It's Christmas eve and we have two very differing opinions on the subject.
Sophie is having the traditional Christmas conniption fit. She's excited. She's having meltdowns. She's writing a Christmas list. She's 210% committed to the spirit.
Ava, on the other hand, is channeling the Grinch. We don't know why, but Ava DOES NOT LIKE SANTA!!!
Here's a quick summation of her recent thoughts on the subject:
On leaving a snack for Santa...
"Santa not hungry!" A few minutes later she tried to eat Santa's cookies.
On stockings...
She said nothing, just pulled them all down...twice.
On going to bed so Santa can come...
"I NOT tired! Santa tired!!!!"
And finally...
"Santa hit me!"
Ho ho ho...Merry Christmas!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
The Poop Trampoline
We have made amazing progress on the poop front. Sophie is still a holder, still has to have Miralax every day, and still has "scrats" (her coined term for a skid) in her undies pretty regularly, but we are otherwise done with the insanity. She poops (and pees) on the potty. She almost never has real accidents. I feel like a new woman.
She even tells us when she has to go when we're not at home. Today we were at the beach cafe and she peed before we headed back to the sand. Then, about 4 minutes later, she told me she had to go again...
Sophie: I gotta go!
Me: Okay. Do you have to go poo poo?
Sophie: I do. It keeps going back up and then coming back down.
Me: And now it's time to head to the potty because it needs to come out.
Sophie: Well not right now. When I get to the potty.
Me: Right.
Sophie: But I wonder why it keeps going up and down. Maybe it's just jumping on a trampoline.
Yes. A little, fecal trampoline.
She even tells us when she has to go when we're not at home. Today we were at the beach cafe and she peed before we headed back to the sand. Then, about 4 minutes later, she told me she had to go again...
Sophie: I gotta go!
Me: Okay. Do you have to go poo poo?
Sophie: I do. It keeps going back up and then coming back down.
Me: And now it's time to head to the potty because it needs to come out.
Sophie: Well not right now. When I get to the potty.
Me: Right.
Sophie: But I wonder why it keeps going up and down. Maybe it's just jumping on a trampoline.
Yes. A little, fecal trampoline.
The Dark Master
We are in Hawaii for two weeks and let me say that it is completely awesome. It's warm and sunny and the kids are exhausted at the end of every day. I never want to go home.
The day before yesterday we were on the beach and Sophie made a friend. They played for a long time, and toward the end, KC and Ava joined in...
KC: (running after them with Ava in tow) I'm going to get you!
Friend: (running) The monster is coming!
Sophie: (running and doing some air fencing with her makeshift sword) Yeah! And The Dark Master is with him!!
Ava is "The Dark Master."
KC and I think the name is sort of fitting. Last night she got a time out after walking up to Sophie and smacking her, open palmed, on the forehead. (Let the record stand that Sophie was laying on the couch, watching TV and minding her own business.) Who knows why she did it. And she wasn't even particularly upset about being carted off to her bedroom. She just stood there and waited for KC to pick her up like, Yeah...I smacked the bitch...no pain, no gain.
The Dark Master. She is tiny and fearsome.
The day before yesterday we were on the beach and Sophie made a friend. They played for a long time, and toward the end, KC and Ava joined in...
KC: (running after them with Ava in tow) I'm going to get you!
Friend: (running) The monster is coming!
Sophie: (running and doing some air fencing with her makeshift sword) Yeah! And The Dark Master is with him!!
Ava is "The Dark Master."
KC and I think the name is sort of fitting. Last night she got a time out after walking up to Sophie and smacking her, open palmed, on the forehead. (Let the record stand that Sophie was laying on the couch, watching TV and minding her own business.) Who knows why she did it. And she wasn't even particularly upset about being carted off to her bedroom. She just stood there and waited for KC to pick her up like, Yeah...I smacked the bitch...no pain, no gain.
The Dark Master. She is tiny and fearsome.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Christmas Concert and Boogers: Parts II & III
The Christmas Concert
Tonight was Sophie's holiday concert at school. The kindergarteners and first graders sang a series of holiday songs. It was at 7pm in the school cafeteria and the kids were supposed to wear "semi formal attire". It was a big deal.
Sophie was in the second row, just in front of the kids standing on the risers. She was wearing a brand new, very stylish, semi formal outfit and she was psyched.
There were about 7 songs in all, and the first three or so went great. She sang her heart out complete with all of her most earnest "actress" expressions. Then, I looked away for one second, and when I looked back she was crying. She made a valiant effort to get a grip and even sang through her tears, but it just wasn't happening for her. It was like American Idol when someone gets voted off and they're forced to sing "one more time for us". Painful.
