While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about. ~Angela Schwindt
I have never been a "baby" person. I don't look at other people's babies and feel like I need to hold them, or get pangs of having another child. In fact, when I look at pregnant women and infants, I think, "Aw. So cute...and so glad that's not me!" When my own children were babies, of course I loved them. I even thought they were the cutest little beings on the face of the earth. But I didn't enjoy the infant stages. They're so much work. I worried so much, because they were so fragile. I got frustrated when they cried and cried, because I never had that mother's intuition that people talk about that magically fixed whatever ailed my kids. Sure, I knew my what my boys did and didn't like. I could probably calm their cries better than someone else could, but still, it was guess work. In contrast, I love the ages my boys are at right now. They are potty trained and can talk well. They have the ability to reason (even if they don't use that ability too often). They can tell me what's wrong, what they need and what they like. They also say all kinds of funny things, and as you all know, I love to share the things they say with others. Here are just a few examples from the last month or so:
Jacob never had "baby talk." When he started talking, it was clear as a bell and in full sentences. He never mixed up pronouns or prepositions. There were only a handful of words that he said wrong, and even then the words were close enough that everyone could understand him. Andrew, on the other hand, has had a much more typical speech development. He talks well, but he definitely mixes things up, and sometimes those mix ups are really funny. These are some of the words he says wrong:
matkin = napkin
Tritsie Roll = Tootsie Roll
clug = plug (Like, "Mom, put the clug in the bathtub so the water doesn't go out.")
wof cwof = wash cloth
Strantmermers = Transformers
When he has a cut on his hand, he asks for "scream" for his finger.
A few days ago, he asked Greg if he could listen to the CD with "Heydar of grub." (Radar Love)
There are more, but those are just a few.
I also enjoy listening to the boys' thought processes, how they sort through every day ideas. One day on the way home from school, we drove past Lakemont Park and Andrew saw ducks on the pond. He said, "Mom, can we catch a duck and keep it as a pet?"
"No," I said.
"Why?"
"Well, because the cat would probably eat it."
"How about a fish? Can we catch a fish for a pet?"
"No, the cat would probably eat that too."
He paused for a moment and said, "Well, how about an elephant? Just a small one." Oh sure. An elephant would be a fine pet. Sam would definitely not eat it!
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One night, while I was in the bath tub with Andrew, he told me that my legs were hurting him. "My legs are hurting you?" I said. "Yes," he said. "The skin is sharp." I guess that was my cue to shave!
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While we were watching a cartoon with a brother and sister on it, I asked Andrew if he had a brother. "Yes!" he said. "Jacob is my brother!" I asked if he had a sister. "Yes, Mom!" he said. I said, "Sister mom?" He shook his head and said, "No. Sister Kel-Wee!" We're still working on understanding the family tree!
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Andrew has been watching Jacob's cartoons, which are really a little too mature for him. As a result, he has been saying things like "kill" and "die," not exactly nice words to hear from a 3 year old. Greg and I have been encouraging him to say "I'm gonna get you" instead. He has also been taunting Jacob with that childhood chant "ha ha ha ha ha" (like, nanny nanny boo boo), which I also don't like. One day I took him shopping and he said, "Mom, what don't we say? Kill? Die?" I said, "No, we don't say those words. They aren't nice." He said, "what about 'ha ha ha ha ha?' Is that not nice?" "No, that's also not nice." He then proceeded to sing "kill, kill, kill" to a very sweet tune from the shopping cart. "Andrew," I said, "that's nice singing, but no matter how you say it, 'kill' is still not a nice word."
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After Andrew eats anything, he stands up, flexes his biceps and says, "Feel my armpits! Do you want to see how my armpits got bigger?"
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One night during dinner, Andrew asked if we lived in Altoona. I'm not sure where that came from, but Jacob quickly replied, "No, Andrew. We live in Hollidaysburg. Hollidaysburg is a suderd of Altoona."
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One night, Greg jokingly told Andrew to tell me to shut my pie hole. Andrew yelled across a room full of people, "Mom, shut your asshole!"
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When Jake gets mad at Andrew, he makes this terribly mean face. I have been working with him to find a better way to express his anger. The last time Jake made the mean face at Andrew, Andrew said, "Jacob, if you keep making that face, you're not going to have Christmas!"
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Over Thanksgiving, I took a container of chia seeds with me to my aunt's house. My niece picked up the jar, looked it over and said, "Aunt Koelle, is this bird food?"
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And the last story is about one of my sister's students. She teaches first grade in the Pittsburgh area. She's also 7 months pregnant. A few weeks ago, she fainted in front of the class. She said that she was talking to a little boy, and suddenly she couldn't hear him. She told him to get the teacher's aid and the next thing she knew, she was laying on the floor with the nurse beside her and the classroom empty. She's fine and returned to work the next day. A few days later, when she had parent teacher conferences, the mother of the little boy who helped my sister came in for her conference. She told Megan that her son came home and said, "Guess what? Mrs Anderson had her baby at her desk today!"
That's all I have to share for now, but there will be more to come, I'm sure! Today I am grateful not only for my boys, but also for the gift of laughter that they bring. They consistently and undoubtedly give us reason to smile. Thanks, boys!
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