Some Stories about Abby

I'd like to bottle up all the cute things that my kids do and say. (I'd also like to say that I have written it all down and remember all the good stories, but that would probably be a lie. Do you think that in the next life we'll be able to relive our children's childhoods? That would make me feel better about not getting it all into the journal.) Here is a simple sampling...

Too much TV
This morning when I called for Abby to come downstairs to go on our walk, she called back that she was busy writing her "letters". She promptly told me that the letters said, "W-I-B East Lansing". I was very perplexed as to what that meant and where East Lansing came from. It occurred to me that she was more or less copying the commercials on the local PBS station (it isn't W-I-B) that says their call letters and then East Lansing. I found it a unique thing to pick up on.

An interesting obsession
Obsession might be a strong word. Abby likes pits - peach pits, cherry pits, nectarine pits and now, avocado pits. Whenever we are cutting said fruit for her she asks to see the pits. She always wants to be the one to throw them away. If she is eating the fruit and it still has the pit in it she makes sure to both show it to us and to tell us that she won't eat it because she might choke on it.

What makes mom sad
Today Abby came upstairs from the basement with her hands and arms black and some black marks on her clothes (brand new hand-me-downs, I might add). We asked her how she got black and she said something about paint. I asked her to take me downstairs to show me. She readily agreed, but on the way down she turned to me on the stairs, points her finger firmly at me and said, "Don't be sad, mom. Don't be sad. You not be sad." I found it kind of cute. I think that when she is in trouble, I use the phrase, "That makes me sad" a lot. She was determined to convince me in advance not to be sad. Hearing her use these tactics made me realize that our 2-year-old is growing up too fast.

When mom really was sad
Tonight I had a minor meltdown (they aren't just reserved for 2-year-olds) about toys - the typical "How many times do I have to pick up this toy and put it away?" Abby likes to pack her purses full of random toys and when the purses are full she moves on to gift bags. Bags of toys are in every corner of my house! I really don't want to stifle creative play and after Mike and I discussed this (and I melted down) I held up a basket and said, "Abby, this basket has Briton's toys in it. You must leave these toys here so that we have toys to give to him." She said, "OK, mom, but this one is mine and, uh, these are too. And, mom, I am going to put this toy over here. OK? It is just fine for me to have this toy, also." I incredulously watched her empty that basket down to 2 or 3 toys. Somewhere during it all I couldn't stifle the laughs and both Mike and I laughed hysterically while she continued to take all the toys out of Briton's basket because she was sure that it was "just fine" for her to take "this one too". It was a lot funnier than I was able to write it, but trust me...

Vocabulary
I don't think there are many things cuter than little kids using big words and grown up phrases. Today I said something (don't remember what) and she replied, "That's absolutely right, mom." Nothing fancy, but it sure came out cute.

Bunny bedtime
Abby can have a difficult time falling asleep. She has gotten much better, but every once in a while she'll lay awake for quite some time after we put her down. She is good to stay in her room and knows the expectations. She'll fall asleep reading stories oftentimes. Naps are usually easier for her. The other day I heard her in her room waking up from her nap. I went in and she had laid her stuffed bunnies on her pillow and covered them up with her blanket. She then told me, "Mom, the bunnies are having a rough time. They are having a rough time closing their eyes." I found it interesting that she was transferring her own bedtime "issue" to her toys.

And now, a sad story about Briton
Yesterday Briton had a rough day. He woke up with a runny nose. During breakfast he played with a spoon and somehow scratched the roof of his mouth. It bled. Due to those things, he wouldn't eat all day and was very hungry and rather grouchy. In the evening he (gasp!) fell off my bed. Oh, it was sad! Briton was terribly unhappy and I was rather traumatized. It was a tiring day. Today wasn't perfect, but better.

Now for some pictures:

This is Abby's way of dealing with me vacuuming her room. She's not a huge fan of the vacuum, but instead of leaving the room, here is her solution.
These are a few cute pictures from our trip to the park this morning.