I just overheard Joffre singing to himself - a catchy little tune that goes:
There's diamonds everywhere
rainbows in the air
rainbows and diamonds too
I love you
and I love you
I asked him if he made it up or if he heard it somewhere, and he told me that he heard it "when I was in your tummy, and just dreaming and dreaming and dreaming."
Awwwww!
Showing posts with label Motherhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Motherhood. Show all posts
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Today's Moment of White-Hot Pride
Okay, it was yesterday's.
The bus driver printed off two extra transfers for my kids, who are too young to use bus tickets or need transfers. Obviously, this guy was tuned in to how left out little ones feel when they don't get a transfer, too!
Anyway, Alec - aged 2 - promptly said "thank you!" And the driver commented, "what good manners!"
I was so darned proud.
The bus driver printed off two extra transfers for my kids, who are too young to use bus tickets or need transfers. Obviously, this guy was tuned in to how left out little ones feel when they don't get a transfer, too!
Anyway, Alec - aged 2 - promptly said "thank you!" And the driver commented, "what good manners!"
I was so darned proud.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Easy Bein' Green
These photos were taken when the children were within two months of the same age. Joffre was around 23 months, and Alec 25.
Yes, I know, I'm shameless.
Yes, I know, I'm shameless.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Harsh Truth
Just when you think it's finally safe to only carry one spare set of children's clothing around in your albatross - I mean diaper bag - it's not.
Feeding Hope
Alec keeps nurturing our fantasies of unbroken sleep by sleeping through - from time to time. He did it again two nights ago. Someday, I fervently hope, this will be the norm and not the exception . . .
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
The latest stage in the toilet training (entirely on him, I'm not pushing it):
1: fill diaper
2: realize diaper has been filled
3: go to bathroom alone, remove pants and diaper alone
4: attempt to climb onto toilet alone (usually achieved with the help of a stool)
5: call Mom
It's hard to get upset, even when faced with such an unspeakable mess, with someone who's so cute, and who's trying so hard.
1: fill diaper
2: realize diaper has been filled
3: go to bathroom alone, remove pants and diaper alone
4: attempt to climb onto toilet alone (usually achieved with the help of a stool)
5: call Mom
It's hard to get upset, even when faced with such an unspeakable mess, with someone who's so cute, and who's trying so hard.
Serenade
This morning I was treated to the following musical extravaganza:
-Spiderman, spiderman, itza, itza, spiderman . . .
-EEE-I-EEE-I-OHHHHH!
-No! Spiderman, spiderman -
-EEE-AAAIII-EEE-IIII-OOOOOH!
et cetera.
And: a b c d e f g h i j k eleneno p, q r s, p u b, w x y and zed!
-Spiderman, spiderman, itza, itza, spiderman . . .
-EEE-I-EEE-I-OHHHHH!
-No! Spiderman, spiderman -
-EEE-AAAIII-EEE-IIII-OOOOOH!
et cetera.
And: a b c d e f g h i j k eleneno p, q r s, p u b, w x y and zed!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Must . . . Not . . . Laugh!!
The kids were having a snack at the table today while I cleaned up the kitchen. All of a sudden, Alec said, "Look, Mommy!" I turned and looked at him, and he had a peanut-buttery Ritz cracker stuck to each cheek. I would have taken a picture, but I really didn't want to encourage him.
It was darned cute, though!
It was darned cute, though!
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Moments of Insight
One doesn't usually think of a preschooler as possessing a great deal of perspective, or long-term vision. So I was surprised the other day when Joffre came down the stairs and said, "Mom, some day, we will move to a different new house, and then this will be our old house. Like our house in Peru is our old house now."
At the aquarium today, they had a case full of poles or ledges where row upon row of chrysalises in varying stages of development hung. Some had butterflies sitting on them, newly emerged, and two or three butterflies were flitting around the case.
Like this:
It was with glee that I called Joffre over and began to explain the process to him. He interrupted me and said, "Mom, those butterflies come out of the capullos," and made a little pod with his hands. I asked him what they were before they went into the capullos, and he pondered for a minute before his eyes lit up and he whispered conspiratorially "cat-er-pill-ers!" Capullo, I have learned, means "cocoon" in Spanish.
At the aquarium today, they had a case full of poles or ledges where row upon row of chrysalises in varying stages of development hung. Some had butterflies sitting on them, newly emerged, and two or three butterflies were flitting around the case.
Like this:
It was with glee that I called Joffre over and began to explain the process to him. He interrupted me and said, "Mom, those butterflies come out of the capullos," and made a little pod with his hands. I asked him what they were before they went into the capullos, and he pondered for a minute before his eyes lit up and he whispered conspiratorially "cat-er-pill-ers!" Capullo, I have learned, means "cocoon" in Spanish.
Eventually They Will Break Your Heart
Because shouts of "you're not my mom!" or "I don't love you anymore!" fail to soften my stony heart, I thought I was immune to the careless stings that children inflict. I was wrong.
Last week, Joffre asked me: "Mom, you made me in your tummy?" And I said yes. And he thought about this for a little while, and then asked, hesitantly, politely, "and . . Mom? You just want to make me with one ear not hear good?"
