Friday, December 19, 2008

Important Bulletin: 3 Year Olds are Extremely Literal

Some days, it feels like I will be a successful parent if I give my children the tools to become financially prosperous enough to afford the therapy they will ultimately require...

L. had been twirling 'round and around and 'round the living room to the point of becoming staggeringly dizzy. This is a source of great fun for both my older girls. I watched from the nearby rocking chair nursing Amelia and called out, 'L. did you know if you spin and spin and spin until you're very dizzy, you can lay down on the floor and the ceiling will spin?'

S. heard and immediately spun herself dizzy, lay down and watched the ceiling 'spin' around. She giggled the whole time.

L. was too impatient to spin enough to become properly dizzy, but she tried multiple times to catch the spinning ceiling.

Mr. W. called the girls in for their bath, and after L. was clean and in her pajamas, she came back to the living room and tried again. This time, she spun and spun and spun to the point of staggering around. When she lay down, though, the giggles disappeared. She looked panicked and began trying to crawl out of the living room but was still too dizzy to make much progress.

Poor baby thought the ceiling really was twirling and falling down on her. For most of the rest of the evening, she refused to walk through the center of the living room and eyed the ceiling with deep suspicion.

Mr. W. was in the girls' room with S. prodding her into pajamas, and L. took off after them. I called out, 'Don't let her spin in her room!!!!'

Mr. W. came back to the living room to ask why, and I told him what had happened just a few minutes prior. He didn't quite get it until I told him I did NOT want L. afraid to sleep in her own room for fear the ceiling was going to fall in on her.

(What sorts of careers do provide for either the mental health benefits or the high pay that many, many years' therapy will require?)

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

We have too much Wii

S. is trying desperately to turn into a video game junkie, but her mean old mommy just won't let her.

Last Christmas, Santa brought us a Wii system, and we've thoroughly enjoyed it. I love that L and S can both play together and that the games require a certain amount of moving around.

The current big hit with the girls is Mario Party 8. You have the full spectrum of Mario Brothers characters who can all play various mini-games and board games. The girls have been playing board games against each other and two computer generated opponents. Each round of play starts with each player punching a die and traveling the number of spaces the die shows. Candy is available which gives a special power to the player. At the end of each round, there is a mini-game all four players play. Winner gets extra coins.

I let S and L play for about 30 minutes last night and then turned it off. Boy did S. fuss! Wouldn't you know that after supper, they pretended to be in the game. They picked characters' names, jumped up to hit the 'dice' and ran laps around the living room counting the number that turned up on their 'dice.'

L. insisted she was eating her 'bat' candy, so her running around involved a lot of wing flapping.

Maybe it's time for me to 'lose' Mario Party for a few days?

Monday, December 15, 2008

Early (morning) birthday present

I recently had a birthday, and it was lovely. I spent the entire weekend with my girls (except for a couple hours Sunday morning when S. decided she'd rather scream and cry than go to church).

Friday evening, we had a fabulous birthday-eve evening. We pulled out the hide-a-bed in the living room, popped popcorn, and watched movies until we passed out. A. woke around midnight, so I got up from the hide-a-bed and fed her. By the time I had her soothed and asleep, Mr. W. had snitched my place. Being good-natured (and thinking I'd be more comfy in my own bed), I left him there. Around four, A. woke again, and Mr. W. came in to see how things were going, and to wish me happy birthday.

I told him he'd stolen my spot next to L. He offered it back (oh, how sweet), but I told him he should probably keep it since A. will probably be up again by 6.

Alas, my prediction was 100% wrong.

I woke at 6, not from the sounds of A. fussing to be held or fed, but from a ruckus in the living room. The scene in the living room was:

Mr. W. was running around grabbing blankets and pillows and grumping, 'I need a shower. I need a shower!'

S. was still sacked out on the bed.

L. was pirouetting around the room singing, 'I wet the bed! I wet the bed!'

And I, I laughed until tears poured down my face. Once we had everybody cleaned up and the mattress marinating in a vinegar spray, I gave Mr. W. a kiss and told him 'Thanks for the early birthday present.'

I had thought about waking L. around 4 to take her to the potty. She did drink two cups of juice with all that popcorn. Mental note for next living room campout!