Interpretation Please?

I think toddler talk is so precious. They have this way of hearing the basic sound of a word and creating their own talk. My favorite one so far was by my oldest: He kept saying "cracked-elbows" and my husband and I could NOT figure out what on earth he meant. It was months before we knew. One day he handed us his plastic toy crocodile and said cracked-elbows. Crocodile! Ah, of course, it's so obvious!

Every toddler has their own little language. So even though I've had 5 kids, I still will have a hard time deciphering what someone else's 2 year old is trying to say. Mom's almost always know what their own toddler is saying. Dad's are pretty good at figuring it out. Siblings are the best. Here's a few of CamCam's words for things:

Nips: Scissors. You know, because when you cut with them they go nip, nip, nip.



Peas: Please


Na-yap: (said in a very long, drawn out way) This is CamCam's response when you ask him a question and he doesn't have a very strong view on it one way or the other. It's a no/yes combo. This is his response to me 99% of the time. He takes the time to be clear only when it's of great importance. EX: "CamCam, do you want to take a nap?" CamCam: No!



Fuk: Frog. I promise.



PITA: Pizza, his absolute favorite food.



Fun-deeee: Funny, said with a smile



Na-Nite: Sleep or Bed. As in "Ma, no na-nite"


Ma- A Cham me: Mom, you change me? AKA- I pooped.


A-Ju: Apple Juice


Guy: Car. There is nothing like coming down the stairs and seeing your toddler pointing at your entryway and saying guy, guy, guy to stop your heart cold. I ever so slowly went to investigate, and then CamCam continued past the entry and onto the basement playroom and pointed at the cars lined up on the pool table and said guys. He just needed me to turn on the light for him.

Dear Target

Dear Target,

I am writing to apologize for the mess I made in your store the other day. Well, technically I didn't make the mess. I am, however, responsible for the person who did make the mess and since he cannot write, I am writing in his behalf.

I decided a week ago that my new rule when going out in public is that anyone under the age of 4 will be restrained in either a stroller or cart. I had both of these items at my disposal that day, so I'm not sure why my CamCam was walking through your store with me. I do know I went in there to buy some much needed cleaning products. I wanted a Swiffer to clean my bathroom floors, and was surprised that there wasn't just one Swiffer to grab, but I needed to decided between options. I find it difficult to make decisions and think in public because I am distracted by my 3 little boys. This is probably the reason CamCam was walking, I'm sure I absentmindedly pulled him out of the cart.

However it happened, he did manage to grab a bottle of Murphy's Oil Soap and drop it.

It broke.

It was the large size.

I didn't realize this had happened until I started to smell something very strong. I went to the official Murphy's oil soap website, and they describe their product this way:

The original formula is a naturally gentle all-purpose cleaner with a scent that says "home".

I'm not sure what I was smelling, but I can tell you that it did NOT smell like home. I was hunting down the smell and that's when I noticed the puddle forming at the end of aisle 9.

I tracked down an employee and she was very kind. She informed a supervisor, and she also was very kind. She also mentioned the smell.

I am sorry for making your entire store stink. And I can only imagine how difficult it would be to clean up an entire bottle of floor cleaner. I imagine it would just spread and spread and the more you try to wash it up, the more it would seem to grow.

Actually, I don't need to imagine, I speak from experience.

I hope you will continue to allow me to shop in your store. I assure you I buy a ton of diapers and wipes solely from you, so you'll make your money back. And I will try harder to keep to my new rule of containing my little terrors.

Sincerely,

CamCam's mommy

I Watch Them, I Swear

Lately CamCam and "Mr. Trouble" have been playing the cutest little "game" ever. They have been walking around with their stuffed Mickey Mouse, and they call him their baby. It makes me smile to watch them taking care of this "baby." They bring him with them to watch TV and sit him on the couch. They take turns holding Baby Mickey when he "cries" and try to soothe him. They give him naps, they bring him to the table at lunchtime and pretend he's eating too.

Everywhere they go, Baby Mickey goes.

Considering they're only 4 and 2, they do a pretty good job of taking care of him. Not that I'm going to leave them alone with "The Baby" or anything, I'm just saying I'm pretty impressed at their early parenting skills.

But yesterday Baby Mickey was brought up to me looking like this:






Which is really a perfect mini-version of what "Mr. Trouble" and CamCam looked like. Cheeks, hands, feet, legs- yup they did it all.




They look very proud of themselves, don't they? "Mr. Trouble" is trying SO hard not to smile.

I'm not sure if they used permanent marker or what, but after a bath and numerous face scrubbings, this marker isn't budging. Here we are a full 24 hours later, and my boys are still sporting their fantastic markings.

Which is why "Mr. Trouble" and CamCam are in charge of a stuffed animal and not him:

How Old Do You Need To Be To Drink Coffee?

Coffee.

It has become the bane of my existence.

Which is weird, since it used to be my savior.

A couple weeks ago we went away for the weekend and stayed in a hotel. We went for my sister's wedding, and all our family was there. I was in the wedding, and so my kids were watched a lot by daddy and family members.

About half-way through the weekend, I walked into my hotel room with a cup of coffee in one of those disposable cups. I put it down on the table, and when I looked back over, CamCam had it in his hands and was about to take a sip. I took it from him, and told him no, that was mama's. He screamed and said "my off-ee, my off-ee!" I was amused he knew what it was. And wondered why he suddenly had interest in it. He rolled around on the ground, screaming and thrashing about, wailing: "offfff-eeeeeeee! offffff-eeeeeee!"

