Ism Basket

Busy as we've been, I have been working on a little present for you, Peanuts.  I've got a nice little basket of Isms for you! I've been saving them up.  Don't say I never gave you anything! Her you go:
  

~

We were talking about how LO is going to be 3 next year.  At the table, She randomly mentioned to J that She is TWO.  (Not SO random; She likes to mention this often.).
C: "That's right, Little One, and tell Daddy how old will you be next?"
LO: "Oh! Yes, Daddy! (points to Her ear) this next ear gonna be THREE ears!"
~

When we pulled into the driveway, everything was slick with rain.

C: "Little One, please

put your shoes back on."

LO: "why?"

C: "Because it's wet outside, and

I don't want you to slip and fall."

LO: "This floor wet?"

C: "Yes, the ground is all wet, see?"

LO: "Oh.  You mopped?"

~

C: "I'm sorry, Little One, but O can't come because he was in a car accident".
LO: "Oh no, mommy. Uh oh. O pee-pee in car seat?"

~

 When I offered Little One a treat for being so good at the grocery store, She chose lima beans.

~

When I told the neighbor's dog "no" for barking at me, She scolded me.  "This neighbor dog, Mommy. No say no neighbor dog. On'y neighbor can do that. Mommy it's ok.  You can say 'no' to your dog mommy.  On'y say no to own doggies ok." 

~

Little One was about to get a 1,2,3, time out.   I got to two, and She came up to me with Her hands out in "simmer down now" position:

"Oh, hun-neee.  It's ok hun-nee.  No need say one two tree. Ever'thing be ok.  Jus' calm down there."
~

I had to feed Little Miss in the middle of dinner.  Little One got down from Her chair, picked up a teddy, and sat the chair beside me.  I was starting to scold Her for interrupting Her dinner to play, when She pulled Her t-shirt down and explained to me, "Mommy. Have to feed this teddy.  He hungry!  I'm not playin' mommy, I jus' feedin' my baby. Jus' like mamma." 

Clever girl.  

~

We went to a new park. She broke it in by climbing to the top of the highest slide, throwing her arms out wide, tilting Her head back, bending one knee, and belting out :

"all the single ladies, all the single ladies, all the single ladies! uh uh oh!"

~ 

She has started referring to unknown people and objects as "this big old boy" or "that big old car there".  Everything new is big and old.  I can't decide whether it's more or less funny when the person really is big and old.
~

~

I asked Her to sing me a song.  She hung Her head, drug Her feet a few steps, and lamented,  

"Mommy, I can't right now.  I'm jus' too old and sick."  
~

~

C: "Little One Elizabeth, you get in this tub right now!"

LO: "MOM! Hunny. Don't havta yell.  Don't have say a-wiv-a-bef! Little One wiv-a-bef comin!"

~

Walking out of Glen Echo park, coming to the big bridge over a stream, Little One puts Her arm protectively across the front of the stroller and stops us:

Little One: "Mamma wait. Uuummm....hmm.  Mommy, wait, be so careful.  Need look out, mom.  Could be a grumpy old troll unner there."
Luckily a kind passer-by reassured Her that they had just crossed the bridge safely, and seen no trolls.  We proceeded. With caution.

Little One peered over the edge.

"Mommy! Ok mommy.  Grumpy old troll must be somewhere else.  Unner there just some water!"

~

LO: "Waaah! Moooooooommeeee!"

C: "Little One! Why are you crying?"

LO: "B-be-cause, my finger jus' hurtin'! Mommy! Ah need a ban-gadge!"

C: "Ok, Little One. I'll get you a bandage. What happened to your finger?"

LO: "Oh. I jus' bite it."

~

Little One: "Oh oh oh! Oh mommy!
Is ANT! Look mommy,
uh oh is ANT right here!"

C: "I know, love. We have some ants in here right now. Just leave him alone."

LO: "Oh.  Ok, mommy. Ok."

*time passes.  It's very quiet.  Too quiet.  I peek in to see Her nudging some food around on Her plate*

C: "Little One? What are you up to in there?"
LO: "Oh, Mommy, I jus' am sharin' some food with this ants."

C: "Ok. Well, it's nice to share,
but I think we don't need to share food with the ants, ok?"
LO: "Mama!  Mommy I HAVE share this ants! Mommy. This ants, have tummy.  All this ants have stom-ak like I have stom-ak.  Maybe tummies can get so hungry.  All this little hungry tummies over there.  So see?  I have some break-kris, can share it.  Have share some break-kris, mommy. See?"  

~

Me: "Hey, what's wrong?"

LO: "Mommy, I just worried. 'Bout mine daddy."

Me: "Why are you worried?" 

LO: "Mommy, this daddy jus', is workin' SO HARD!"

~

Slicking Her up in Her gooey eczema cream after bath-

C: "Ugh! Little One, hold on a sec! You're all slimy!"

Little One: "Aw, mommy! I not too swymee! Look, on'y a little swymee.  Mommy is ok if I'm swymee, you jus' havta hug me! Mommy, you have hug me.  Because I love you! So MUCH!"

~

C: "Little One! Why are you so wiggly?! It's time to calm down for sleep.  

Put your feet back in the bed, please."

LO: "Mommy! My lef' foot, right foot are out! I'm jus' doin' a hokey-pokey, mommy, thas all.  Jus' doin' some hokey-pokey, and turn myself around. Mommy, thas what is all about!"

