the most easy-going kid and would let me forget that he needed to nap.  And so I forgot.  And Ugly Baby took over his personality.  Now I can see that was clearly my fault, not his.

So all this last week, I've been making sure that he got his nap.  Sometimes he falls asleep when I nurse him.  Sometimes he doesn't, so I let him cry a little.  Regardless, he now naps like a champ--no more of this 20 minutes and I'm awake nonsense.  Two solid hours.  He's a totally different kid.

I haven't been bit since last Sunday.

He smiles again.

And so do I.   

****************************************************************************

This is all rather ironic, as I was hyper-vigilant to make sure that Clara got her naps as a baby.  OK, I still make sure she lays down for an hour a day.  When other people's children would get fussy, I'd often grumble to myself, "put that kid to bed!"

Yet I couldn't see it in my own kid.


Oh, that humble pie . . . it's actually tasting good this time around.  

Because I've Got to Do Something With These Videos . . .

On a lighter note, here are our recent videos!  One, of Joey being Joey and flinging a plastic duck around.  The other, Clara shows off on her tricycle.

Enjoy!

One of My Most Despised Phrases

So that last rant of mine stemmed from this phrase that's been at the tip of my tongue ever since Joey started showing his true colors. 

"He's all boy!" 

How I hate, hate, hate that phrase!  Yet I've nearly said it on countless occasions recently.  Aargh.

Yes, he's action-packed and busy and into things (or, better put, things go into him, as he puts EVERYTHING he can get his hands on in his mouth).  But what kind of stereotype does that place on him?  Would he then feel that because he's a boy, he's not supposed to have his quiet, reflective days?  And what does that very loaded phrase mean for naturally quiet and reflective boys?  That they're somehow less of a boy just because they prefer to sit back and take things in?  That's a lot of pressure to put on a kid who's not even a year old!

I've known my share of quiet boys and I've known quite a few rambunctious girls.  Both types of kids are perfect representatives of their gender.  We, as the adults in their lives who are blessed (or burdened) with the gift of passing on our cultural inheritance have got to watch the flip remarks we make about our kids.  They listen.

I can gaurantee that a flip comment of "you're all boy!" is a much more loaded statement to the child that heard it than it was to the adult that issued it.

I just hope that we make it equally obvious to our young listeners that it's also a good thing for boys to be quiet and reflective, or even--gasp!--cry, and that girls can be perfectly girly when they're running around like Wild Things.

And man, oh, man, I'm afraid that is a challenge sometimes.  

Liberated Boys

"Mama, these barrettes are for babies.  So we should give them to Joey!"  suggested Clara, oh-so-helpfully the other day. 

Squashing her helpfulness, I responded, "Nope, Joey's a boy.  He doesn't wear barrettes." 

Man, oh, man--not even 10 months old and I'm limiting him.  I hate saying stuff like that.  But, what else should I do? 

I didn't have this issue with Clara, because in the cultures that we live in, girls are pretty well liberated.  It's OK and even encouraged for her to wear shorts and pants.  Keep in mind, 100 years ago, that would not have been acceptable to society at large.

Just like "Joey's barrettes" are not at all acceptable in today's society, in general.

Even more telling, Clara's favorite book right now is He Bear and She Bear, by Stan and Jan Berenstain.  It's a great book that celebrates the fact that boys and girls (men and women) can do any kind of job, showing female bears driving bulldozers and male bears knitting socks.  (They also show male bears working construction and female bears sewing dresses.)  As a kid I loved that book and I'm so glad that Clara is getting attached to it. 

But no matter how much I believe the message in that book, I won't be putting barrettes in my son's hair. 

Now, if it were Joe asking me to put the barrettes in his hair, that's a different story.  I'd let him, at least while we're in the house.  Dressing up is an important part of a child's development, and I won't limit that in any way (at least while we're in our own house).  As another example, when I worked with two-year-olds at a daycare center, I took care of one little boy, who was small for his age, but nevertheless walked around like a linebacker.  He kind of acted like a linebacker, too (if linebackers have a certain way of acting).  But man-oh-man did that kid LOVE the high heels in our dress-up chest.  He'd strut around all afternoon in those high heels, looking so proud of himself.  I thought he was the most adorable guy ever and made the mistake of telling his father about the shoe obsession.  Dad freaked out.

