Daddy's Little Girl

Daddy sitting on the couch watching basketball
Chloe enters, looks quizzically at the screen
Daddy: "Daddy is watching basketball!"
Chloe: "Daddy watch basketball!"
Chloe climbs up on couch next to Daddy, stares at screen
Chloe: "Co-ey watch basketball!"

Age is Just a Number

Chloe: EI is Oooone! Coey is Twooooooo! Mommy is Siiiixxx!
Me: No, Mommy is twentysix
Chloe: Mommy is siiiiix, Daddy is sevennn
Me: No, Mommy is twenty-six, Daddy is twenty-six

(A couple of minutes pass)

Chloe: Mommy is twenty-six!
Me: That's right! And Daddy is twenty-six.
Chloe: (Shakes head) Nooo, Daddy is sevennn... Mimi is eigghht... Grandpa is niiiiine.... Grandma is tennnn.... MeMaw is eleven........Papa is twelff...Mommy is twenty-six!

An Anecdote of Example

Yesterday I was folding clothes in my room, standing with a clear view into Eli's room. That's where the kids were playing. Eli wasn't in my line of sight, but Chloe was. Was she ever. I am watching, she doesn't realize it.. yet. She is quietly reading a book, then out of nowhere, she, without any provocation, lifts her book above her head, rares it back, and.....sneaks a peek out of the door where I stand watching. She sees me, self-corrects, and pretends to scratch her head with the book! Like I am going to buy that. I give her the look and she goes back to quietly reading. I need to put some dish towels away, so I decide to make a quick trip to the kitchen wherein I hear "doont...doont...doont...doont.. BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...doont..." I quickly run into Eli's room, and for once, Chloe was so into what she doing she didn't hear me coming or have time to get into "position innocence." What do I see? My sweet little girl holding Eli's head between her hands and rhythmically beating it into the closet door. That's what I'm struggling with.

Now, I know the "(gasp) I can't believe you left the two of them alone" attitude. I have had more than one run-in with it of late. But, please, please keep in mind, I have a small house, I can hear everything, they are never that alone. And, as small as it is, it's still virtually impossible to keep clean. I relish the few minutes they play together so that I can check my email or do the dishes or fold clothes or even use the bathroom alone. It doesn't happen often, and when it does, I take advantage of it. :o/

I Say Reason, You Say Excuse

I haven't posted in quite some time because I really haven't been able to come up with anything uplifting to talk about. Many of you know I'm not really a "baby" person, per se. I mean, obviously I love my children dearly, but I just don't enjoy that first year of life. At all. That's why this whole regression thing that Chloe is going through is really stressing me out. Where once I could (finally) understand her and (finally) interact with her through play and such, now I feel like I have two babies in the house instead of one. Chloe talks in baby talk, she pushes, she crams large amounts of food in her mouth, and puts everything else in there as well. I have to take away her big girl toys that she played well with a few weeks ago, but have now re-become choking hazards. And sadly, it's not just a precaution. Sunday she choked so badly Daddy actually had to perform abdominal thrusts to clear her airway. Four whole grapes catapaulted through the air. She is playing in the toilets, whining incessantly, sucking on a pacifier, hitting, shoving, banging, throwing food on the floor, and any and every other frustrating one-year-old habit that she sees Eli perform. I have to admit, I'm at a loss. I'm tired, I'm annoyed, and I just don't really know what to do.... Help!

Be Mine

Clever Daddy gave Chloe the neatest Valentine. It said:

D

(heart)

C

And she was able to "read" it. "D Daddy heart C Co-ey"

Sweet.

Hey Jealousy, You're Still There..

Eli: plays with Mommy's hair. Tugs at it gently and giggles.
Chloe: sees this, runs across room, grabs Mommy's hair, giggles.
Mommy: "Hair. Eli, can you say hair?"
Eli: smiles, touches hair, babbles a bit
Chloe: pushes closer "Chloe say hair, too."
Mommy: Sighs. "Chloe, can you say hair?"
Chloe: "Aaa-Daaaa-Baaa"

Hey Jealousy

Standing in the kitchen with Eli, Chloe is in the living room playing
Mommy: "Hey Eli, give me five!"
Sounds of toys dropping to floor and little feet running
Chloe screeches into the kitchen. Hand is held up and open in high-five position
Chloe: "Chloe give six!"

Sunday Driver

Some kind soul gave my mom a gently used mini power wheels knowing she had two little grands that would love to have fun with it. It really is pretty cute. Chloe has gotten good at going straight, but has no concept of turning. Yesterday she was driving it around the house after church, ran smack into the front door and announced "We're Ho-ome!"

Happy Birthday to Who?

It's funny how only 3 little months ago when Chloe was having her birthday party, she didn't get what the fuss was about. She couldn't have cared any less about her presents or the decorations or any of it. Wowie have things changed. All week leading up to the big day, I would sing Happy Birthday to Eli, mostly to teach Chloe the song. Wails would ensue nearly every time: "Nooooooooo, Sing Coey Birthday!" So I did. "Eli is one! Yay!" was always closely followed by "Coey is two! Yay!" When I would say something about Eli's birthday party, she would politely correct me. "Mommy, it's Coey's Birfday Party." Then when the day finally arrived, she still insisted that it was all for her, the presents were for her, the decorations were for her, the cake was for her. In the end it worked out fine. The girls ended up opening all of the presents and playing with all of the new stuff. It was good though, cause at least for now, Eli just doesn't get it

"It's Baby Coey's Birfday Party"

Cookies Are a Girl's Best Friend

Chloe: More cookies please, Mommy.
Me: Chloe you already had your cookies. Why don't you go get a toy and Mommy will play with you.
Chloe: I wanna play with cookies.

