Language

Monkey's dad is traveling this week for work. Two weeks ago it was bonding time for Monkey and her daddy, not it is bonding time for us. A little yin, a little yang.

Monkey is becoming more verbal. She repeats words, and phrases. Recently we've heard her say (something approximating) "barnyard dance" which is the title of one of her favorite books. Mine too - it makes me laugh. And this morning she kept repeating the word "eye" in response to me pointing out the eye (singular) on her Ugly Doll.

She also understands things now. When I say "let's go play with your blocks" she'll run into the living room and tip over the box of Haba sticky bricks (awesome for toddlers!). So she is starting to "get" things.

But more importantly, she is starting to use words to communicate.

Which is how our week started. Dad flew to Geneva on Sunday night, so Monkey and I ate breakfast together (sans papa) on Monday morning. And what, you may ask, did our beloved insane toddler "say" that morning?

Dada. dada. dada. dada. dada. dada. dada. dadaadadadadadadadadadadada.........all with a little lilt to her voice, a questioning tone.

She wanted to know where daddy was. Awesome. Heart-achingly wonderful.

I have a sense that we are on a river of words, getting ready to go over a waterfall...we can't see it, but soon there is going to be a torrent of words streaming out her her little mouth. And once she starts talking, I don't think she'll stop.

Yeah, yeah. Apple doesn't fall far from the tree. But hey, she looks and sleeps and has beautiful brown eyes just like her dad, so she might as well talk like her mom!

Camouflage

Monkey's school has a no-shoes policy in their room. Shoes are piled into a bucket outside their room, to help keep the germs off the carpet & floors, which we all know get licked occasionally (daily? hourly?) by the toddlers....yummy.

Each day, when I pick Monkey up from school, we have a ritual. She sits on the wee bench (her size - so cute!) and we put on her shoes. Unfortunately, during the 48-odd seconds it takes me to lace up her sneakers, Monkey likes to rummage through the bucket. In fact, she will often spurn my attempts to get her shoes on, in order to go rummage through the bucket.

I have two problems with this:

1) She is touching the soles of the shoes....of toddlers who don't know better than to avoid doggy doo and other nasty substances on the sidewalks of New York.

2) She always ALWAYS grabs the same pair of shoes to play with.....and they are ugly. Not only are they the plastic monstrosities known as Crocs, they are a heinous color combination: the plastic is a babysh*tbrown, and the fabric is a tan camouflage. Ew.

Problem #1 can be solved by washing her hands. No problem.

Problem #2 requires more work. Either we need to start watching episodes of Sex & the City together (hello Manolo Blahniks!) OR, Monkey needs to go to Deer Camp on November 3rd so she can get this obsession with camoflague out of her system and switch to either bright red or blaze orange:

Grandpa Larson would be proud.

Picasso, interrupted

Monkey is exploring her artistic side at her montessori. They color, they paint, and her daily reports have noted that she enjoys using each and every color when painting. A budding Picasso!

However, yesterday's report made me laugh out loud. It spoke about how Monkey was painting, using each color, greatly enjoying herself....and how when she was done, she wadded up the paper and threw it away.

Perhaps our budding genius didn't think her artwork was up to snuff? It was a draft of a masterpiece? Or, maybe, she's just so used to watching me clean up and throw everything away that she assumes that's where all paper goes....

Regardless, I'm convinced she's brilliant. Brilliant! See, she is already starting to read!...... heh

Daddy's girl

Last week I went to Texas and spent way too much time inside a strange biosphere (hello, Pauly Shore??? yech) hotel/convention center. For the record, Grapevine, TX has little to recommend it. And the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center there is perfectly adequate....just so long as you don't want to get outside for sunlight or fresh air. After a few days I thought I might be getting rickets....

But I digress. The main point is that Monkey and her Dad were on their own. They sang together, read books, played with toys and chased each other all through the apartment. They relaxed the 5-second rule...and ate cheerios off of the floor.

In short, they bonded.

So this morning, as Dad was going out the door, Monkey and I stood there to say our goodbyes....and Monkey did the most amazing thing.

As I was holding her in my arms, Dad said bye-bye. Monkey leaned into him, reached our her arms, and hugged him with her little head leaning on his chest.

I about died with happiness, watching this scene. She's daddy's little girl.

snoozin' on the job

Attention dear readers:

WillpostlatertiredfromconferenceinTexas. Yeehaw.

MamaCarter