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Kids/Parenting

K is for Kids

What can I say? They’re a lot of work, but in spite of (or because of) it, I love them!

chaos, their natural state

Categories
Kids/Parenting

I is for Interviews

This weekend two of my sisters came to visit me. Jaime interviewed my kids (well, the ones who talk) and their answers were revealing. Rebecca’s interview was an especial favorite. The highlight is definitely 1:32-1:55.

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Kids/Parenting

Getting bigger

I haven’t blogged about my kids in a while, it seems, and then they’re growing up so fast, I don’t know where to start!

This morning, Rachel used the couch to stand up for the first time! This is her last week, using the rocking chair (also the true first):

She’s still growing, but not quite as fast as she used to be. She was almost average sized at 4 months (a first for one of my children!), but at 6 (really 7) months, she was closer to the 35th percentile in weight. (Height was at the 98th percentile, but since she’s not abnormally long/tall, the doctor and I think that was probably a mis-measure.)

Rebecca is growing, too! She’s officially two and a half today. Lately she seems to be speaking much more clearly. For example, she doesn’t say “pea’ bu’ saas” but “peadut butter sammatch.” She still doesn’t say her r’s, favoring y’s and w’s instead. (“Diapehy” is a favorite of mine.)

She started having serious problems with bedhead, so I tried to get her to use scrunchies. If I did her hair “wike Tinkie Behww!” or to match mine (“We matsh?”), she was excited to let me touch her hair (a first!). I got her a few scrunchies at the dollar store last week, and she lets me do her hair almost every day now.

Hayden is learning new words. He likes to sound out words often these days (Last night: “G-g-g-gum. G! Gummmmm. M!”). He loves preschool, especially when it’s our turn to teach/host. He’s also experimenting with more photography, because he saw the Newborn Photographer I hired to take him pictures (revolving around his latest favorite toy) and self-portraiture.

Warning: extreme closeup!

I fear I’ve created a monster, though: last week, I showed him the folder of Internet bookmarks I had just for him. I showed him how to open the browser. I showed him which link (of the 2-3) led to PBS Kids games. And now all he wants to do is play on the computer! (We have a few rules, of course: he has to ask first and get off whenever we tell him to.) It’s a little annoying during a lot of the day, but makes for a quieter quiet time. (And Rebecca happily taking naps again is helping with that, too!)

I love that they’re growing and discovering new things ad getting more independent, but I’m always sad to feel their early childhood slipping away.

What milestones have your kids hit recently?

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Kids/Parenting

My kids the comedians

Hayden came in my room the other morning. He held up one hand, and held his other hand in a claw shape, running his fingers up and down his upright palm. “Do you know what this is?”

I didn’t know whether he’d ever heard of “a spider doing push ups on a mirror,” but he did just hear the brain sucker joke the other day . . . but apparently I hesitated too long because he just told me.

“It’s my hand scratching my other hand.”


One of Rebecca’s favorite foods (and there are only a few she likes at all) is peanut butter. She knows where to find the knives.

The other day she brought me a butter knife and something from the shelf where we keep peanut butter. In the end, she didn’t like the prunes.


Rachel found her feet!


Things I’d hoped would never be uttered in my house:

“No, we can’t eat POOP!”

“That fly just landed on Rebecca’s diaper. Oh—then it keeled over.”


Hayden and I were grocery shopping a few weeks ago. As usual, he asked for something on just about every aisle. Twice. Three times. I unflinchingly said no.

Finally, Hayden had had enough. “Why do you always say no?”

“Because it’s my favorite word,” I quickly replied.

“Well, my favorite word is yes.”

“Great—so, if I told you to clean the whole house when we get home, you’d say yes?”

He only hesitated a second before he said, “Yes!”

Sadly, I decided quiet time was more important than enforcing our child labor contract.

Share your cute kid stories!

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Kids/Parenting

By popular demand

(And by popular, I mean three out of three of my sisters demand more pictures of) My children:


Hayden was beating something imaginary and wanted me to take a picture.


I set up my old computer and Hayden was SOOO happy. (Then the power supply started having a problem due to Hayden’s obsession with using as many extension cords/”wight fings” (power strips) as possible, so it’s currently not hooked up.)


Still lovin Pinky


Trying on Rachel’s clothes


She really wanted to check out this book from the library. It was a few days before I figured out why she called it “Wobby hoot”:


Peek!


Making her preferences known. (She was fascinated with his shirt and kept pawing it.)


Tummy time!

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Kids/Parenting

Snippets of Rebecca

Rebecca was playing with one of our old cell phones and held it to her ear. “Hey-o?”

I used my “finger phone.” “Hi, Rebecca. How are you?”

“Gud.”

“What are you doing?”

“Nuffing. Watcha TV. Fee Ferm.” [Phineas & Ferb]


Rebecca really looked forward to her birthday this year (probably mostly because Hayden thought it was exciting). I kept having to tell her that it wasn’t her birthday yet. Finally, she got the message—whenever the subject came up, she’d say, “Becca birt-day! Nek week. Mon-ay.” [Next week. Monday.]

After her birthday, we (again, mostly Hayden) taught Rebecca her age. “How old are you?” we’d ask.

“Two!” she’d proclaim for the first week, and hold up her fingers:

After the first week, the answer changed. “How old are you?” we ask.

She’s still just as proud to proclaim her new answer: “Becca!”


Sometimes, Rebecca has rough naps. It takes her over an hour to fall asleep (though she seldom cries, so that’s good). One day, she’d been in bed for 90 minutes and started bawling. I came in to get her.

“Becca ‘wake,” she told me piteously.

“I can hear that.”

“Becca ky.” [cry]

“Did you sleep at all?”

“Uh huh.” She holds up her fingers the same as above. “One minnut.” (She also likes to tell me “one minnut” when she wants me to wait for her.)


Last week, Rebecca got sent to her room for the first time. She and Hayden had been fighting, so they both got sent to their room. Rebecca submitted peacefully, allowing me to lead her to her room, and sitting quietly in the arm chair there. She insisted I close the door. (This was probably because Hayden threw his usual screaming fit at the mere mention of being sent to his room, and as always, I had to physically drag him there. Maturity FTW.)

After Rebecca’s two minutes were up, I opened the door and invited her to come out. (Hayden was still screaming at this point, laying over the threshold to his room.) Rebecca preferred to stay in her room. Can’t say I blame her.

Later that day, something happened to upset her while she was in another room. “I go my woom!” she announced to her father amid her tears.

I found her there, laying on the arm chair, crying, a few minutes later. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I sad.” [Biggest frown in the world]

“Can I hold you to help you feel better?”

“No. Me’cine [medicine] help me feel better.”


Edited to add: whenever she thinks I’m upset, she uses her cutest, most innocent tone: “Sumping wong, Mommy? Needa Pinky?”

What are your favorite kid moments recently? Or what are your favorite toddler moments?