A secret reminder

William: mom! Mom! Guess what? You have a secret reminder!

Mom:? What?
William: yeah! You have a secret reminder! Someone who loves you and doesn't tell you!
Mom: a secret admirer? I hope it is daddy.
William: nope! It's not daddy.
Mom: hmmmm... I wonder who it could be?
William: (grin). It's a secret!

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Later, while I was giving the girls a bath, I heard William having the same conversation with daddy.

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Around bedtime some mysterious valentine card showed up at our house...from our secret reminder! Signed and everything!

Dragon

I was reading William his book before bed. Sadly, he is all dinosaurs, all the time currently so we settled in with a giant volume about the different types of dinosaurs (I'll admit- they don't make my heart race. Or even skip a beat. They make me kind of yawn.)

I turned the page and William let of a big sigh of satisfaction. "I love this dinosaur" he breathed into my ear.

"How come, buddy?"

Another deeply satisfied sigh as he snuggled closer.

"Because one of it's names means DRAGON. Dragons are so cool. But, they don't use that name antrodemus anymore. That's okay though. I'm going to name my baby antrodemus when I grow up. Isn't that a great name mama?"

How could I not agree?

Let's just hope the person he is having kids with has a different opinion.

First steps!

I'm crying just a little here because I have to report that Gemma took her first very unsteady steps tonight from the coffee table to me. Two, maybe three steps. Almost falling towards me, but walking nontheless. If she keeps this up, she will be our earliest walker by far. My guess is that she is going to continue to work on this slowly, slowly (I hope) with more official walking happening closer to the 12 month mark. Boo hoo...

Gemma also was introduced and mastered the straw this evening at dinner time. She drank some water with a little assistance from me and then was able to drink the water right from the straw by herself. She thought she was pretty hot stuff and had to take a few breaks in the action to giggle at her new accomplishment.

Sent from my iPhone

Battlefield

William: did you know there are battlefields here?
Mom: .....?.....( whaaa?)
William: mom! I asked if you knew what a battlefield is!
Mom: ummmm... Yes. I knew that. What's a battlefield, William?
William: aaah, well it is a field. Yep, it is a field. A field where there was....battles.
Mom: oh?
William: yeah! Yeah. Like when the south versed the north in our country. The north and south versed each other on the battlefield.
Mom: huh. I didn't know you knew all that!

(Silence for two beats)

William: mom? Why are trees round? Why do trees grow crooked?
Mom: whaaa? Ummm...

I literally cannot keep up with his speed of thoughts.

Sent from my iPhone

A teachable moment

(a month ago)

Gemma, William and I got to the bus stop and another kindergarten student was waiting.  There is a blue square painted on the cement near the corner which has been designated the unofficial "bus stop" (I think it is something the street crews left behind from a storm drain project over the summer?).  The other (female) student (let's call her E.) was already standing on the square.

E's mom:  E!  Come here!  Your clip is falling out of your hair.
E: (Conflicted look on her face.  She looks at her feet planted on the blue square and back and her mom.  If only she could hold her coveted place on the blue square and still listen to her mom!)
E's mom: E!  Come here!
E: (big sigh and trudges over to her mom, looking sadly over her shoulder)
William: (jumps triumphantly only the blue square)  HaaaHAAA!  I AM THE FIRST ONE!!

I tried to ignore it.  I really did.  It didn't work. 

Mom: William, you need to let E have the first place in line back.
William: NO! Why?  She left!  It is MINE now! HahHAA!
Mom: (sigh) William, the polite thing to do is to let her have her spot back.  She had to leave the line to listen to her mom.  It wasn't her fault.
William: NooOOOOooo!  I don't want to let her have it back.
Mom: (thinking....what a little gentleman I am raising....hmmmm)
Mom: William, did you know that the polite thing to do is to let girls go first?  There is a polite saying that says "Ladies first"
William: Whaaa?  Are you making it up?
Mom: No.  The polite thing to do is let a girl go through the door first.
William: It is?
Mom: Yes.  The right thing to do is let girls go first.  Especially when the girl was in front of you in line and had to leave for a minute to listen to her mom.

E came trudging back to the bus stop and her face lit up when William let her have the front spot back again. 

Moments later the bus pulled up.  E. turned to wave to her mom and my perfect little gentleman went around E and hopped on the bus.  What a proud mom moment!


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Update: We talked about being polite, waiting your turn, sometimes letting a friend (girl or boy) go in front of you as a way to be kind.  A day or so later, we made it to the bus stop as E was walking up.

William: E, you can be in front of me. (turns with his most charming grin to his mama)
E: (big smile)
William:  You can be in front of me because you are my friend.
E: (big smile)

The bus pulled up.  E turned to wave at her mom and William waited patiently.  For a minute.  Then he jostled E's elbow and chest bumped her toward the bus.

Baby steps.  A little progress?

Just like daddy

I am reading books to Gemma on the couch and I can hear Amelia rattling around in the kitchen.  If I stood up, I would be able to see exactly what Amelia is doing.  However, I'm lazy, so I just call into the kitchen for a report.

Mom: Amelia?  What are you doing?
Amelia: I'm good Mom.*


*This is a classic Daddy response.  For example:

Kelly: How were the roads on the way home**?
John: My day was good.

So, the big question is: Is this a genetic trait or a learned behavior?


**My theory is that he listens to the first word of the question when he is busy doing something else and answers the most probable question.

Ick-merican

We were driving home from dance lessons last week and Amelia piped up in the backseat.

Amelia: Mom?
Mom: Yes?
Amelia: For my birthday, I want a doll.
Mom: You do?
Amelia: Yes.  I want a beautiful Ick-merican doll*.
Mom: You do?
Amelia: Yes.  Ick-merican dolls are the most beautiful dolls.  I want the one with the beautiful long yellow hair and white clothes.
Mom: Oh, she sounds pretty!
Amelia: She is so pretty.  Then I will bring my Ickmerican doll to dance like the other girls.  I will get her a dance clothes to wear.  I will name my Ickmerican doll Elise.  Okay mom?

Mom: (stumped**).......
Amelia: is that okay mom?
Mom:......ummmm.....I think we need to just wait and see what happens Amelia.


*American doll  a popular doll in the girl set
** The lower end of doll costs somewhere in the $100 range.  Not something I am willing to promise to an almost 4 year old.  Not yet anyway.