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Toddler Moments: the Cute and Crazy (April)

It seems like I should be recording the cute (and maddening) little things three toddlers do as my own journal of their antics. This would be the post to skip if you aren't into the minutia only parents find interesting.

Kate is sooooo two and in love with 'no'.
At the table, Kate: Mommy, all done.
Me: Okay, you want to get down?
Kate: no
pause
Kate, teary: Mommy, get down? (as if I'd been the one who said she couldn't get down)
I helped her down.


In the bathroom watching me get ready, Jane stares at herself in the mirror for awhile and then announces: my nose is like a door.
Me: a door? (panicked that she's shoved something new up there)
Jane, flaring and closing her nostrils: yes, see? It can open and close!


I have a feeling the kid's pronunciations are going to work their way into the family vocabulary as Gus's 'yogrit' became our word for 'yogurt'. My favorite so far:
banbaids (bandaids)
samwich (sandwich)


James has not yet grasped the concept of either/or.  Instead he repeats and agrees with whatever we said last. So, if I ask him, please choose either red or green, he'll respond, "Yes! Red! Green!"  


James' sweetness in little moments during the day make my heart melt. When we tuck him into blankets, either at bedtime or just to be cuddly on the couch during the day, he whispers, "So sweet!" or "Thanks, mommy". It's the fact that he whispers it so gently.


So James is suddenly, inexplicably, potty trained. Like, seriously overnight. He is 3 yrs, 8 months and I have tried to train him at least 3 times already. I mean, really tried. Like a whole week at a time of nothing but potty. For ages he screamed and hid when you mentioned it so the first stage was just getting him to willingly sit on it--with his clothes on--without a fight. I swear we were in that stage for a full year. Then, last week he just started saying, "I go potty!" and running and using it without any big hoopla on my part. He can now pull his pants down and up by himself before and after. He went from doing nothing to fully independent in about 3 days. I'm sure it has to do with watching Kate. Plus, I got pretty fed up with yet another I-sit-and-refuse-to-go-then-get-up-and-poop-in-my-diaper moment and scolded him pretty seriously. That may have been the tipping point. I feel like this is the way it's going to be with this boy. Nothing, nothing, nothing...then jumping to full mastery.


He loves books, especially vibrant picture books. He turns every single page slowly and looks carefully. He points to a picture and says, "What's that?" Sometimes he doesn't know and so I answer but but now he's memorized most items so I turn the question back by repeating it to him. Then he supplies the answer. He used to look triumphant by remembering something but now he's beginning to be a tad exasperated, wondering why I haven't learned these animal names he's been teaching me for months now!
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