Boys, Boys, Boys

Picking up Bella from school today, I got to listen in on her conversation with this century's Brat Pack. That includes Bella, her BFF Mitchell, Madison, Elena and Gavin.

Gavin's status always teeters, however.

Example:

As they are all coloring, waiting on the parents, Bella tells Gavin that she'll play with him in FIVE DAYS and waves her five fingers at him with a scowl.

No more. No less.

He says something inaudible and she barks at him, "But I love MITCHELL and I said I'd play with you in FIVE DAYS, GABIN!"

Thus is their relationship. A total love-hate toddler friendship.

It all started last year when Bella was 2 1/2. She began preschool and immediately Gavin began pestering her. We called him the Over-Hugger. He could NOT keep his hands off of her and it distressed her a great deal. Even when she dropped out of school, she talked about him for a year. Then he ended up in this year's class.

She tries to make the best of it but he's as third wheel as it gets. Poor Gavin is that boy who pokes, teases, laughs at and irritates the girl he loves. Gavin's mom says that he blushes when talking about Bella. He "writes" her name instead of his own. He's a love-sick puppy destined for constant rejection from my daughter, it seems.

I've tried to explain the boy-likes-girl game but she doesn't understand. Her sweet Mitchell isn't that way! He is kind, loving and attentive. Gavin doesn't stand a chance.

So, I'm trying to think of ways to help Bella handle Gavin's type of adoration and friendship. She talks about him all the time. I think she wants to like him but his aggressiveness makes her angry.

And this is only age THREE!

Stepping out with the paparazzi.

January 24

Our world has once again been blessed by an angel.

I'm proud to introduce my beautiful niece,

Korenna Kate.

More Toddler Tidbits

"Okay, Mama, you be Dorafee and I'll be the Wicked Witch."

In a high voice (you can NOT play pretend using your real Mama voice), I say something like "Hi, I'm Dorothy, who are you? Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!"

Bella wrinkles her nose and her eyebrows furrow into what we affectionately call a frinkle as she wags her finger at me yelling all scraggily, "I'll get you, my pretty! An your little dog TOO!"

And...

Scene.

She falls to the floor giggling with great satisfaction at her performance.

-----

Today during a bath, Isabella drew a line all the way across her belly with an orange tub marker. Then she said it was her scar from having a baby.


Me: "So where's your baby?"

Bella: *splish splash* "She's at AndAmanda's house."

Me: "Oh. And are we going to get your baby?"

Bella: *complete exasperation at my ignorance* "YES, Mom."

(she's serious now) "We will get it in FIFTEEN DAYS."


Everything is fifteen minutes or fifteen days as of late.

So, Aunt Amanda, she may be looking to bring Baby Johnson home in a couple of weeks. Perfectly okay by me, but you might take issue with it.

Let me just say that having a c-section has thus far provided THE easiest explanation to how Ava got out of me. She's going to be mighty freaked out when she learns the other way babies are born.

----

When I picked up Bella from school, all the kids had a police badge pinned on them. I asked if she'd told everyone that her Uncle Daniel is a policemen and she promptly turned to shout out the info to her classroom.

On the way home, we talked about policemen and she said her daddy is a police officer. Well, no, only Uncle Daniel is a policeman.

Bella: "Uncal Danyul works in a police office. Daddy works in a office. "

Me: "Yes... "

Bella: "Sooooooooo, Uncal Danyul is a police office man and Daddy is a office man. "


You got me there, little one.


-----

I am very excited that Ava's learning words at warp speed. Toddler Tidbits will be all about eavesdropping on the two of them before long!

2007 Down, 2008 Go!

Well, 2007 went out as eventful as it started.

After a whirlwind weekend of Christmas family celebrations, we got home Christmas night and watched with breathless excitement as the girls ran to the living room to see if Santa visited.

Bella squealed with delight at their new dollhouse (I constantly have to say "yours AND Ava's dollhouse, honey") while jumping up and down over her Sleeping Beauty VHS.

Yes, I said VHS. We figured out long ago that little kids and VHS tapes are AWESOME. She can turn on the TV, push the video in and all I have to do is make sure she doesn't have a Disney movie marathon.

That night, about 2am, I had a rude awakening. Not just that I had to go to the bathroom. Oh, no. The rudeness happened when I (thank heavens) decided that night to peek into the toilet before sitting.

I saw something dark and slammed the lid down.

That's crazy, I thought to myself. Maybe Bella just didn't flush...five days ago.

I opened it again. Looked awfully big.

Turned on the light.

Saw...

Okay, I'm not going to post the picture because it might make you lose your breakfast, lunch, dinner or all thee above.

It was a squirrel.

YES IT WAS. A very real, very dead squirrel. Eyes open, mind you. I threw up a little in my mouth, slammed the lid again and, heart pounding, climbed into bed. Because I am a nice wife and didn't wake my husband to fish out the toilet critter.

I spent the rest of the night half sleeping and half wondering if that was just a freaky dream. Hubby wondered the same till HE lifted the lid at 6am the next morning. By then, our furry friend was a wee bit fluffier. By the time my husband could get in the mindset to retrieve him, Squirrel was...um...easily deflated.

That is all.

----- In Cuter News -----

We cleaned out Bella's old nursery and made it into a playroom. YAY for all involved. We packed up loads of stuff into boxes for the attic and used a Sharpie to mark everything. Several hours into working we couldn't find the marker.

Went looking for the marker and instead found this:

Ava's Doll

At first I thought we'd had our first acting out by Bella on little sister's things. Then we saw that if she's acting out, it was also on her own toy dog as well as our library bookshelves.

I tried not to seethe. Really, I did. Through gritted teeth, I asked Bella why on Earth she colored on everything.

She picked up the doll and said, "But MOM, lissen to me. The baby is an INDIAN and needs her headband."

And the library shelves?

"That's my ARTWORK! Don't you love it? Isn't it buuuuuuuuuteeeful?"

Oh.

So it wasn't malicious graffiti at all. It was a 3 1/2 yr old filled to the brim with imagination. How do you get mad at that? If anything, I'm irritated at myself for all those Crayola washable markers Bella's been using for 2+ years!

Long live the Magic Eraser. That thing probably causes cancer but it wipes away Sharpie in a jiffy.

---- Still Cute News ----

Ava throws temper tantrums now and tattles on her sister by babbling in a tattling tone and a frown. Her tantrums consist of pivoting on her left foot in circle really fast while shaking her head and screeching. Humorous when performed just once a day.

New Year's Day dinner at my MIL's we had spinach. Bella used to love spinach but not that day. An aunt who was there commented how she is allergic to spinach. Intriguing adult conversation about allergies went on as Bella picked at her plate.

When hubby asked Bella to eat, she said "You know, Dad, I think I'm allergic to spinach."

They hear all, see all and apply all.

Here's to a happy, healthy, story-filled 2008!!