Lions, Tigers, and Midmorning Snacks

Chloe loves eating teddy grahams. She was eating some today, and absolutely cracked me up. I looked over at her as she picked one up, looked the little guy straight in the eyes, and said, "Hi Bear!" Then put it in her mouth, chewed, swallowed, and announced with a smile, "ByeBye Bear!"

Little Jack Frost Get Lost

This morning we were headed out to Target to get some essentials. The sun was out, the sky was bright, the air was brisk. It was really a beautiful day. As Chloe walks toward the car she looks around and yells "Bye Snow! Bye Snow! Byyyye Snooooow!" (Let me remind you all we have only had about a half inch of snow this entire winter... and that was two weeks ago!...Kid brains are such mysteries.)

I'm No Big Kid Now

Me: Let's put on big girl panties today so you can peepee in the potty!"
Chlo: Peepee Potty!
Me: Yeah! Do you wanna be a big girl?
Chlo: Big Girl Ella! Big Girl Sarah! Big Girl Lissa!
Me: That's right! Where do big girls peepee?
Chlo: Big girls peepee potty.
Me: That's right! Are you a big girl???
Chlo: Noooo, Big Girl Ella, Big Girl Lissa, Baby Chloe.
Me: Oh. Don't you want to be a big girl?
Chlo: Noooo. Chloe baby!

27 months

Chloe is once again really into her ABCs and finding Blue's Clues. She chatters endlessly here at home, with me only understanding 25% of it, and clams up as tight as a.. well,.. clam when we are in public. She is trying to become more and more independent, wanting to do every single thing on her own. This can be incredibly frustrating as it took her nearly an hour to get her own shirt on this morning. She is also asserting her independence by refusing the potty, knowing that it's what I want her to do. She has taken to the word "no" and is mastering the art of the temper tantrum, lying down kicking and screaming in Chick-Fil-A, Taco Bell, the parking lot, and at home within the past week. Absolutely mortifying. My sweet little girl has become slightly demon-possessed in the past month. Here's to turning from the darkside and embracing the light in month 28.

I'd Like to Buy a "P" Please

She's amazing. Absolutely amazing. I would pay money to have the bladder control of my daughter. We started the day with Chloe in big girl panties and me in high hopes. But as the day wore on, my dreams were dashed as she continued to refuse the potty. I even tried to trade her my cookie for her peepee. No go. Literally. She remained completely dry from 730-230 when I finally caved and put a diaper on for naptime. That girl has an iron will.... and a really big bladder.

Becoming a Kid

Chloe put her shoes on all by herself this morning :)

What?

Chloe is confused about the definition of the word "what."

Chloe: It hurts
Me: What hurts?
Chloe: What hurts.
Me: Show mommy what hurts...
-or-
Chloe: Its broke.
Me: What's broke?
Chloe: Whats Broke.
Me: Show mommy what's broken..

Somehow Chloe took away that "it" and "what" mean the same thing. So now when something's broken, she points and says "Look, what's broke!"

Preschool Praises

Our Wednesday morning Bible Study at CBC has started back up. Chloe got to move up to the two-year-old class, and is right at home. It is so neat to see her in her element. The class before was a nursery where the kids got to run around and play the whole time, fun, but not Chlo's thing. Now she is actually in a preschool classroom with other Colonial preschoolers. She gets to do crafts and lessons and stories, and she just loves it. The teachers have high praise for her attention span and her obedience week after week. She is such a teacher's pet in the making.

First Snow

It was so exciting to wake up Thursday morning to a yard covered with shiny, white snow. At 5 when I was throwing up yet again, the meteorologists assured me once more that we would only be getting some nice sleet and freezing rain, so when I looked out an hour later to see a glimmery grass, I couldn't believe it! I could barely wait to get Chloe out of bed and dressed so she could go out and meet Mr. Snow before he went away. As soon as she saw it out the back door, she could barely hold in her excitement. "Snow on slide! Snow on car! Snow on my trike! Sno-ow! Sno-ow! Sno-ow!" This was the day we had been waiting for, I mean, this was the stuff only seen in books! This was Chloe's very first snow, ever. She ate her waffles in record time, and I suited her up the best I could. She went outside with Daddy while Eli and I watched at the door. She got outside, looked around, and Surprise!... she was terrified of it. Refused to touch it, refused to play in it, refused to do anything more than look around repeating its name over and over again. After a few minutes of Daddy's prodding, he gave up and they came back inside. As soon as the door closed, Chloe turned, pressed her face to the glass and said, "Bye-bye Snow, See ya later!" Sigh. Maybe next time.

Sweet Spirit

The recent lack of posts has been a direct result of a yucky stomach virus that hit our family hard this week. The kids and Patrick got it first, and I haughtily thought I had escaped, when it knocked me flat. I was lying in bed (all day) yesterday when Chloe wanted to come in and visit. We told her that Mommy's tummy hurt so she had to sit very still on the bed. Her normal routine includes bouncing on the bed and landing on top of me, so I was a little nervous to have her up there. She climbed up and sat down beside me. She talked and laughed for a while, then she leaned over, pulled my "beenky" up to my chin, kissed my lips, and said "Be careful, mommy's tummy hurts." What a sweet, sweet spirit.