I made my way around the back of the crowd and her teacher (who I love) fished her out from the group and handed her over to me...
Me: What's wrong, honey?
Sophie: Noah touched my nose and I did NOT like it!
(Fuckin' Noah. I never actually got to the bottom of what happened, but in fairness to Noah, no one saw any untoward nose touching.)
Me: Well, do you think you can go back up there? You were so great.
Sophie: Yeah, I know.
There's a long pause, then she heaves a great sigh and wipes her eyes on her new, pink, sequined sweater. We take a few deep breaths together and she heads back on stage to finish the concert.
DO NOT TOUCH MADONNA'S NOSE WHILE SHE'S SINGING DON'T EAT A POINSETTIA!
Boogers: Parts II & III
In other news, Ava is still a booger eater...
Part II
(I'm holding Ava and she starts to pick her nose.)
Me: Do you need a tissue?
(She fishes out a booger and looks at it.)
Me: Don't eat that!
(She eats it. Then she smiles at me like satan.)
Ava: Yummy in my tummy!
Part III
(KC is holding Ava and she starts to pick her nose.)
KC: Don't eat that booger.
(Ava holds the booger finger up to him.)
Ava: You want it?
Tonight was Sophie's holiday concert at school. The kindergarteners and first graders sang a series of holiday songs. It was at 7pm in the school cafeteria and the kids were supposed to wear "semi formal attire". It was a big deal.
Sophie was in the second row, just in front of the kids standing on the risers. She was wearing a brand new, very stylish, semi formal outfit and she was psyched.
There were about 7 songs in all, and the first three or so went great. She sang her heart out complete with all of her most earnest "actress" expressions. Then, I looked away for one second, and when I looked back she was crying. She made a valiant effort to get a grip and even sang through her tears, but it just wasn't happening for her. It was like American Idol when someone gets voted off and they're forced to sing "one more time for us". Painful.
I made my way around the back of the crowd and her teacher (who I love) fished her out from the group and handed her over to me...
Me: What's wrong, honey?
Sophie: Noah touched my nose and I did NOT like it!
(Fuckin' Noah. I never actually got to the bottom of what happened, but in fairness to Noah, no one saw any untoward nose touching.)
Me: Well, do you think you can go back up there? You were so great.
Sophie: Yeah, I know.
There's a long pause, then she heaves a great sigh and wipes her eyes on her new, pink, sequined sweater. We take a few deep breaths together and she heads back on stage to finish the concert.
DO NOT TOUCH MADONNA'S NOSE WHILE SHE'S SINGING DON'T EAT A POINSETTIA!
Boogers: Parts II & III
In other news, Ava is still a booger eater...
Part II
(I'm holding Ava and she starts to pick her nose.)
Me: Do you need a tissue?
(She fishes out a booger and looks at it.)
Me: Don't eat that!
(She eats it. Then she smiles at me like satan.)
Ava: Yummy in my tummy!
Part III
(KC is holding Ava and she starts to pick her nose.)
KC: Don't eat that booger.
(Ava holds the booger finger up to him.)
Ava: You want it?
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Goals, Snow and Comments from an Angry 2 Year Old
Lots of catching up to do. I'll start with...
Goals
Sophie's school has something called "student-led conferences". According to the paper they sent home, it's a time when "parent, student and teacher are able to work together for your child's education!" When I saw it the first time, I thought it was interesting, but I assumed it was for the older kids. I was wrong--even the kindergarteners are supposed to "lead" their parent teacher conferences. Anyone who has a five year old in their life knows how that will turn out...
Sophie: I'm really excited about my student led conference!
Me: I'm glad. I'm excited too.
Sophie: Except I don't really understand it.
Me: Well, when we get there, we can explain it so you'll understand what we're supposed to do.
Sophie: Well, I understand the goal...and, Mom, it's not like a soccer goal.
That's right. And hopefully they won't have those really loud horns either.
Snow
In the end, it snowed here--enough to shut everything down for a couple of days--and the student led conferences were postponed. But the kids in the neighborhood had an awesome time playing in the snow. Sophie, Ava and Lucy geared up at the first flakes...
After about three days, Sophie had had enough. We were in the car driving to pick up a pizza after ballet class. She was disgruntled about having to put on clothes over her leotard...
Sophie: Mom, some day I think we should move.
Me: Okay. Where would you like to move to?
Sophie: Hawaii.
Me: Well, we probably wouldn't move to Hawaii. I love it there too, but it's really far away and it's hard for moms and dads to find jobs there.
Sophie: Well, I really don't like having to put mittens on.
