Saturday, January 24, 2009
DRINK THE KOOL-AID
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The Littlest Crack up
Minka is hilarious, now. She always has been funny, and pretty aware of her humor, but now that she is talking more, she makes us laugh even more. And, she keeps saying and doing the cutest things!
A few months ago, she got a cold and, as a result, found her nose. She didn't so much find her nose as she found the holes in her nose. So, she has taken to digging in every so often to see what treasures it may yield. When she is told to stop picking, she says, "AH-KAY" presses her nose and shamelessly says, "BEEP!" Even writing this, I know a nosepicker is not cute to those who aren't her mommy, but it really is funny.
Her best new line is, "I made." This began in reference to things she actually created. However, she also uses it to take credit for others' work. She is particularly fond of pointing to Delilah's artwork and taking credit. When asked if she actually made it, she will emphatically shake her head and say, "Yeh," or "Yup." In addition, she will now use the line in lieu of saying, "I did it!" For example, she may put on her hat and show us saying, "I made!"
Minka started singing...sort of...recently. She likes to sing the universal "Clean up Song", and will chime in when others sing a song. Her chiming in is usually an echo of one word immediately following said word's proper place in the song. Today, Delilah was singing "Jingle Bells" on the way to a playdate. She had the words slightly wrong, as it was, and was singing it in a loop, like a broken record. Minka echoed "Hey!" with each skipping revolution:
DELILAH: Jingle Bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.
Oh what fun it is to ride in a big open sleigh!
Hey!
MINKA: HEY!
And so on and so forth. It was like a lunatic musical round in an asylum.
Other cuteness: Minka still steamrolls Delilah every morning with hugs, kisses and I love yous... She grabs your hand now and pulls, when she wants to bring you somewhere or show you something and says, "Come." ...She enjoys wearing copious amounts of jewelry all at once, and has started to choose her own clothes everyday... She has officially begun the toddler rite of passage: Nudism. She answers the door bottomless and is happy to escape out of the front door of our apartment to streak down the hallway...
A few months ago, she got a cold and, as a result, found her nose. She didn't so much find her nose as she found the holes in her nose. So, she has taken to digging in every so often to see what treasures it may yield. When she is told to stop picking, she says, "AH-KAY" presses her nose and shamelessly says, "BEEP!" Even writing this, I know a nosepicker is not cute to those who aren't her mommy, but it really is funny.
Her best new line is, "I made." This began in reference to things she actually created. However, she also uses it to take credit for others' work. She is particularly fond of pointing to Delilah's artwork and taking credit. When asked if she actually made it, she will emphatically shake her head and say, "Yeh," or "Yup." In addition, she will now use the line in lieu of saying, "I did it!" For example, she may put on her hat and show us saying, "I made!"
Minka started singing...sort of...recently. She likes to sing the universal "Clean up Song", and will chime in when others sing a song. Her chiming in is usually an echo of one word immediately following said word's proper place in the song. Today, Delilah was singing "Jingle Bells" on the way to a playdate. She had the words slightly wrong, as it was, and was singing it in a loop, like a broken record. Minka echoed "Hey!" with each skipping revolution:
DELILAH: Jingle Bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.
Oh what fun it is to ride in a big open sleigh!
Hey!
MINKA: HEY!
And so on and so forth. It was like a lunatic musical round in an asylum.
Other cuteness: Minka still steamrolls Delilah every morning with hugs, kisses and I love yous... She grabs your hand now and pulls, when she wants to bring you somewhere or show you something and says, "Come." ...She enjoys wearing copious amounts of jewelry all at once, and has started to choose her own clothes everyday... She has officially begun the toddler rite of passage: Nudism. She answers the door bottomless and is happy to escape out of the front door of our apartment to streak down the hallway...