All I could do was try to explain that mommies don't plan or control how babies are made, and that sometimes things just get made a little bit differently, and there's no controlling or managing that. I told him that we didn't know before he was born if he would have blue eyes or brown, or even if he would be a boy or a girl. He found this vastly amusing, and it diffused the tension.
Then today, after a busy morning at the aquarium, Joffre was grumping in the back seat (probably because he now wants to live at the aquarium). Out of nowhere, he asked, "Mom, why you wanted to grow two babies?" After a moment's consideration, I said, "I wanted you to have a baby brother or sister so you wouldn't get lonely." Aaron said, "how many do you think we should have had, Joffre?" To which Joffre starkly replied, "zero."
Ouch.
Last week, Joffre asked me: "Mom, you made me in your tummy?" And I said yes. And he thought about this for a little while, and then asked, hesitantly, politely, "and . . Mom? You just want to make me with one ear not hear good?"
All I could do was try to explain that mommies don't plan or control how babies are made, and that sometimes things just get made a little bit differently, and there's no controlling or managing that. I told him that we didn't know before he was born if he would have blue eyes or brown, or even if he would be a boy or a girl. He found this vastly amusing, and it diffused the tension.
Then today, after a busy morning at the aquarium, Joffre was grumping in the back seat (probably because he now wants to live at the aquarium). Out of nowhere, he asked, "Mom, why you wanted to grow two babies?" After a moment's consideration, I said, "I wanted you to have a baby brother or sister so you wouldn't get lonely." Aaron said, "how many do you think we should have had, Joffre?" To which Joffre starkly replied, "zero."
Ouch.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
There's Just No Respect
Shouldn't there be an age limit on attitude problems? I mean, isn't 2 a little young to be refusing to call your mother "Mommy," and saying "Ain-ya" (Melania) instead? Or, when you are saying Mommy, to chant it over and over in the exact same tones that Dora the Explorer says "Swiper, No Swiping! - "Mommy, No Mommy! Mommy, No Mommy!"
*sigh*
And then the other day, when Joffre suddenly decided that the cup he was drinking out of was his brother's, and I said it was his, that Alec's was the red and yellow one, he replied, "I don't love you anymore." Surely such a declaration should be in response to a graver offense?
*sigh*
And then the other day, when Joffre suddenly decided that the cup he was drinking out of was his brother's, and I said it was his, that Alec's was the red and yellow one, he replied, "I don't love you anymore." Surely such a declaration should be in response to a graver offense?
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Luckily/Unluckily
There's an old storytelling exercise where the players contribute each sentence in turn, always alternating "luckily" and "unluckily" as opening words. Like this:
Unluckily, the man fell out of the apple tree.
Luckily, he landed on a pillow.
Unluckily, the pillow was sitting on top of a picket fence.
And so on. Or, in the case of my day:
Luckily, Alec has decided to embrace toilet training.
Unluckily, he doesn't like to tell me when he needs to go.
Luckily, he has learned to take off his own diapers.
Unluckily, this means he's bare-bottomed a lot of the time.
Luckily, he can climb a stool to get to the toilet by himself.
Unluckily, he doesn't always make it in time.
Luckily, I have really helpful kids who love to get involved in the cleaning up.
Unluckily, enthusiastic preschooler help in cleaning up messy poop off a carpet tends only to make the process far messier and more complicated.
And so on . . .
Unluckily, the man fell out of the apple tree.
Luckily, he landed on a pillow.
Unluckily, the pillow was sitting on top of a picket fence.
And so on. Or, in the case of my day:
Luckily, Alec has decided to embrace toilet training.
Unluckily, he doesn't like to tell me when he needs to go.
Luckily, he has learned to take off his own diapers.
Unluckily, this means he's bare-bottomed a lot of the time.
Luckily, he can climb a stool to get to the toilet by himself.
Unluckily, he doesn't always make it in time.
Luckily, I have really helpful kids who love to get involved in the cleaning up.
Unluckily, enthusiastic preschooler help in cleaning up messy poop off a carpet tends only to make the process far messier and more complicated.
And so on . . .
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
No Fool Like an Old Fool
I should really know better than to leave Alec unattended for any length of time, but Joffre was napping, and Alec was playing peacefully with toys, so I sat down to catch up on some emails. I had left the breakfast dishes on the table, as well as a box of foodstuffs from Peru. All of a sudden, I heard a 'clink' in the dining room, so I went downstairs to find Alec sitting at the table, happy as a clam, having a little snack. My two initial thoughts?
1: I'm so glad I can wash my dining room chairs with soap and water,
2: How can anyone have eaten a bowl of rice krispies with that much paprika on them?
1: I'm so glad I can wash my dining room chairs with soap and water,
2: How can anyone have eaten a bowl of rice krispies with that much paprika on them?
The Senseless Tyranny of Gendered Colours
Why are purple and pink girl colours? Why? Why can't boys like those colours??
