a daily obsession

Jack is talking more and more everyday. Kaylee was quite the talker, right from the start, spouting a rather advanced vocabulary. Jack, on the other hand, is much more physical–why use words to ask for something when you can move a chair, climb up and get what you want? Pshhh

His vocabulary is increasing all the time, but these are a few little words I will miss hearing:

wah: a kiss  As in, Mommy wah (I want a mommy kiss).

Kiki: Kaylee

baat: salt, sugar, ketchup, shaker cheese….any type of topping he feels his food needs

bo-bot: robot His current favorite shoes are his R2D2 sneakers. He didn’t want to wear them until we started calling them his robot shoes. SO much cooler.

nummies: food

NUMMY nummies: YUMMY food

la-la: crayon, pen, pencil–anything you use for writing or coloring

boon: balloon

oooogurt: yogurt

tuck: truck

baan: button As in, Me baan! (he wants to push the button to close the door on the van.)

vooom: car

hunny: bunny

echo: Esko Usually you hear Jack shouting ECHO! Cooookie!

boo-boo: medicine As in, Mommy, me boo-boo (I need medicine)

oi-pop: lolly pop He even sings along with The Chordettes.

He is a total little stinker and gets into so much trouble/mischief. But he’s got that little impish smile and gives great hugs (squeezes).

Yesterday we must have gotten a Toys R Us circular in the mail. I didn’t notice it, but Kaylee did. She took it upon herself to open it–it was stuck with tape really good Mommy, but don’t worry, I pulled and pulled and got it open (whew!).

She perused the toy offerings at the kitchen table while I was busy tidying up the kitchen. On turning the page she squealed, “Mommy!! I want one of these!!” and then after a pause added, “What are they?”

I quickly glanced at the page she was pointing to and informed her they were skateboards. My mommy brain immediately started to try to figure out how much padding I could realistically put her in if she wanted to skateboard. Think Michelin man plus a helmet.

Maybe if I can incorporate pink, some glitter, and a Hello Kitty motif she will go for it….Out loud I told her they were for bigger kids. (This excuse only works for so long. Occasionally she will ask me to pinpoint an age and then she will periodically remind me that at 16 you can drive etc etc….apparently at 4 you can eat gumballs, who knew?)

This ‘you aren’t old enough yet’ ploy seemed to work for Kaylee and she continued to turn pages. When she came to the picture of the scooters she very indignantly informed me that she wanted a real skateboard, not one of those, pointing to the offending scooters.

I told her they were totally different and called scooters. But, actually, she does have a point. Scooters are like a skateboard with training wheels in a way….you get that handle and it is way easier to balance…you can’t do tricks on the half-pipe….hmm…maybe I can convince her scooters are cooler than skateboards?

I don’t know what she has done with the Toys R Us circular now. Probably ferreted it away in some secret spot so she can plot her plan to get a skateboard–a real one. And I should probably start planning that pink glittery Michelin man outfit, and one for Jack while I am at it, because he is fearless and will want to do whatever Kaylee is doing.

You know the story Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola? 

The one with the magic pasta pot…she sings a little chant and the pasta pot cooks her a delicious portion of pasta. However, poor Big Anthony decides to give the pasta pot a whirl one day while Strega Nona is out. The pot is quickly out of control. Pasta floods the house and then the village. (Thankfully, Strega Nona returns and stops the pot from cooking by blowing it 3 kisses and Big Anthony is forced to eat a massive amount of pasta.)

Well, we have the equally magical, slightly more sinister, cousin of the magic pasta pot….the magic hamper.

Everyday the laundry hamper fills up. Everyday I do (at least) one load of laundry. And so it goes, day in and day out. But, if I should happen to miss one day of laundry, the hamper begins to overflow. I try to squish it in and shut the lid.

Two days and I feel like Big Anthony when he is pushed out of the house by the pasta and I am slightly concerned that it will start coming down the stairs on its own.

Unfortunately, Strega Nona’s magic does not work on our hamper. I have tried blowing the offending hamper and its laundry three kisses, but nothing happens. I have also tried making a few other (ahem) gestures at the hamper, but, again, nothing.

I think the situation may be hopeless. As I sit typing this I noticed that Kaylee has started a new laundry pile by the basement door. That must mean the hamper upstairs is full and waiting for me.