This boy's dad failed to think about all the important things his son was learning while wearing those heels.  First, and I think the driving factor for this boy wearing the heels is simply the fact that they're fun.  Keep in mind that two-year-olds have just mastered the act of walking.  High heels take that achievement and kick it up a notch.  And this little guy got to be an inch taller--awesome!  Furthermore, little kids trying on "typical" clothing from the opposite gender is learning that, although I may wear heels and a dress like Mom, I'm still me, and a boy (if the child in question is a boy).  The feathers do not change the gender.  That's a pretty big lesson for little people to get.  So thank goodness lots of little kids are permitted to test these theories with the clothes found in dress-up trunks and discover for themselves that, "yep, I'm still me, even if I'm wearing a dress (or a tie)".

I'm glad that most of my gender-limitation angst is limited to clothing (and hair accessories).  Boys, who grow into men, are generally able to pursue and hobby and career that piques their interest.  And I rejoice that we live in this century and this area of the world, so my daughter also has very few limitations placed on her.

But at this point in his development, I feel that it's my son who has more cultural limitations placed on him, thanks to his gender. 

How weird is that?

Furthermore, what do we do about it?


    

Joe--He's a Beast!

I keep thinking about all kinds of things I need to remember to write down about Joe. 

So here goes:                            [hehe . . . that's why we named him that!]

• He is now a master of the pincer grasp (using his thumb and forefinger together).  Two weeks ago, I experimented by giving him some small pieces of bread on top of the tray of his highchair.  We've had LOTS of bread on the floor over the last two weeks.  But within the last few days, he's getting about a 90% success rate.  And it's rather breathtaking to see how fast he can go through whatever it is I give him on his tray.  This morning, I thought he was into waffles because, well--who isn't into waffles?  But for dinner he inhaled both his bread AND chayote (a type of squash), so it's not just the sweet stuff.  This kid is an eater!  

• Two days ago he added consonants to his vocabulary.  On Tuesday we were eating dinner and I distinctly heard something that I hear all too often from the other child.  I looked at Mario and asked, "Did he just say 'mama'?"  Mario agreed.  However, it was not in relation to me (or anything else, apparently).  And I haven't heard it since.  However, I have heard quite a bit of da, dai, and ya.  It's a nice change. He's got the cutest, little, scratchy voice.  (And, dear heavens, do I LOVE scratchy voices!  (Anyone else know Toni from NPH?  I could happily listen to that girl talk to me for days on end with her glorious scratchy voice . . . *sigh!*))

• He sprouted a third tooth! 

• When he's interested in an object he goes for it!  This might not be startling news for anyone else who's been around babies much, but it's taking me aback a bit.  (When Clara was a baby, if something was out of her reach, she normally decided that she didn't have much of an interest in it anyway.)  However, Joe is really good at rolling over and squirming around in order to get to what he wants.  When I need to work in the kitchen, I sit him in front of the shelves and plop some toys in his lap.  Invariably, he turns himself around so he playing with the box to the crock pot.  It gets to be a bit tiring to hold him in my lap, as he is so wiggly.  And holding him in my lap at the table--forget it!  Everything is fair game and winds up on the floor.  I'm so glad Clara has finally decided that she is a big girl now and she doesn't mind at all that Joey gets the high chair now.  Because he's enough of a handful that she no longer gets a choice of where she'll sit.  

• Because he's so squirmy when he's "sitting" on my lap, I've tried standing him up on his feet.  He enjoys that and his legs to bear a bit of weight!  There is hope that this kid will walk sometime before he's 18 months old!  Of course, there's also the fear that he could walk sometime around a year . . . nah, he's still our lazy-walking genes.  ;)

Candy Land Lessons

I may have mentioned earlier that CandyLand (or, as Clara refers to it, "Candy Castle") is the current obsession in our house. We pack in a few games a day.

As my competitor is a three-year-old, it's interesting the quirks and life lessons I've picked up by playing with her.

#1) Since she is still way to young for the competitive stage that crops up around 7 (depending on the kid), the game is all about the journey. The object is simply to play the game. The act of playing is enjoyment in itself. When one of us wins, whether it's me or her, the winner is gleefully announced, "You're at the Candy Castle!" Which is immediately followed by, "let's start again!"

