Bathtime Bubbles

I love the fact that Angela and I have conversations- real conversations that actually make sense.  Now is when the real fun begins as I learn more about how she views the world.  Sometimes I am surprised by her mature understanding of things and other times ....well, words fail me because all I can do is laugh.  An example of this occurred tonight during bath time.

Image- happy little naked girl splashing in the tub.  A HUGE fart (with accompanying bubbles) is heard.

"Angela, was that you?" I asked smiling.

"Mommy, my butt burped!"

Yep, that is a moment the experts don't mention in all those parenting books, which is sad.  At least, for me, those are the moments which make the job worthwhile.

Things I Love

This is more a post for me.  My kids do many things that put a smile on my face (and stuff that makes me wonder why I am missing handfuls of hair; but, we will save that subject matter for another posting). I know all to well that one day they will no longer do these things either due to maturity and/or boredom.  John and I often bemoan how Alice no longer pronounces "cookie" as "coomie" because it was just so freaking cute when she said it.  I realize that new silly things will take the places of the former ones.  However, I fear that if I don't record this current list of silliness, the memories may, at best, become a hazy recollection or, at worst, be forgotten.  So, pardon the selfishness here and bear with me.

I love...

how Angela needs to wear a "pretty dress" at all times.  Right after her feet hit the floor in the morning, she is in the boxes of dress up clothing looking for something to wear.  And it is not just the dress.  She works the accessories (crowns, fairy wings, magic wands) too.

how Alice still pronounces "music" as "musquick".

how both girls love to dance with each other and how Alice tries to work on ballet/tap/jazz moves with her sister.

how Angela calls the play walrus in the bathtub a mermaid.  His name is apparently Petey.

how Alice loves doing arts and crafts and is constantly making new things for my fridge.

how Angela calls the dog "Pudgie" instead of "Puggie".

how Angela pronounces her name- Angelahaha

how Angela cannot pronounce her name properly but has no trouble saying the word "gingerbread".

how Alice gets so excited if I let her set the table in the evening.

how both girls enjoy helping me bake/cook (although this sometimes can create some of those missing handfuls of hair moments).

how both girls try to run and hide when they hear the garage door going up (indication John is home from work).  However, they are so excited to see him, they quickly leave their spots to give him a hero's welcome.

how I will sometimes find Angela in the glider of her room with a book on her lap entertaining herself.

how Alice is learning to read and how often she surprises me with a word that I didn't expect her to know.

how after I read Angela her book before bed she will say, "The end" and then say, "My turn."  She then "reads" me the book.

how both girls are pretty good about saying "please" and "thank you" regularly.

how Angela likes to run and hide from John whenever he goes to give her a bath.

how Alice thinks that every morning John would forget to put on his pants if she didn't remind him to put them on.  (I particularly love how John goes along with this ruse every morning).

how they give each other big hugs after being separated for a time.

how both girls look out for each other.  It warms my heart because I know how great it feels to have someone in your life who constantly has your back. (Thanks Megan)

The Nursemaids

Yesterday I finally admitted defeat and raised the white flag to my foe of the last few weeks- a sinus infection.  Unfortunately, motherhood has changed the format of my sick days.  Prior to children, I would retire to bed for a novel reading/frequent napping cycle which would last about 24 hours.  Now, with a 5 year old and a 2 year old at home, that is a mere pipe dream experienced while doing laundry, emptying the dishwasher, driving kids too and from school....you get the idea.

Still, after picking up Alice from Kindergarten, I was beat.  The chills seemed to penetrate my core.  Exhaustion weighed my body down.  Kids or no kids, I needed to lay down on the couch with a blanket (or twenty) and a cup of tea nearby.  The girls looked a bit confused when I headed into the living room and stretched out.  I explained to them that mommy was sick and had to take medicine to get well.  And with those words, Alice and Angela became my nursemaids. 