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Absolver of Guilt
Today, while walking Delilah to school, I bumped up a curb with the stroller. (Delilah stands on a board just behind the handlebars of the stroller, Minka sits snug as a bug in the seat. I push this 900 lb monstrosity--a true pleasure in the snow, as I'm sure you can imagine.) It was snowing hard and, while Minka relaxed in her blanket-filled, plastic-covered, wind-free stroller-womb, unaware of how good she's got it, Delilah and I braved the horizontally blowing snow and bitter cold for our half hour walk to school, through unshoveled, unsalted sidewalks that often are not handicap (therefore, not stroller)-accessible from the street. Not that I'm complaining! I love where we live and am thrilled, just like your friendly mailman, to weather any storm to deliver my little bundle to her mailslot/petri-dish of a school so that her life may be enriched by snack, paint, puzzles and germs.
Anyway, I bumped up the curb because there's no ramp up to the sidewalk, and since it was snowy and windy, Delilah had her head bent down to keep the snow out of her eyes. The force of the stroller going up the curb caused Delilah's head to jerk forward slightly and hit the padded handlebar, albeit gently. I quickly apologized to Delilah who sweetly told me it wasn't my fault, it was the stroller's fault. I said I was still sorry because I was the one pushing the stroller, but she was insistent, "You don't have to be sorry, Mommy. It was not your fault."
Though it was really cold out, this kind of thing just melted my heart. I hear her say this, and things like this, often, now. It is a mix of little girl and big girl all in one. It is childish innocence and mature reasoning, and sometimes it blows my mind. Whenever she does this, I want to grab her and hug her so tight (and so I do), partly because I am so proud of her and how carefully she thinks things out, and partially because it is a sign that she is growing up, that bittersweet thing that kids inevitably do. I want to bottle up her innocence and kiddie charm so that when she gets bigger (and dare I say, becomes a more complicated and obstinant teenager) I can open up the bottle and breathe in more innocent times. Actually, to be honest, there are days now, I could stand to open up that bottle, but that's another post for another time.
Anyway, I bumped up the curb because there's no ramp up to the sidewalk, and since it was snowy and windy, Delilah had her head bent down to keep the snow out of her eyes. The force of the stroller going up the curb caused Delilah's head to jerk forward slightly and hit the padded handlebar, albeit gently. I quickly apologized to Delilah who sweetly told me it wasn't my fault, it was the stroller's fault. I said I was still sorry because I was the one pushing the stroller, but she was insistent, "You don't have to be sorry, Mommy. It was not your fault."
Though it was really cold out, this kind of thing just melted my heart. I hear her say this, and things like this, often, now. It is a mix of little girl and big girl all in one. It is childish innocence and mature reasoning, and sometimes it blows my mind. Whenever she does this, I want to grab her and hug her so tight (and so I do), partly because I am so proud of her and how carefully she thinks things out, and partially because it is a sign that she is growing up, that bittersweet thing that kids inevitably do. I want to bottle up her innocence and kiddie charm so that when she gets bigger (and dare I say, becomes a more complicated and obstinant teenager) I can open up the bottle and breathe in more innocent times. Actually, to be honest, there are days now, I could stand to open up that bottle, but that's another post for another time.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Bear With Me...
...if you come here lookin for some new posts, i promise they will come soon. i have been spending my free evening time making a halloween costume, among other things that need to get done. however, i plan to update this blog any day now....will let you all know about d going back to school, m starting classes and rocking our world, and, of course halloween, plus any other little thing that comes to mind...
xo, rach
xo, rach
Monday, August 18, 2008
Oh, By The Way...
...Minka is walking all by herself. In fact, she is running. Running faster than her body actually moves, so she falls a lot still, but she has been walking unaided since June 22, 2008. She let go of my hand at the playground, in the sand. Just let go and took off one day, and has been walking ever since. Lately, she also enjoys walking backwards, spinning in circles and running all over. True to form, she took each stage of walking in her own time, focusing on mastering each facet of the skill.