It doesn't matter who wins.

What a precious time in her development! Furthermore, I love that she's been the one who was able to re-teach me that.

#2) For those who have become unfamiliar with CandyLand, the point is to take your player down the rainbow-colored road of sweets on the way to the Candy Castle. On the way you pass Cupcake Commons, Ice Cream Slopes, a Gingerbread House, the Popscicle Palace and the Chocolate Mountain (in that order). So when Mario or I draw the Cupcake card, which forces us to return to almost the beginning, we groan a bit. Clara, however, will draw the cupcake card and shouts, "Oh boy! I got the cupcake!!" She is equally excited for all the various candy destinations on the board, even the Licorice Lagoons, which force her to lose a turn. No matter. She's on the candy square and that's pretty cool.

While drawing these special cards is the highlight of any round of CandyLand for her, she is happy to share the joy. Whenever I get a candy card (even if it's the Chocolate one, which puts me almost at the end) she always puts her seal of approval on the turn saying, "I like it when you get the Chocolate."

I've been known to be a little too competitive when playing games, and her graciousness has reminded me why we play games in the first place.

And when she tells me that she likes it when I get the cupcake, it's not because that card sent me back to the beginning. It's because she thinks it's a pretty great spot to be. She'd like to be there. (No matter that it means starting over.) But if she can't be there, she's genuinely happy I'm there.

It's a little overwhelming to be so gently schooled by the three-year-old.

The "New" Toy

Last Sunday was absolutely beautiful, so I wanted to spend some time in the patio with the wee one. However, it was sometime around noon, and as I stepped outside it dawned on me (yet again) that there is no shade in our patio between 11 and 3.

D'oh!

Then I had a brainstorm and realized that we own a tent. Said tent could give the not-so-brand-new baby's skin a break from some seriously intense sun. So I set it up and we were happy.

Then Clara woke up from her nap, discovered the tent, and it was promptly declared "The. Coolest. Toy. Ever." [OK, my words not hers.]

So we've had a lot of fun in the tent this week. It's a great place to play CandyLand, her other new obsession. She also thinks the tent doubles as a bounce house. Actually, I think she thinks that it IS indeed, a bounce house.

A few weeks ago, before she had ever seen the tent, I tried to explain what a tent is and then asked if she'd sleep with me in it. In the patio. Outside. Her reaction was essentially, "Why on earth would I sleep outside when I have a perfectly good bed inside?!?"

However, now that the tent is her new favorite place, she does ask to take naps in it (I veto this, as the temperature in the tent at naptime is roughly around 100 Fahrenheit). But I do tempt her that she and I can sleep in the tent at night some weekend night.

She's considering it. I look forward to it.

I think.

Making This a Child-Friendly Home

Thanks to the wonderful world of Pinterest, I stumbled across my new favorite blog, Play At Home Mom. The group of parents who author this site are well-versed in early childhood education best practices, and I've been so inspired reading some of their posts--particularly the linked one about child-friendly environment.

I've heard it said that in a quality preschool program, the environment does 90% of the teaching. (OK, I'm pulling that percentage out of my rear end, but it honestly is an overwhelmingly high figure.) Kids should have a variety of appropriate toys at their disposal, meaning the child is able to get them out of the storage space. Not the heavy drawers that I have trouble opening that we've currently got going on in our house.

I saw a glimmer of hope that the hubs might just take to these ideas, as he's been talking about getting Clara a big white board for her room. So I decided to take some of these ideas and run with them:

1) since Clara and Joe are currently sharing a room, there isn't much space to play in. And as bedrooms should be for sleeping in (and Clara will happily wander all night if given enough incentive), I decided to take all the toys out of her room (save a number of books). The TV room/Patty's room is now also the playroom. I cleared off the two lowest shelves of the bookcase (which we really weren't using much anyway) and stashed Clara's blocks there. We have a little school desk, which Clara is now big enough to use properly, sitting in the corner for coloring, play-dough and other sit-down-y kinds of activities. I've got other ideas for the space, but they have yet to be implemented.

And with that being the only carpeted room in the house, it's a good space to lay out a blanket and let The Boy hang out and watch what Clara may be up to.

