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!