If laughter is indeed the best medicine, I overdosed on it.  Alice, my future CEO (read: VERY bossy child), solicitously covered me with a princess sleeping bag.  She got me a glass of water and repeatedly offered me an apple.  All the while, she kept barking orders to her sister.  "Angela, get Mommy a pillow."  "Angela, get me a toy to give to Mommy."  Following each order, Angela, in true younger sibling fashion, shouted, "NO!"  She would then go and do what she wanted to do in order to restore my health.  These actions included sharing her pillow pet with me and providing me with imaginary tea and soup (both where delicious by the way).

I have to admit I kind of enjoyed the novelty of my little ones caring for me.  I wondered if I were getting a glimpse into the future in some ways too.  I could imagine grown up Alice and Angela arguing over my aging body regarding my care.  It also solidified for me that these two are a force to be reckoned with when they decide to work together for a common goal.  Now that I think about it, I better get to bed.  I don't want to incur their wrath by being sick one second longer than they deem acceptable.

Shock Value

I woke up with the girls on Sunday morning.  Before we went downstairs, both girls wanted to see John who was pretending to be asleep.  Alice kept saying, "Boo!" over and over again in the hope of scaring her father into wakefulness.  Angela took a different approach and yelled, "MOO!" at him.

I am not sure if she was shooting for shock or she got confused.  Regardless, she "woke up" daddy whose laughter could not be contained.

Why John is Most Likely Going to Buy a Gun

Given the unexpectedly beautiful November weather we are experiencing, I decided to take the girls to the park in our town.  I was not surprised by the number of people there.  I have to admit that I was a bit surprised by the number of high school kids there.  I did not have a problem with it.  I have to admit that I have always been impressed with the level of politeness displayed by the local kids.  Angela was particularly enthralled by a group of high school boys.  I noticed her keen interest while we were sitting on one of the benches having a snack.  When they moved over to the swings, Angela stood up to have a better look.

"Angela, do you like the boys?"  I asked her.

"Yes, Mama, " my two-year-old replied.  "They cute."

I am so not looking forward to the teenage years.

Self Identity

When she was younger, Alice did not say her first name.  Instead, she would just give a blank look if someone asked her name.  I was so jealous of my friends whose children would point to themselves and say, "I insert child name."  It was also very anxiety producing for a first time parent.  Well, there is a reason why the phrase "Be careful what you wish for" is a truism.  God heard my prayers.  I am now blessed with a daughter who goes up and introduces herself to EVERYONE.  Thank goodness I am not a shy person.  I would probably need major doses of anti-anxiety meds to cope with having such an extroverted daughter.

It seems like Angela is following in her sister's footsteps with one major exception.  She refers to herself as "Me" or "Me too".

"What is your name?" I asked her.

"Me."

"No, honey, what do you call yourself?" I asked again.

"Me."

I thought about it and I realized I walked right into that last one.  She wins.  I give up. 

Remedial Finger Painting

On Tuesday I had "Back to School Night" for preschool.  I knew Alice was doing great with her Kindergarten enrichment program there, but I was curious to see how Angela was doing with her "work".  As I spoke with Angela's teacher, Ms. K could not say enough about Angela's great personality and her comfort with the environment.  She was very impressed with how well and how quickly she adjusted to attending school.  However, (why is there always a 'however'?), Angela would not finger paint properly.  She will not hold her finger straight out and apply the paint with the finger pad.  Instead, Angela bends her finger such that she uses her fingernail bed as her artist's brush.

I was not surprised by this.  One of Angela's chief quirks is her dislike of anything liquid based on her hands.  She will play in the sand box for hours.  She will manipulate Play Doh with no hesitation.  But, if a drop of some liquid falls on her hands, she immediately calls for me and demands that I clean her hands off.

As I stood listening to Ms. K, I was, in fact, internally marvelling at Angela's ability to reason and adapt.  She figured out a way to finger paint without getting her hands dirty.  Had this been Alice, I would probably have freaked out and tried to find some remedial finger painting class to "correct" the problem.  Such is the joy of the second child.  You realize each child has his/her quirks and they are to be embraced.  I told Ms. K not to worry and to just give the kid a brush for painting.

I hope all parent-teacher conferences go so smoothly.