Future plans include a very light weight felt board to cover up the TV, during daytime hours. Surprisingly, it really has not been a point of contention (so far). I thought I'd get the endless request of "TV? TV? I wanna watch TV!" Maybe that's a sign that it's the one area where I consistently stick to my guns. (Wow--maybe I AM consistent with something!)

2) I made more blocks! Those liter cartons of milk + brick wrapping paper = large, lightweight bricks! Awesome!
3) Until we get the real white board, Clara improvised her own! Seriously, this was HER idea.
Yep, the lids of ice cream tubs! I'll be storing that idea away for when I teach preschool again!

4) Project in the works: audio books! We've had a pile of recordable CDs for a few years, and the computer has a microphone and voice recorder. I just record myself reading the book, burn the recording to the CD, paste a CD jacket in the given book, teach her how to use the CD player (that I just put on the shelves within her reach), and voila! Audio books! True, not as cool as reading to her myself, en vivo, but when I've got to cook or change the baby or fold laundry and she's got ganas for a book. Bam. She can do it. Sweet.

I'm looking forward to seeing what other waves of inspiration capture my attention.

Busting a Gut

The scene tonight at bedtime was pretty much the polar opposite of the scene last night.

And I had to capture it, as it was the first time that Joey has busted a gut (thanks to the antics of The Sister).



Sorry that it's so dark. It was bedtime, after all.

Her First Song!

In the last few weeks, there have been a number of incidents that made me step back and say, "Wow, Clara--you really ARE three years old!" For instance, she sang her first song a week or two ago (a video of the event is below) and has been singing an number of other songs since then. Also, she's been "reading" her books out loud. I'm a little overwhelmed (in a good way) by the things she remembers and can repeat back to us.


So, take it away, Clara!


Chocolate
molinillo
corre, corre
el cepillo
estirar, estirar
que la nina va a pasar.

Nightly Adventures

The other night, Joey was sleeping in my room. After I had finally gotten him to sleep (for the second or third time that night), I walked past Clara's room and noticed the light on. Now, I was sure I had turned it off when I kissed her goodnight.

I checked the rest of the house to make sure Patty wasn't in there for some reason. Nope, Patty was in the kitchen.

That means that Clara was out of bed and up to no good.

I opened the door and found this:

I just loved surveying this scene and reconstructing exactly what happened between the time that I closed the door and then found her here again. She had gotten out of bed, turned on the lights, took some books off the shelf, made the bed her reading stand (because it's clearly waaay better to read standing up). And then when she finally got tired she laid down on the floor (because she loves the freezing cold tiles).

And because the lights were too bright, she just put her blanket over her head. *sheesh*

Every day (and sometimes night) is an adventure around here!

Clara turned 3 years old last Saturday, and here's the photo show to prove it: She blew out all the candles herself! (She practiced during Advent.)In Mexico, the birthday person, regardless of age, always cuts her own slice of cake.While Clara hates pinatas and refuses to hit them, Joe didn't seem opposed to beating the yellow horse to death.However, for the first time, Clara did join in on diving for candy.

Frustration Break

Because it's been a rough week with this one, I've got to post this to remind myself that yes, the kid can smile and even sometimes laugh.

Take it away, Big Guy . . .

Time: An Ever-Changing Concept

All last week, the constant refrain around here was,

"When Clara's a baby, he's gonna wear _____." [insert anything of Joey's, anything Joe was playing with, anything he looked at, etc]

Yes, there are a number of odd things with this sentence.

1) Clara consistently mixes up her gender pronouns. So if you meet her, don't be offended if you're a woman and she refers to you as "he". Men, vice versa.

2) I asked her the other day, "so you're going to be a baby again someday?" Yep. Apparently that's the theory she's working with. I just go with it, as it's her current favorite delusion.

As a relief tonight, she did declare, "When Clara's a mommy, he's gonna have a purple toothbrush."

Phew. At least she can go forward in time, too.

And thirty years down the road, [fingers crossed] I'll give her that purple toothbrush to celebrate her motherhood. ;P

Catch This!

The Girl can catch.




You go, girl!

Three Way Conversations

Typical mealtime conversation:

Joey: ooo, ooo, ooo

Clara: Joey's talkin'!

Me: What's he saying?

Clara: Ooo, ooo, ooo.

And here I was, hoping for an interpreter.