4 Months

Today is Little Miss's four month birthday, and I'm posting about it on time, for once.  She is spending Her big day doing what She loves best, sitting in my lap.  Sleeping off a fever, unfortunately, since for Her 4 month birthday what we got Her was a bunch of shots in her chub-a-lub-legs.  Poor baby.  But it's just as well She gets some extra rest.  It's been a busy month. 

For one thing, there has been a major accomplishment.  She rolled!  It may not seem so huge, but if you were stuck on your tummy like a legless tortoise staring all the time at the floor, and suddenly had the power to increase your view of the world by like 340 degrees, well.  You would be as proud of yourself as Miss is, grinning wildly as She leeeeaaaaans- whoa wait kinda scary go back! Steady.  Ok. Leaaaaaaannnns....teeters....kick! Ahh!  And She's over.  Arms out wide to take in the new scope of Her view.  That was fun.  Time for a wiggly, bouncy glory dance!

For another thing, She's been growing and growing.  As of yesterday She weighed in at about 13.5 lb.  She's in the 50-60% percentile for everything, and that round little belly fits just right into several of Her big sister's skirts.  Aw.  Sharing clothes already! 

Little Miss is over the newborn sit-back-and-check-things-out stage.  Way over.  She is ALL about getting involved now.  She can reach out and grab things, or bop them.  Especially noses.  She can kick a rattle or the tub water with a focused vigor that makes me wonder if She knows She's not going anywhere.  She responds to Her name by turning and smiling, and to anyone laughing by joining in, as if She gets the joke.

The thing She adores most is to be talked to.  Speak directly to Little Miss and She will light up like an incandescent bulb on a power surge.  She gasps and wiggles.  Coos and giggles.  As if to say, "Why! Are you talking to meeee? To ME? Yes! Thank you! Thank you for noticing me!" 

A favorite game around here is one we call "laugh the baby".  In this game, Little One comes up close to Little Miss's face, and says: "Ah-goo!  Ah-goo!"  And Miss cracks. Up.  It virtually never fails.  Ah-goo is the most hilarious joke ever, and Little One tells it like no one else can.  It sends Miss into fits of belly laughs and gets us all rolling. 

She has all the signs of being an even bigger talker than Little One and I, which is saying something.   She talks and talks in Her little grunting, cooing baby language, watching your face for a reaction. Then waits for your response.  "Oh really, Little Miss? Tell me more!" And She does.  We can chat back and forth like this for ages, and She never runs out of stories to tell.  She's very expressive about it, using bouncy, cheerful tones when She's having fun.

Telling me off when She isn't.  Seriously, She does.  If I let Her go too long when She's been doing Her little polite "excuse me, I need something" cough, long enough it turns to a cry, She tells me how unacceptable my behavior was as She calms down.  Even with a pacifier in Her mouth, She keeps on- "Mmmp fffth mm ggmmuuh hhu!"  With a serious frown.  It's all baby talk, but the inflection makes it sound for all the world like what She means is, "And another thing! An outrage!"
She forgives quickly, though.  She is still one of the easiest babies ever to soothe and placate.

With one exception.  The dark, dooming, dastardly, devastating...CAR SEAT dungeon.  To Little Miss, nothing is as tortuous as being strapped into this wicked device.  She's never been fond.  But after our trip to Florida (where we spent several days doing not much else but driving around, getting popped in and out of that thing and being stuck in it for hours) She has developed a truly angry grudge.  She only has to see the car seat to start crying.  It certainly makes outings an adventure.

It is moderated a bit by the application of Her most essential accessory.  The pacifier.
I tell you, that thing really does live up to its name.  I remember that despite my hesitancy in letting Little One even have one, it wasn't hard at all to take it away.  With Miss, I anticipate a bit more drama when that day comes.  She has a true addiction.   She has even learned to take it out, turn it this way and that admiringly, and pop it back in.  Unless She drops it, and then look out.

Other loves and likes?  She's not a fan of water and bathtimes, but She's warming up to them.  She's not huge on being held by a Not Mommy, but She tolerates most people well if She's not hungry or tired, and She's getting a good admiration for Her Daddy.
She doesn't take kindly to a bottle, though J can usually charm Her into taking one if needed.
She has - completely on Her own- developed a nice sleeping schedule (nap at 9:30am and 1:30pm, bedtime at 8pm sharp), and She doesn't much appreciate it being tampered with.  Unfortunately, with all that is going on these days it often is.  She rubs Her eyes and complains a bit about not being in Her own bed, but generally falls asleep wherever we are.
Other than that, the whole rest of the world is nothing but loves.  She loves people talking to Her, Her sister shaking rattles and singing for Her, the dogs walking by, the wind on Her face, anything to see or touch or hear.  The world, it seems, is Miss's oyster.

She has earned the nickname "smiley", because 89% of the time, that's just what She is.  The girl LOVES to grin and laugh.  She finds most anything amusing.  Her fussing is so mild, it's often easy to overlook entirely, and Her good moods outnumber Her sour ones exponentially.  Maybe it's a necessary survival mechanism as the second child in a crazy household, maybe it's just Her innate personality.  Maybe it's that between me, J, Little One, and friends, She is so surrounded by loving adoration.  Whatever the cause, Little Miss is a generally and genuinely happy, happy baby. 

And much like slobber, Her happiness can't help but rub off on us all.
Happy Birthday to Little Miss!
You're a ray of chubby, drooly sunshine, and we love you.