Day 2136

Lizard explained to us that “sometimes daddies have quite big booboos, sometimes quite small booboos, and sometimes quite medium booboos.”

And then, “...what does ‘quite’ mean?”

She also told me I’m full of it.

Day 2135

Lizard, I’m pretty sure trying suggest to me that she should be allowed to eat gushers all the time, said that they had “fruit flavours!” And “protein!”

Really nice try, monkey. Still no.

Day 2134

Chinchilla had a weekend of new delights: he got to play with an exercise ball with his sister, had ice cream, and got to have dance parties. As dramatic as he is with sadness, he is just as energetic and exuberant when he is happy.

Day 2133

We’ve created an equivocating three year old.

Day 2132

Maybe comic sans is considered fancy in their particular home town, but I maintain it is not an appropriate font for a billing inquiry.

Day 2131

The snappy crab dance begins! Lizard starts out crablike and then gets overcome with enthusiasm and just jumps around; Chinchilla does a little stompy dance.

Day 2130

Lizard is adopting all sorts of odd phrases that she doesn’t quite know how to use and it is absolutely delightful.

“As far as I know, the zucchini didn’t fall out of my hands.”

Day 2129

Lizard is having another independent streak and it’s paying dividends. Now that she can dress herself, go to the bathroom by herself, read her bedtime story herself, and get herself water, we just have to teach her how to cook.

Day 2128

I turned on my laptop to renew library books and discovered baby pictures. It’s astonishing to see such familiar expressions in such tiny adorable faces.

Day 2127

I love watching the kids snuggling together, and really starting to play together... but it makes my heart explode seeing Lizard (without prompting), spotting her brother on the slide, and reading his favourite book to him.

Day 2126

Both kids seem to be working on language skills right now. It’s obvious that Chinchilla understands a tremendous amount (he knows which stuffie is the cuttlefish), and he’s trying to repeat more words that he thinks are important (like “dinner”).

Meanwhile... “He was being pretty good, actually. Until he grabbed my teddy from my hand, pulled my hair and bit my forehead.”

Day 2125

Delightful meals today: Lizard had “yucky charms” for breakfast (do we need to correct pronunciation on that?), Husband and I went to an Indian buffet for an impromptu lunch date, and then we picked up some bread on the way home and I had a slice as part of my dinnerette. Cause who needs dinner when you had piles and piles of delicious curry for lunch?

Day 2124

Chinchilla is almost sixteen months old and I think he knows which stuffies is the cuttlefish.

And Lizard says volcanoes have frightening fire and tend to be scary.

These kids are unceasingly amusing.

Day 2123

Learning how to aim your kids when they so badly want to be helpful is so important and sooooo good. Tiny kids being helpful is so adorable.

Day 2122

Lizard tending to her new teddy is pretty entertaining. She’s put it to bed several times, sung to it, taken it for piggyback rides (“Tarantara tarantara!”)... she told us yesterday that the teddy is sad because he wants her to be his mother, but she’s not. Luckily she loves him and takes care of him.

Meanwhile, Charlie continues to delight in getting his parents to burp his teddy.

Day 2121

On the weekend we foolishly bought a teddy bear for one kid at not the other. We bought another bear today (plus a couple spares!), and Lizard was super excited about having her ownbear, and was talking about having it in bed with her tonight. And then she told me she was going to share the bear with her brother! Even though he already has one! This kid has such a kind heart, it blows me away.

Day 2120

Got Chinchilla a teddy bear. His sister demonstrated interest in it, so of course he is now quite attached. He has been tugging our heartstrings by hugging it and not wanting to let it go.

Meanwhile, Lizard is working to develop the catchphrase “Oh my GOSH, mommy!”. I think she might have heard us laughing, so that’s never going away.

Day 2119

Having little kids means having to check your bed for books, toys, and small crumbs before you go to sleep.

2118

Chinchilla wore to bed jammies his big sister grew out of just a few months ago.

Lizard went to the bathroom without prompting, peed, wiped, and washed her hands all by herself. She asked for help putting the towel and her toilet seat away.

Odd things to feel sentimental about, perhaps... but my babies are getting so big!

Day 2118

If you’re going to buy a stationary bike, buy it right before the Tour de France. If you want to develop a habit, that’s the way to do it.

Day 2117

Lizard, wondering aloud whether Bertie will have had “a pooping accident” in his crate by the time we get home: “That wouldn’t be good at all! Then we would have to clean that whole mess up! Totally. Totally, man.”

Meanwhile, Chinchilla was playing with my face and put his mouth over my mouth and nose and drooled enthusiastically on me and I didn’t know until that moment that that’s a way you could die.

Day 2116

Emergency baths are not a good way to start the week. On the plus side, we are getting pretty efficient at dog bathing and crate and dog blanket and carpet cleaning.

Day 2115

The more tiny poopers you have in your house, the more you need to have an emergency backup lightning fast dinner option.

Luckily tonight Plan A was a fast one...

Day 2114

Chinchilla has started to discover the wonders of the zoo. If a large animal appears right in front of him, he gets very excited.

Also, he pulled cloths out of the laundry basket and “put them away” (in a toy box) for me. His tiny attempts at helpfulness are so adorable.

Day 2113

My babies are not built for global warming. I foresee buying sunscreen by the bucket.

Day 2112

Does it count as her dinner party if Lizard instructed us on who to invite for dinner and set the menu? Thankfully her actually suggestion was much more reasonable than the pretend food she prepared, which came with a drink: maple syrup with chocolate milk.

Day 2111

If you want to experience entropy, try tidying up while your kids are still awake.

Day 2110

My three year old should make podcasts. The whole thing could be her telling stories, making up songs, and explaining how she thinks the world works. She’s so wildly entertaining, and I want to share the joy.

Which probably just means I need to record her more often...

Day 2109

I gave Chinchilla his first haircut and now he has a tiny bob instead of a mullet.

Looked at some pictures of Lizard and about this age and she had a righteous mullet. Not sure how that slipped through unscathed...

Day 2108

Showed Lizard classic magic school bus and she was so engrossed I had to remind her to blink, or poke her in the nose to make her blink. Apparently the show holds up.

Day 2107

How to be a baby whisperer:

1. Try different stuff. If it makes the baby cry louder, stop doing it. If it makes the baby cry quieter, do it until they fall asleep or they start crying louder again.

2. Don’t mind when they scream in your face.