...Delilah is 3...going on 13. Some of her favorite things to say: "How many times I hafta tell you?" "I'm not talking to you, now." But also, "I love you, Daddy/Mommy/Minka." "I'm glorious!" "I'm actually really mature for my age." She is, as always, super-expressive and reflective. She melts your heart, even as she makes you want to bang your head against a wall.
...Delilah now showers. Baths are for babies and dilettantes.
...Greg bought the girls a pet fish. It is a red, orange, purple and pink Betta fish. "Her" name is Princess Nishy. Nishy the Fishy. She resides in the girls' room.
...When Greg is in the room, Minka only has eyes for Daddy. Even when he's not in the room, just on the phone, she grabs the phone and stares at it, as if he may appear if she looks hard enough. And, she kisses the phone when she hears his voice. It's achingly cute!
...Delilah and Minka hug each other unsolicited all the time.
...Minka can jump and ribbit like a frog on command. However, she also points at birds and says, "Ribbit." Delilah finds this hilarious and so, encourages it. If I say, "Look Minka, a birdie! Tweet tweet!" Delilah says, "No, Minky, ribbit ribbit!"
...Delilah thinks we also have a home in the Bahamas. In addition to telling Greg as much, and constantly discussing our vacation there, today, she told a little boy that we moved there. The little boy is moving to Pennsylvania, and was telling me that he will miss NYC, but is also excited to move. Delilah said, "Oh, that's like when I moved to the Bahamas! I missed NYC while I was there, too! Right, Mommy?"
...Delilah is 3...going on 13. Some of her favorite things to say: "How many times I hafta tell you?" "I'm not talking to you, now." But also, "I love you, Daddy/Mommy/Minka." "I'm glorious!" "I'm actually really mature for my age." She is, as always, super-expressive and reflective. She melts your heart, even as she makes you want to bang your head against a wall.
...Delilah now showers. Baths are for babies and dilettantes.
...Greg bought the girls a pet fish. It is a red, orange, purple and pink Betta fish. "Her" name is Princess Nishy. Nishy the Fishy. She resides in the girls' room.
...When Greg is in the room, Minka only has eyes for Daddy. Even when he's not in the room, just on the phone, she grabs the phone and stares at it, as if he may appear if she looks hard enough. And, she kisses the phone when she hears his voice. It's achingly cute!
...Delilah and Minka hug each other unsolicited all the time.
...Minka can jump and ribbit like a frog on command. However, she also points at birds and says, "Ribbit." Delilah finds this hilarious and so, encourages it. If I say, "Look Minka, a birdie! Tweet tweet!" Delilah says, "No, Minky, ribbit ribbit!"
...Delilah thinks we also have a home in the Bahamas. In addition to telling Greg as much, and constantly discussing our vacation there, today, she told a little boy that we moved there. The little boy is moving to Pennsylvania, and was telling me that he will miss NYC, but is also excited to move. Delilah said, "Oh, that's like when I moved to the Bahamas! I missed NYC while I was there, too! Right, Mommy?"
A Dignified Party to Her Own Glorious Humiliation
Minka has reached the point where I can let her roam the apartment while I shower in the morning. This isn't to say that she has reached a level of maturity where I trust her to do as I wish (i.e., sit quietly and play until I get out of the shower), nor is it to say that she won't climb the walls and bring the ceiling down upon us all, it just means that she can't and won't be locked in the bathroom with me while I shower. If I try to contain that little ball of energy within the confines of our small bathroom, she will either cry, climb on the toilet and risk falling (as her sister did yesterday), open the bathroom cabinet and empty the contents all over the floor (possibly also hurling some contents into the tub or toilet), or rip the toilet paper to shreds all over the floor (then wadding it up and throwing it into the tub, where I am showering, making an already unpleasant time even moreso...).