Me: We could move to southern California. It's warm and sunny there too, and then we'd be closer to our family.
(Sophie considers this for a few moments.)
Sophie: Nah. It's not as good.
Comments from an Angry 2 Year Old
Ava is a more terrible two than Sophie was. She's hot headed and she's very, very loud. These are some of her favorite protests:
Maaa Muh! (this is said as two words, usually in total exasperation)
Mama, why you do dat?!?!?!
YOU...Mama! (like, "No, you go to bed, Mom." this is sometimes said in jest)
and, of course...
NO!!!!!!
She's also cultivated a very loud roar that we're used to, but that alarms other parents.Two nights ago we were having cocktails with a group of neighbors and the kids were all downstairs playing when Ava roared. Conversation stopped and the is-everything-okay-or-did-someone-accidentally-amputate-their-own-arm moment started when KC said, "Oh, that's just Ava. She's being scary." (Let it be known that Ava is the youngest child in the group with Sophie as the next youngest.)
I also recently had a friend and her two kids over, girl is Sophie's age and boy is 3. Ava was roaring at him and I overheard my friend saying to her son, "You need to use your words to let her know that she's scaring you."
I, too, am afraid.
Goals
Sophie's school has something called "student-led conferences". According to the paper they sent home, it's a time when "parent, student and teacher are able to work together for your child's education!" When I saw it the first time, I thought it was interesting, but I assumed it was for the older kids. I was wrong--even the kindergarteners are supposed to "lead" their parent teacher conferences. Anyone who has a five year old in their life knows how that will turn out...
Sophie: I'm really excited about my student led conference!
Me: I'm glad. I'm excited too.
Sophie: Except I don't really understand it.
Me: Well, when we get there, we can explain it so you'll understand what we're supposed to do.
Sophie: Well, I understand the goal...and, Mom, it's not like a soccer goal.
That's right. And hopefully they won't have those really loud horns either.
Snow
In the end, it snowed here--enough to shut everything down for a couple of days--and the student led conferences were postponed. But the kids in the neighborhood had an awesome time playing in the snow. Sophie, Ava and Lucy geared up at the first flakes...
 | ||||
| I love the purple marshmallow |
 |
| Day 2: midget snowman |
After about three days, Sophie had had enough. We were in the car driving to pick up a pizza after ballet class. She was disgruntled about having to put on clothes over her leotard...
Sophie: Mom, some day I think we should move.
Me: Okay. Where would you like to move to?
Sophie: Hawaii.
Me: Well, we probably wouldn't move to Hawaii. I love it there too, but it's really far away and it's hard for moms and dads to find jobs there.
Sophie: Well, I really don't like having to put mittens on.
Me: We could move to southern California. It's warm and sunny there too, and then we'd be closer to our family.
(Sophie considers this for a few moments.)
Sophie: Nah. It's not as good.
Comments from an Angry 2 Year Old
Ava is a more terrible two than Sophie was. She's hot headed and she's very, very loud. These are some of her favorite protests:
Maaa Muh! (this is said as two words, usually in total exasperation)
Mama, why you do dat?!?!?!
YOU...Mama! (like, "No, you go to bed, Mom." this is sometimes said in jest)
and, of course...
NO!!!!!!
She's also cultivated a very loud roar that we're used to, but that alarms other parents.Two nights ago we were having cocktails with a group of neighbors and the kids were all downstairs playing when Ava roared. Conversation stopped and the is-everything-okay-or-did-someone-accidentally-amputate-their-own-arm moment started when KC said, "Oh, that's just Ava. She's being scary." (Let it be known that Ava is the youngest child in the group with Sophie as the next youngest.)
I also recently had a friend and her two kids over, girl is Sophie's age and boy is 3. Ava was roaring at him and I overheard my friend saying to her son, "You need to use your words to let her know that she's scaring you."
I, too, am afraid.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Angry Birds and Boogers
Angry Birds
We've discovered Angry Birds at our house. If you have an iphone and you don't yet have it...I can only say that I was up until 2am last night playing. It's goooooooood. And it's also fun for the whole family...
Sophie: I'm going to make a new version of Angry Birds.
KC: Oh yeah? What is it?
Sophie: Well instead of the birds and pigs, it's going to be me and Lucy [who lives across the street]. It's going to be Jewish against Catholic!
I actually think Sophie's concept would outsell the original. Rovio, you are about to be usurped.
Boogers
Ava is a savage. She does every gross thing that Sophie never did (note that we've had 2 more poop smearing incidents since the one I wrote about a couple of weeks ago). Among those gross things is booger eating. I am constantly telling Ava not to eat her boogers. Most of the time she looks at me and says, "Yum!" but yesterday we made some progress...
