Kid notes

(for my personal future reference)

Molly, at eighteen months, says "MUHLK." Jack, at nearly three, still says "NILK."

Something happened today and Molly started saying "YUHSSSS." Up until today she was saying "eeeeYAAAAHHH!" Phillip and I are both horribly disappointed that we never got our acts together enough to record the "eeeeeYAAAAHHH!" in action, because seriously, it was the cutest. 

Molly tries to say everything. When we go downstairs in the morning she sees the tealights on the window sill and points and I say "candles" and she says "kahgulls." We'll say, "Say 'I love Mommy!'" and she SAYS it. Well, it sounds like "AHmama" but we know that she's saying I love you. And then we glare at Jack, who never once cooperated in the "say ____ !" game. 

He's a blabbermouth now, though. All day long: "What's DAT Mommy?" "What you DOING Mommy?" "I wan play in the SANDbox Mommy" "I don WAN to" "I don HAVE to go potty" "Monny wants [whatever he wants that I won't give him]" "I mad at you" "Dat's MY job" "I don WAN covers" "I wan my DRUM" "[singing to himself in his crib when he's supposed to be sleeping]" "I don LIKE chicken" "I don WAN French toast I wan REGLER toast" (regular toast, ie: toast with butter, I KNOW) "I LIKE you Mommy" "are you happy Mommy?" "you not mad at me Mommy?" "I a angel" "I am a sweet and handsome boy!" (I taught him that one) "This is  MOmmy and DAddy and JACK and MAHYmoo and DAniel!" (labeling his play dough cans, two big ones, three small ones, after his family, plus the baby son of one of our friends) "I tired Mommy. Monny wants to walk" (when Molly is in the single stroller and he wants to sit down) "I wan go in DAT store" (See's Candy) "Where you GOING Mommy?" "I help you Mommy?" "I help you?" "I wan HELP you Mommy!" 

Molly points to the pictures on the wall: "Dada!" "Mama!" "Dack!" "Mahmoo!"

I finally broke down and pulled the lid off the sandbox the other day. It's not warm, but it's been sunnier than usual (sorry Northeast!) and I wanted to sit outside and look at my Crate and Barrel catalog while the kids played. And you know what? That stupid sandbox is the one Thing To Do at our house that has yet to cause a fight. Normally I am taking toys away and separating screeching children from morning till night, but they played a good half hour in the sandbox without so much as a squeak. Now I get mad if it's raining in the afternoons or we have to run an errand, because that sandbox affords me an entire thirty minutes of Cheerful Children, which often erases a morning spent composing the notes I'll pin to their shirts when I leave them in front of the church. 

Molly has used the potty more often in the last several days than her brother. At this rate she will be trained before he is. I would fret about this, except that it reinforces the theory that They'll Use The Potty When They're Ready (rather than Dude, That Mom Sucks At Potty Training).

They're tolerating more than five minutes in the stroller, so sometimes we walk all the way to the playground by the lake, or we walk to the grocery store and buy tofu for Daddy's stirfry. We always have to have snacks though: fruit snacks are best, followed by goldfish crackers. And if we go to the Asian grocery store, Pocky is expected on the way home. 

It seems like most of my friends have transitioned to 1% milk and are watching what their kids eat. At Molly's appointment it was reaffirmed that both of them should stay with whole milk. Maybe throw a little Carnation Instant Breakfast into the mix. And go ahead and slather their toast with butter. I have no clue how I ended up with kids on the lower end of the weight chart. NO CLUE.

They fight constantly, usually over toys: Molly has two dolls, but Jack swears up and down that the cloth-bodied one is his. There are a zillion trains, but Jack hunts through the bin to find them all and hoard them under a couch pillow. Molly steals Jack's balloon. Jack holds out his hand, thinking Molly will just GIVE him whatever he asks for, but a lot of times she just smacks his hand. Or one time I saw her try to bean him with a block. I'm instantly reminded of fighting nonstop with MY brother, which makes me terribly fearful for the next sixteen years in this house. I don't see anyone else's kids fighting this young, but then again, I'm the only one I know with kids this close together. Sounds like a good thing to blame. 

And then, out of the blue, they are adorable. Loving on each other. Bestowing night night kisses and hugs and "MOMMY we have to wait for MAHYmoo!" Molly wants to hold Jack's hand when we go for walks, because he pulls her along and tries to make her run and she thinks this is the funniest thing ever. Sometimes Jack will be "playing" with Molly and she'll just be standing there unsure if she should start sobbing or fall over laughing. 

Obviously I have the best job ever.

Comments

[C @ Kid Things]

Aren't brothers and sisters great? Haha!... yeah. I think I need to invest in a sandbox.

[Elsha]

I need to write one of these. Too cute.

[Dr. Maureen]

I love that everyone calls her "Molly Moo." It will be sad when she gets too old for that. Why does Jack call himself "Monny"?

[Jess]

I read another post recently where the younger sibling is more advanced with the potty training than the older sibling, and the parent came to the same conclusion. I think it was MO Mommy?

[craftyashley]

Your three year old sounds just like mine!

[Lisa]

I briefly considered a rice box and tarp for sandbox fun inside the house, but seriously, I cannot figure out how that would NOT result in rice scattered over every inch of the house.

I think most healthy kids can eat a few extra calories without much trouble as long as they are active and eat in a fairly balanced way. I'm watching a new toddler now who is my ONLY picky eater, and it didn't take me long to figure out that it's because I present the kids with stuff like fruit and whole grain cereal and normal kid foods. She seems to be used to high calorie, high fat foods and is not happy to settle for my sweet-but-not-sugary alternatives. She's got a good 8 lbs on my heaviest toddler (at the same height), and that's a lot for a kid at that age. Makes me thankful that I started my kid with healthy food habits and require her to eat a good portion of her regular food before she gets that sugary treat. I'm hoping it means she'll be less likely to battle with her metabolism as she grows.

[Katie]

Seriously, sand boxes are the best. I am always hesitant to open ours up because ugh, the mess. But! Every time I do I am always pleasantly surpised by the length of time the kids will happily play together.

[Sarah in Ottawa]

This has been bugging me since the morning but - how old are your friends' kids, the ones who are drinking 1% milk? I mean - what if they were still nursing? They'd certainly be getting more fat than that.

I am loathe to limit what Teddy eats because, like Lisa above, I present him with many food options and NO sugary treats. I understand the fear of obesity but are we going a bit overboard with this?

[HereWeGoAJen]

I want to go in See's Candy too.

[Tara]

I had to laugh at all the similarities-- must the the same age/same age difference. The love affair with the sandbox, the older one running/dragging the younger one (who loves it).

Uh, and I couldn't read "kahgulls" and not think of those exercises that you're supposed to do when you're pregnant. ;-)