In any case, she is now free to roam. What this means for me is that I shower quickly, with the door open, and listen for signs of problems. I really will only hear if one of the girls is upset with the other--Minka is taking something from Delilah, or Delilah is hugging (aka strangling) Minka around the neck--or if I am too late--Minka has already brought the ceiling toppling down upon herself. This is why I have also empowered Delilah with the job of informant. She is supposed to let me know if anything is amiss before it becomes a problem. The problem with this setup is the same as it is with many informants...informants are corrupt. Informants (as I have been exposed to them via such respectable forums as Law & Order) may provide reliable information, but the reason they can get said information is they are just deviant enough to blend in with the deviants on whom they will rat. So, Delilah will tell me if Minka is emptying the bottom of the stroller all over the floor, or ripping one of her favorite books, or spilling food on the couch, but she won't tell me when she is involved in, or entertained by, said deviance.
Case in point: Today, while I showered, I could hear Delilah and Minka in their room, and Delilah was hysterically laughing. I can crane my neck from the shower to get a slightly obscured view of their room, and could see that they had emptied sticker sheets all over the floor. Okay, not so bad. That's non-injury-inducing fun, albeit a bit messy...More laughter...Hmmm...I call out to Delilah, "What are you doing?" Response: "I put stickers in Minka's hair!" I tell her not to do that because it could hurt Minka to pull the stickers out. But, again, not so bad. I go back to showering. More laughter. Uncontrollable laughter. I call out again, "What are you doing?" I see Minka turn around and see two stickers blink at me. Delilah stuck a sticker on each of Minka's eyelids, and Delilah is belly laughing!
Okay, I know this isn't the worst thing that could happen. But there was just something so wrong about it. Like Minka, who is fiercely independent, and typically, really won't be roped into doing something she doesn't want to--by Delilah or anyone--had somehow been duped by her own sister. Here they were, seemingly having a great time, playing together, big sis and little, maybe even being a little mischievous together, while Mommy showers and Daddy sleeps, ne'er the wiser. Two little partners in crime...only they weren't equal partners. (Bear with me...) It just seemed that the stickers on the eyelids were not dignified. Minka had become a party to her own humiliation. It was like a petowner dressing their pitbull in a bonnet. A pitbull is a fierce beast! Fierce beasts are not precious playthings who wear bonnets! And, Minka is a sophisticated lady! Sophisticated ladies are not buffoons who wear stickers on their eyes for the amusement of others!
Or...perhaps I have blown this out of proportion. Perhaps, Minka was having fun, basking in the glow of her big sister's attention. Her undivided, innocent attention. And, perhaps, even, Minka was displaying her own already cultivated sense of humor, and was just allowing herself to be silly to make her sister laugh. Perhaps, just perhaps, this is the beginning of the Brainin Sisters who will do anything for one another to ensure the other's happiness...in this case, giving each other exactly what the other needs--Delilah playing with Minka on the floor rather than telling her, "No, baby, you can't play with that, baby," and Minka, playing the fool to make Delilah laugh and laugh and laugh. Watch out, world, here they come...
In any case, she is now free to roam. What this means for me is that I shower quickly, with the door open, and listen for signs of problems. I really will only hear if one of the girls is upset with the other--Minka is taking something from Delilah, or Delilah is hugging (aka strangling) Minka around the neck--or if I am too late--Minka has already brought the ceiling toppling down upon herself. This is why I have also empowered Delilah with the job of informant. She is supposed to let me know if anything is amiss before it becomes a problem. The problem with this setup is the same as it is with many informants...informants are corrupt. Informants (as I have been exposed to them via such respectable forums as Law & Order) may provide reliable information, but the reason they can get said information is they are just deviant enough to blend in with the deviants on whom they will rat. So, Delilah will tell me if Minka is emptying the bottom of the stroller all over the floor, or ripping one of her favorite books, or spilling food on the couch, but she won't tell me when she is involved in, or entertained by, said deviance.