(Ava is sitting on my lap, facing me, while I play Angry Birds. She picks her nose and eats it.)
Me: Don't eat your boogers. Yucky! Do you need a tissue?
Ava: No mama. (She digs in for round 2, holds it out to me and then wipes it on her shirt.) There! All better.
We've discovered Angry Birds at our house. If you have an iphone and you don't yet have it...I can only say that I was up until 2am last night playing. It's goooooooood. And it's also fun for the whole family...
Sophie: I'm going to make a new version of Angry Birds.
KC: Oh yeah? What is it?
Sophie: Well instead of the birds and pigs, it's going to be me and Lucy [who lives across the street]. It's going to be Jewish against Catholic!
I actually think Sophie's concept would outsell the original. Rovio, you are about to be usurped.
Boogers
Ava is a savage. She does every gross thing that Sophie never did (note that we've had 2 more poop smearing incidents since the one I wrote about a couple of weeks ago). Among those gross things is booger eating. I am constantly telling Ava not to eat her boogers. Most of the time she looks at me and says, "Yum!" but yesterday we made some progress...
(Ava is sitting on my lap, facing me, while I play Angry Birds. She picks her nose and eats it.)
Me: Don't eat your boogers. Yucky! Do you need a tissue?
Ava: No mama. (She digs in for round 2, holds it out to me and then wipes it on her shirt.) There! All better.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Fear and Candy
It's been a very Halloweenie time here at the Bonnem/Friedman household. These are the highlights:
La Mariposa
On Thursday, I pulled up to Ava's school only to discover that she was the only one NOT in costume (I am a model parent). I promptly drove to the Bartell's down the street and bought some wings and a wand/crown combo—50% off...bad parenting has its perks. She loved her wings so much, we had to pry them off of her body so she could go to sleep that night.
Noodle Grave
On Friday I made carbonara for dinner but with insect-shaped kid noodles instead of spaghetti. Ava ate none of it. Sophie at about half and then asked if she'd eaten enough to qualify for dessert.
Me: You need to eat a little bit more.
Sophie: I ate half!
Me: Well if you're hungry for dessert, you must be hungry enough to eat more dinner.
Sophie stuffs a series of bites down her gullet.
Sophie: (Showing us her bowl. She's eaten a trough down the center of her pasta.) There. I made a little grave in my noodles.
So creative!
Fear and Candy
We started the night of Halloween at a neighbor's house up the road and trick or treated our way down the hill back to our house. About half way there we got to one of those houses that was completely decked out—crazy Halloween people. As we were walking up the driveway, a life-sized, plastic skeleton popped up from the ground and made a creepy sound. Sophie screamed bloody murder.
Me: Don't worry. It's just pretend.
Sophie is frozen in place. I pick up Ava who is getting ready to cry.
Me: Some people like to make their houses all spooky, but they still give you candy.
Sophie and Ava consider this, then...
Sophie: I'm not scared!
Ava: (clinging to me like a cartoon jelly fish) I nah scare!
We go get the candy.
La Mariposa
On Thursday, I pulled up to Ava's school only to discover that she was the only one NOT in costume (I am a model parent). I promptly drove to the Bartell's down the street and bought some wings and a wand/crown combo—50% off...bad parenting has its perks. She loved her wings so much, we had to pry them off of her body so she could go to sleep that night.
 |
| The cutest princess butterfly ever |
Noodle Grave
On Friday I made carbonara for dinner but with insect-shaped kid noodles instead of spaghetti. Ava ate none of it. Sophie at about half and then asked if she'd eaten enough to qualify for dessert.
Me: You need to eat a little bit more.
Sophie: I ate half!
Me: Well if you're hungry for dessert, you must be hungry enough to eat more dinner.
Sophie stuffs a series of bites down her gullet.
Sophie: (Showing us her bowl. She's eaten a trough down the center of her pasta.) There. I made a little grave in my noodles.
So creative!
Fear and Candy
We started the night of Halloween at a neighbor's house up the road and trick or treated our way down the hill back to our house. About half way there we got to one of those houses that was completely decked out—crazy Halloween people. As we were walking up the driveway, a life-sized, plastic skeleton popped up from the ground and made a creepy sound. Sophie screamed bloody murder.
Me: Don't worry. It's just pretend.
Sophie is frozen in place. I pick up Ava who is getting ready to cry.
Me: Some people like to make their houses all spooky, but they still give you candy.
Sophie and Ava consider this, then...
Sophie: I'm not scared!
Ava: (clinging to me like a cartoon jelly fish) I nah scare!
We go get the candy.
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