It was then that I noticed another cup on the table. It was also a disposable coffee cup, I opened it up and it had water inside. I asked CamCam if this was his, and he said yes.

Now I don't want to point any fingers, but the previous night someone, (CamCam's grandparents)
was watching CamCam, (grandparents on dad's side)
and I deduce that someone (probably Nunno)
thought it would be smart to give CamCam a drink in the disposable coffee cup. This was very wise, as in a hotel-type situation a coffee cup with a lid is the best substitute for a spill-proof sippy-cup.

I would also venture a guess that someone (probably Papa)
thought it would be funny to tease CamCam and tell him he was drinking coffee. I can hear the game in my head now.

P: CamCam, are you drinking coffee?
C: Nooooo, hahahahahhaha
P: Yes you are, give me back my coffee!
C: (squealing with delight) Nooooo, my off-eee! hahahahahahaha

Cute and fun for them. Not so fun for me, 2 weeks later, every morning having had the same struggle with CamCam.

Me: CamCam, get away from my coffee!
C: No! No! No!
M: No, you can't have coffee, give that back.
C: (jumping up and down in anger) Noooooo! MY OFFF-EEEE!!!! MY OFFF-EEEE!!!!

Grandparents!

If I didn't know any better, I'd swear they never had children.

A Preview of Greatness to Come

It's amazing how quickly our children grow up. While it can feel like the stage you're at with them will last forever, suddenly one day it seems like years have passed in an instant. Even CamCam will grow up out of his "terrible twos." He'll probably always be active, but he will grow into a little boy.



But for anyone who's worried that all these fun stories will be ending anytime soon, do not worry. There is another little "tornado" waiting in the wings, preparing for the day when he can take over and follow in his brother's footsteps.




Today "The Baby" turned one, and I think I'm going to have my hands full with this one too.

Allow me to indulge myself for a moment...

Sorry in advance, this isn't my "typical" post. But we recently had a rather momentous moment in toddlerhood, and I want to document it.

The first haircut.

I've been through this with my boys twice before. The first time, with "Leader of the Fab Five", I went equipped with video camera, picture camera, and munchkins from Dunkin Donuts. The munchkins didn't last nearly long enough, and "Leader of the Fab Five" cared less about the munchkins and more about the sharp instrument dangerously close to his ear. The final moments of his haircut were spent with me holding his head still and him screaming. Not exactly what I'd envisioned.

With "Mr. Trouble" I went equipped with lollipops. However, he fell asleep on the way to his first haircut, and miraculously slept through the entire thing. I didn't get any pictures since I was the one holding him, but at least it went down without any screaming.

Considering the activity level of CamCam, and his zero tolerance to anything he doesn't want to do, I have been dreading taking him for his first haircut. The time had come though- my sister's wedding was coming up and I didn't want CamCam in all the pictures with his girly locks.

Then my cousin told me about this "kids only" salon called Snip-its. I figured it was worth a shot. I walked into the place with my three little boys, planning to get "Mr. Trouble" a haircut, since he was going to be the ring-bearer, and planning to see how it went with CamCam. Maybe we'd get one, maybe we'd leave with the start of one.

I was blown away when I walked in. This place was definitely created with kids in mind. I let "Mr. Trouble" go first, figuring CamCam could watch and see that it wasn't a big deal, but instead CamCam walked all over the place playing with their toys.

Then it was his turn. He jumped right up into the kid-sized seat. He allowed the hairdresser to put the apron around him. He watched a cartoon on the t.v. placed in front of him.

He held still.

I couldn't believe it! When he lost interest in the cartoon, the hairdresser handed him a jar of bubbles to play with. When he lost interest in the bubbles, she handed him animal crackers one at a time. When he decided that he wanted to comb his own hair instead of having her do it, she handed him an extra comb and encouraged him to brush the front of his hair. She let him play with her spray bottle and didn't care when he sprayed it. And she wisely took it away when he started to suck on it to get the water out.

He stayed in place and was still for the entire haircut. No screaming. No fits.

And what about the fact that he was having so much fun in the chair, he probably wouldn't want to get down when it was over? No problem, they had that covered too. He was handed a special ticket to wear around his wrist when he entered, and when the haircut was over he got a lollipop, and then the hairdresser told him to go over to the machine at the front of the store to put his ticket in and he would get a prize.

This is the best place ever.

Bubbles and cartoons, it doesn't get much better then this.

They grow up in an instant when they get their first haircut.

I wanted a shot of him and his brother together, but they both thought I wanted the stickers.

Miscommunication

In amongst all the craziness having a toddler brings into your home, there are those moments that make it all worthwhile.

Having those tiny little arms thrown around your neck.

"I wuv you" being whispered in your ear at night.

Slobbery kisses.

All the touching moments mixed within the crazy ones. The other day CamCam was sitting at the kitchen table, "The Baby" was in his highchair next to him, and when I came over to them CamCam said: "Uh like-it baby". It was enough to make my mommy heart melt. I told CamCam that was so nice, and walked away smiling thinking about how sweet it was that CamCam liked his baby brother so much.

Then the baby started coughing.

Then choking.

I ran over and realized that in his mixed up wording CamCam wasn't saying "I like the baby," he was saying "The baby likes it." Meaning, the eight pieces of popcorn CamCam had shoved into "The Baby's" mouth.

Sometimes is hard for even a mommy to understand what her two year old is trying to tell her.