Case in point: Today, while I showered, I could hear Delilah and Minka in their room, and Delilah was hysterically laughing. I can crane my neck from the shower to get a slightly obscured view of their room, and could see that they had emptied sticker sheets all over the floor. Okay, not so bad. That's non-injury-inducing fun, albeit a bit messy...More laughter...Hmmm...I call out to Delilah, "What are you doing?" Response: "I put stickers in Minka's hair!" I tell her not to do that because it could hurt Minka to pull the stickers out. But, again, not so bad. I go back to showering. More laughter. Uncontrollable laughter. I call out again, "What are you doing?" I see Minka turn around and see two stickers blink at me. Delilah stuck a sticker on each of Minka's eyelids, and Delilah is belly laughing!
Okay, I know this isn't the worst thing that could happen. But there was just something so wrong about it. Like Minka, who is fiercely independent, and typically, really won't be roped into doing something she doesn't want to--by Delilah or anyone--had somehow been duped by her own sister. Here they were, seemingly having a great time, playing together, big sis and little, maybe even being a little mischievous together, while Mommy showers and Daddy sleeps, ne'er the wiser. Two little partners in crime...only they weren't equal partners. (Bear with me...) It just seemed that the stickers on the eyelids were not dignified. Minka had become a party to her own humiliation. It was like a petowner dressing their pitbull in a bonnet. A pitbull is a fierce beast! Fierce beasts are not precious playthings who wear bonnets! And, Minka is a sophisticated lady! Sophisticated ladies are not buffoons who wear stickers on their eyes for the amusement of others!
Or...perhaps I have blown this out of proportion. Perhaps, Minka was having fun, basking in the glow of her big sister's attention. Her undivided, innocent attention. And, perhaps, even, Minka was displaying her own already cultivated sense of humor, and was just allowing herself to be silly to make her sister laugh. Perhaps, just perhaps, this is the beginning of the Brainin Sisters who will do anything for one another to ensure the other's happiness...in this case, giving each other exactly what the other needs--Delilah playing with Minka on the floor rather than telling her, "No, baby, you can't play with that, baby," and Minka, playing the fool to make Delilah laugh and laugh and laugh. Watch out, world, here they come...
Thursday, June 19, 2008
One Small, Itty Bitty, Teeny Weeny Step...
So, Minka is walking. She has been walking for a couple of months, now, but will not typically do so without holding my--or someone else's (sometime even Delilah's!)--hand. She started with sort of humoring us: Sure, I'll take your hand, take a step, then plop down on my knees and crawl or sit. That lasted a few weeks. Then, she would take longer walks. And, now, she will actually stop mid-crawl, sit up high on her knees, reach up with her hand and whine-grunt to indicate that she wants us to walk with her. She's pretty fast, doesn't really use our hand for support, but still insists on having the hand there for more of a moral support. And, occasionally, we can get her to take one or two steps sans hands.
She is happiest at the playground when she walks around pushing a walker that someone left there. She thinks this belongs to her. There are other walkers there, but she only wants to play with this particular walker and she cries if someone else uses it. If someone comes over to play with it, she pushes them off. This territorial behavior goes beyond the walker. She now hides things behind her back when she doesn't want to give them back. I can't help it, I find it endearing and will sometimes sit back a bit to enjoy the moment before doing something about it. I like seeing her hiding pieces of sidewalk chalk behind her back...pieces that belong to a 4 year old boy who is actually ready to cry because my 14 month old is keeping them from him. It's funny.
She is happiest at the playground when she walks around pushing a walker that someone left there. She thinks this belongs to her. There are other walkers there, but she only wants to play with this particular walker and she cries if someone else uses it. If someone comes over to play with it, she pushes them off. This territorial behavior goes beyond the walker. She now hides things behind her back when she doesn't want to give them back. I can't help it, I find it endearing and will sometimes sit back a bit to enjoy the moment before doing something about it. I like seeing her hiding pieces of sidewalk chalk behind her back...pieces that belong to a 4 year old boy who is actually ready to cry because my 14 month old is keeping them from him. It's funny.
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