September 2009 Archives

Somebody sent me a link to this video the other day, and I just had to share.

Here are all the words you need: baby, Beyonce, imitative dance.

Enjoy!

There's also this one. And man, can this baby move!

I recently had a disagreement with a psychologist about whether Sam, at age 6, should still be crawling into my bed every night.

I tried using the biggest, most-professional-sounding words I could:

I'm a proponent of co-sleeping, I said. I find the belief that children need to learn to sleep alone in a bed in a room separate from their parents to be an unrealistic American idea that is not practiced elsewhere in the world. As my child grows, she will naturally require more independence, and she will make the decision when the time is right about sleeping solo.

He replied, in a nutshell, that I'm full of crap.

I'm a nervous wreck.

I feel like it's only a matter of time before my daredevil Mr. Noah breaks a bone or needs stitches.

He's constantly climbing on things -- chairs, tables, stools, couches -- and then dangling precariously at the edges. Or, worse yet, he leaps off of them just for the half-second thrill of the fall.

I don't remember Sam doing this. Or maybe I've just blocked it from my memory.

And because he's growing so fast right now (thank goodness!), he's klutzy beyond belief. He's forever tripping or banging his head into walls or smacking the top of his head on the edge of our table, which he used to be able to walk beneath, or pulling open a drawer and slamming it into his nose or ...

I'm tired just picturing it.

Right now, he's got a bruise on his forehead, a bruise and abrasion on his cheekbone (he fell off a small stool onto the edge of a step in our house over the weekend), bruises on his knees and shins, and finger bruises on his upper arms from us having to grab him over and over again to keep him from falling.

We're not beating him, I swear. He just looks like it.

Is this a boy thing? Is it just that some kids are more daring than others? Will I feel this way until he's in his 20s???

Today, the stench in my car more resembles old gym socks than curdling milk.

Still no luck finding the cause.

*sigh* -- but not a *deep sigh* cuz I might pass out if I inhale too deeply ...

I'm pretty certain Noah's a friggin' genius.

Why do I think this? Other than the fact that he's already saying really hard words like "washcloth" and "Spongebob"?

Because he likes to line up similar things in exact rows.

His favorite is plastic bottles of soap and shampoo in the bathroom. He gets them, one at a time, out of the basket we keep them in, and he carries them to the edge of the tub or the sink. Then, he turns them sideways, slides them gently until they're just touching each other, then taps and bumps them until they're in a straight line.

He's so focused when he does this. So intent. So serious. So exacting. So adorable.

See what I mean? Pure genius.

I was certain Sam was a genius about this age, too, because she could tell you what sounds 10 animals made (cow, horse, sheep, pig, cat, dog, mouse, monkey, snake and elephant).

I think we all get caught up at some point in how fast our kids learn new things that we just can't believe they're already doing whatever thing it is that's amazing us.

Why is your kid a genius?

There's something festering in my car.

Man, does it stink. My car sits in the sun all day with the windows closed, so whatever it is certainly has the right environment to grow its stench exponentially.

I think it's a rank sippy cup that held what once was milk. But I'll be doggoned if I can find it.

I've searched through the piles of toys on the floor of the back seat. I've pulled aside the car seats. I've bravely stuffed my hand under the seats and felt around.

Nada.

At some point, the smell has to dissipate, right? Like, once all the bacteria eats itself or whatever?

Of course, maybe the smell's just in my nose, as Sam once said.

Here's a photo I just came across on my colleague Mike Argento's blog. It's a shot from Shelbyville, Ky., in a Walmart there.

Now, you know when you had your first baby, you were totally tempted to do something like this because you freaked out every time someone touched her ("Oh my God! They've put germs on her! Now she's gonna get sick! I have to wash her! Sanitize her! Get those dirty other-people germs off my precious angel!").

But did any of us actually put up such a sign? Uh, no.

This picture is from a site called People of Walmart. I'm not saying it's a good or bad site, so just be prepared if you check it out.

Sam seems to be doing great in first grade.

Computer lab? Loves it.
Reading? Loves it.
New teacher? Loves her.
Recess? Double loves it.
Lunchtime? Eh.

Noah's learning lots of new words lately.

I love that he says "Dee doh" for "thank you" and "peez" for "please" (actually, it's always more like: "peez peez peez peez peez peez peez peez peez peez peez???")

He says "Yinya" for Linda, his sitter. And "eat" when he's hungry. And "bobble" when he's thirsty (even if he wants a sippy cup).

But my two new favorites: "What?" and "why?"

Here are examples:
Me (in one of the rooms upstairs): "Noah!"
Noah (in one of the other rooms): "What!"

or

Me: "Hey Mr. Stinky Pants, let's go upstairs and change your diaper."
Noah (heading for the stairs): "Why?"

He doesn't actually need a response yet to either of them, but the words sound so funny in his little baby voice that I just crack up.

Anything your kids saying right now that makes you laugh?

On Monday, amid nerves and fake coughs and gleeful romping with friends, Sam started first grade.

Here's a pic of her before she ran off to the bus stop:

And oh, what a fun ride it's been so far.