According to Google Answers, up until the 1950s pink was not specifically for girls and blue for boys. In fact, the history I found quotes The Sunday Sentinal in 1914 and the Ladies' Home Journal in 1918 as recommending pink for boys and blue for girls. A further comment on that site points out that the researcher could not in fact find any such recommendation in the named issue of the LHJ.
Blue is of course the colour most strongly associated with the virgin Mary, and in the Middle Ages, blue was associated with true love and faithfulness. Apparently blue was commonly used for boys' school uniforms as early as the 17th century - not because there was any particular association between boys and blue, but because blue dyes were cheap. Blue sashes on Empire dresses were de rigueur at the beginning of the 19th century. Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice, born in 1884, famously wore a light grey-blue colour that became hugely popular, and was known as "Alice Blue."
Stories abound that pink was considered a masculine colour until the beginning of the 20th century. Whether or not this is true, both blue and pink were worn by boys historically. Less famous than Gainsborough's "Blue Boy" painting is its companion "Pink Boy."
Some point out that the Nazis use of the pink triangle to identify homosexuals indicates a link between pink and femininity by the 1930s.
We can surmise, then, that the stark delineation between blue for boys and pink for girls did emerge sometime in the early 20th century, for reasons historians seem unable to produce, and today is considered to be carved in stone. Oh, sure, girls can wear blue, if the clothing is girly enough, or the girl has long enough/styled enough hair, and men who follow the right sort of high fashion magazines can wear pink silk ties and shirts, but heaven forbid that your four-year-old son have his heart set on Dora the Explorer running shoes:
Or hot pink soup bowls. We bought the latter, but just couldn't bring ourselves to go for the former. We might as well draw a target on his back, at that point.
According to Google Answers, up until the 1950s pink was not specifically for girls and blue for boys. In fact, the history I found quotes The Sunday Sentinal in 1914 and the Ladies' Home Journal in 1918 as recommending pink for boys and blue for girls. A further comment on that site points out that the researcher could not in fact find any such recommendation in the named issue of the LHJ.
Blue is of course the colour most strongly associated with the virgin Mary, and in the Middle Ages, blue was associated with true love and faithfulness. Apparently blue was commonly used for boys' school uniforms as early as the 17th century - not because there was any particular association between boys and blue, but because blue dyes were cheap. Blue sashes on Empire dresses were de rigueur at the beginning of the 19th century. Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice, born in 1884, famously wore a light grey-blue colour that became hugely popular, and was known as "Alice Blue."
Stories abound that pink was considered a masculine colour until the beginning of the 20th century. Whether or not this is true, both blue and pink were worn by boys historically. Less famous than Gainsborough's "Blue Boy" painting is its companion "Pink Boy."
Some point out that the Nazis use of the pink triangle to identify homosexuals indicates a link between pink and femininity by the 1930s.
We can surmise, then, that the stark delineation between blue for boys and pink for girls did emerge sometime in the early 20th century, for reasons historians seem unable to produce, and today is considered to be carved in stone. Oh, sure, girls can wear blue, if the clothing is girly enough, or the girl has long enough/styled enough hair, and men who follow the right sort of high fashion magazines can wear pink silk ties and shirts, but heaven forbid that your four-year-old son have his heart set on Dora the Explorer running shoes:
Or hot pink soup bowls. We bought the latter, but just couldn't bring ourselves to go for the former. We might as well draw a target on his back, at that point.
History is Made
Let it be known that on Saturday, June 2nd, 2007, at the age of 2 years, 2 weeks, and 2 days, Alec James Gunson slept through the night. Then he did it again on June 4th.
There is hope.
There is hope.
Damage Control
Unfortunately, I am one of those parents who is guilty of occasionally swearing in front of her children. I don't mean to, of course, but sometimes it just slips out. Unsurprisingly, Joffre has recently said "dammit!" a couple of times. We had a big discussion about how dammit was a bad word, how Mommy shouldn't say it either, etc.
The next day, Joffre and Alec were playing roughly with something, and I told them to play gently so it wouldn't get damaged. Right away Joffre said, "Mom! You said dammit!!" So, I went into a huge explanation about what damage means, how it's not the same word as dammit, and how dammit is a bad word but damage isn't.
Two days later, Joffre got frustrated and yelled "dammit!" I said, "Joffre! We don't say that word! Remember, it's a bad word!"
"No, Mom," he replied. "I just said damage."
The next day, Joffre and Alec were playing roughly with something, and I told them to play gently so it wouldn't get damaged. Right away Joffre said, "Mom! You said dammit!!" So, I went into a huge explanation about what damage means, how it's not the same word as dammit, and how dammit is a bad word but damage isn't.
Two days later, Joffre got frustrated and yelled "dammit!" I said, "Joffre! We don't say that word! Remember, it's a bad word!"
"No, Mom," he replied. "I just said damage."
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Taking Shameless Advantage . . .
. . . to show off how cute they were at bathtime on an otherwise extremely challenging day:
Shoot Me Now
Yeah, we're sick again. With the mother of all cold/flu viruses, this one combining sinus and bronchial congestion with a sore throat, ear trouble, and just to round it out, tummy trouble as well. The only thing worse than parenting sick kids is trying to do it when you yourself are sick.
Blech.
Blech.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)