No Pictures, sorry

Ryan has had the camera for the past few days, and I did not take any pics today.

Evelyn has discovered that she can tickle other people, and, that her Mommy is very ticklish! Now I have to watch out for little fingers!

She is getting much more intricate in her 'make believe' play too. When I watch her play I can hear her talking to the toys and saying things like "Dora, say 'map'" "Hola, Dora!" "naptime, bed" "Wake-up, morning Dora! clothes?" "eat, table" She still needs to master the connecting words like "eat AT THE table... or put your clothes on?" But I can understand what she is thinking when she moves the toys around.

The other day she told me 'Amy' was going to have a nap. So, we laid her on the couch. When I came back a bit later, I saw that Evelyn had covered her up with a blanket, given her 'Teddy' to cuddle and, interestingly, placed a tiny bed under her head! The little bed belongs to her Dora Castle and is about 2 inches long. 'Amy' is a normal sized doll (about 16 inches long). So, Evelyn either did not consider the size relationship, or, she was using the bed as a symbol of an appropriately sized bed. Either way, it was very cute!

So, I have one child tickling me, and another discovering how to pinch! Ethan is a VERY good pincher. He likes to target the back of my upper arm and my neck. I fully expect to see bruises in the mirror tonight! OUCH! He has also started to pull hair. Evelyn has been the target on a few occasions already. She is not impressed by this new skill. She has been pretty good about it though. She just stands still and yells "NO! NO! NO!..." Poor kid.

Ethan has impressed both Ryan and me with is reaching and grabbing skills. He spends much of his play time in the exersaucer and has just mastered pulling a teething bar into his mouth. I am sure Evelyn did not do that until she was about 7 months old. This evening, while we ate supper, Ethan was shoving this teething bar so far into his mouth he was making himself gag. Yet, he continued to shove it in. I guess cause and effect relationships are still a developing skill for him. We just laughed at him and eventually rescued him from himself.

So, Ryan is off for Spring Break until April 16th. It is nice to have help dealing with Evelyn. Some aspects of a 2-year-old's development are very trying. They can really wear you out. But, this age will not last, and I know that I will probably yearn for it in the future. I remember thinking "I wish I could keep her this age" when she was little, just crawling and furniture surfing, and again a few months ago. But, kids don't stay one age. They grow and enter new ages and I know I will probably wish I could keep her at those ages too. I guess I just have to love and savor every age because I will only get to go through it with her one time.

I have been looking for some poems that express the ups and downs of toddlerhood. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Finest Age

When she was only nine months old,
And plump and round and pink of cheek,
A joy to tickle and to hold,
Before she'd even learned to speak,
Her gentle mother used to say:
"It is too bad that she must grow.
If I could only have my way
Her baby ways we'd always know."

And then the year was turned, and she
Began to toddle round the floor
And name the things that she could see
And soil the dresses that she wore.
Then many a night she whispered low:
"Our baby now is such a pearl (or joy)
I hate to think that she must grow
To be a wild and heedless girl." (or boy)
But on she went and sweeter grew,


And then her mother, I recall,
Wished she could keep her always two,
For that's the finest age of all.
She thought the same thing at three,
And now that she is four, she sighs
To think she cannot always be
The youngster with the laughing eyes.

Oh, little girl, my wish is not
Always to keep you four years old.
Each night I stand beside your cot
And think of what the years may hold;
And looking down on you I pray
That when we've lost our baby small,
The mother of our woman will say
"This is the finest age of all."


What Did I Do Today?

Today I left some dishes dirty;
The bed got made around 3:30.
The diapers soaked a little longer,
The odor grew a little stronger.
The crumbs I spilled the day before,
Are staring at me from the floor.
The fingerprints there on the wall,
Will likely be there still next fall.
The dirty streaks on those windowpanes
Will still be there next time it rains.
Shame on you, you sit and say,
Just what did you do today?


I held a baby till she slept,
I held a toddler while he wept.
I played a game of hide and seek;
I squeezed a toy so it would squeak.
I pulled a wagon, sang a song,
Taught a child right from wrong.
What did I do this whole day through?
Not much that shows, I guess that' s true.
Unless you think that what I've done,
Might be important to someone,
With deep green eyes and soft brown hair,
If that is true...I've done my share.

Mom

(Susan Holton)

I remember when I could read an entire
chapter, some days even an entire book
at one sitting without interruptions.

I remember when I could work for hours
at a time in my study;
the hours were dependent on me
not on nap.

I remember when I knew no one with children
and had no idea what 2T meant.

And I remember when no one called me mommy
and when no little arms wrapped themselves
around my neck, no little kisses or hugs were mine.

And I prefer today.

Potty Training Woes

I tell you Gramma, I'm in a mess,
that is why I'm sending this s.o.s.
my mom has started a new campaign-
she thinks I am old enough to train.
and I tell you, Gramma, that all this strife,
is taking the joy plum out of my life.
She won't let me have any peace at all,
and shows no mercy, even when I bawl.
She grabs me up (scares me to death)
and acts afraid to take a deep breath.
and I try to make a quick retreat,
but always end up on that goofy seat.
she brings a cracker for me to nibble,
and sweetly begs for me to "dribble".
so, I comply with her beck and call,
then watch as she wipes up floor and wall
now I really glory in all the loud praise
though I'll never understand in all my born days-
but if it pleases her and makes her glad,
I'll try to be a helpful lad.
but now , Gramma, I must say goodbye
'cause here she comes with that look in her eye!
I'll hide right here and await my fate,
for she doesn't know it, but she's a little late!

(I think this poem was written in the early 1900's by Judith (Johnson) Torell)