Move Over Emily Post

Aunt Julie, cousin Evie, and Elena were sitting at the little kids' table at Oma and Pa's having a tea party the other night when Elena inexplicably began howling. She was so upset that we thought she must have hurt herself somehow. When we asked her what was wrong she sobbed, "Evie didn't say please!" I didn't know poor manners were a top concern of the three-year-old set, but apparently they are.

What'd He Say?

Cousin Alex (16 months old) is not using many "real" words yet, but he babbles very convincingly. He is so serious about whatever he thinks he's saying. It reminds me of that part in "Blazing Saddles" where the governor's croonies all mutter "hurrumph, hurrumph, hurrumph."

Henry happened to be visiting while Oma was babysitting Alex, and Alex was going on and on about something indecipherable. Oma was responding with, "Oh, yeah?" "really?" and things like that, which really confused Henry. He asked her, "Oma, do you speak Alex?"

Sleep Tight

When I was putting Henry and Elena to bed last night, Henry decided it would be a good idea for Elena to sleep in his bed with him. I had my doubts about whether there would be a lot of sleeping going on, but his suggestion was so cute that I let them give it a try. So after I read them a chapter of "Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle" and we said our prayers, I left the room to put Ingrid to bed, fully expecting to need to intervene in the big kid's room. To my surprise, I heard very little noise from in there. By the time I put Ingrid in her crib and went to check on Henry and Lanie, the two of them were sound asleep. Lanie's little tush was in the air, and Henry was sprawled out like a teenager, but their heads were together.

At about 2 in the morning, Josh and I woke to the sound of Elena crying. We forgot that while Lanie's bed has railings on the sides, Henry's does not: she had rolled out of bed and onto the floor in her sleep. Next time we'll have to insist that Lanie gets the spot next to the wall.

Rise and Shine

Unforunately, the kids and I have our first cold of the season. When I got back to Julie's at lunchtime yesterday, I put Isaac down for his nap and took some cold medication. We usually have "quiet time" after lunch when I turn off the lights and let the older kids watch television. Yesterday I sat in the recliner rocking Ingrid to sleep while Henry, Elena, and Evie watched the movie "Robots." The medicine, rocking, and darkness had an effect, because at some point I fell asleep and remained that way until the end of the movie when I awoke to Henry's face in front of mine as he told me in a sing-song voice, "Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!"

Doppleganger

I turned on the computer for Elena to play a game on the internet. Our internet always opens to a news website, so that showed up before I could type in the address for the website Lanie wanted. A picture of Ben Bernanke, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, appeared next to an article about the current financial crisis. Lanie got really excited and pointed at the picture, saying, "Pa!"

Family Ties

The other evening Henry and Lanie were wrestling on the living room floor after dinner while I did the dishes. (Don't worry - Lanie gives as good as she takes.) Henry apparently got the better of her this time because I heard her say, "Aunt, aunt." Without missing a beat, Henry told her, "Uncle."

We Love PBS (Part II)

On a nice, fall morning the other day Josh took the kids to the deer park at the Veteran's Home so that I could get some housework done without interruption. Usually I take the kids to the deer park, so Henry was a little concerned that Daddy wouldn't remember how to get home. Josh tried to reassure him, but Henry still felt the need to instruct him, "Dad, to get home, just do the inverse of how we got here." The PBS math show, "Cyberchase," which is one of Henry's favorites had an episode teaching the "inverse" concept over the summer. It apparently stuck with Henry, but I am afraid that this might indicate that he'll grow up to be one of those men who refuses to ask for directions!

We Love PBS (Part I)

I was giving Ingrid a bath the other evening, and Henry was sitting just outside the open bathroom door, drawing with a blue marker. He called over to me to look at the lemon he had just drawn. Given the fact that Henry is four years old and was using a blue marker, I didn't expect his drawing to look much like a lemon, but when I looked up, I saw a very realistic blue lemon on the paper. I said, "Huh," and kind of chuckled before going back to bathing Ingrid. A few minutes passed before Henry asked me, "Mom, why did you laugh when I showed you my picture?" Of course, that nearly broke my heart, so I hurried to explain that I had just been so surprised because his drawing looked just like a lemon and that it was a very good picture. He thought about that for a few seconds before responding, "Oh. You were flabergasted." I told him that was exactly right. Later I remembered that more than a month earlier Henry seen an episode of "Word Girl," a show on PBS about a superhero with a superior vocabulary, that had featured the word "flabergasted." I was flabergasted that he not only remembered the word, but was able to use it correctly so much later!

Pa Is Always Right

We in the Jones family are die-hard Chicago Bears fans. In fact, daddy sometimes goes into deep depression when his favorite team losses on Sunday. Toward the beginning of the season this year, Pa and Henry were discussing the Bear's chances of winning a particular game. Pa told Henry that the Bears were going to lose. Henry took the news better than his father and went to bed before the game had ended. To everyone's excitement, the Bears managed to pull out a win at the end of the game. The next morning I told Henry, "Guess what? The Bears won yesterday!" Henry replied, "No, they didn't," and I said, "Yes, they did." In an exasperated tone, Henry told me, "No. Pa said they were going to lose." Despite my best efforts, Henry refused to believe that the Bears had won the game because Pa told him they were going to lose.

Little Ears Hear Everything

The other day Lanie was feeling the love and told Oma that she wanted to marry Oma. Josh pointed out to Lanie that Oma was already married to Pa, which would necessarily preclude Lanie from marrying her. Henry happened to be in the room during this exchange and chimed in, "Yeah, and girls can only marry each other in....Where was that again, Dad?" Daddy, who sometimes jokingly comments on adult issues such as same-sex marriage in front of the kids, muttered under this breath as Oma shot daggers at him with her eyes, "California and Massachusetts."

A Little Present for Mom

Josh and I were outside doing some yard work today, and the kids were inside. About every five minutes one or the other of them came out, yelling, "Mom!" to ask for a drink or something. However, one time Lanie walked all the way out to where I was weeding by the garage without saying a word. She solemnly extended her right index finger and said, "Look." On the end of her finger was a fresh booger. I wiped it off on my shirt, and she silently returned to the house.

Trying it out

We were celebrating Evie's third birthday (and the birth of our nation) yesterday at a barbecue at Oma and Pa's house yesterday. Unlike most 4th of July's, the temperature was very mild. I was sitting in the living room rocking Lanie, who was sleeping, when Henry came in from doing sparklers. He ran over to where I was and excitedly pronounced, "It's frickin' cold outside!" His intention to try out the word "frickin'" was so obvious to us both, that all it took was a look from me to confirm that the word was not to be used. Henry looked back at me and sheepishly said, "Oh."

E.R. Visit

Josh and I had to take Lanie to the E.R. on Tuesday evening. Her temperature spiked and caused a seizure. It's happened once before, and I thought Josh and I did a good job staying relatively calm as we packed her and Henry into the car to go to the hospital. Henry, however, got a bit shaken. Oma and Pa picked him up from the hospital immediately after we arrived, and he went back to our house with Oma. It was a pretty warm night, but he insisted on burrying himself under his sleeping bag as he watched cartoons on the couch. (On nights he is feeling a little afraid at bedtime, he makes a "nest" of blankets in his bed.) Oma suggested that it was a little hot to be all covered up. He looked over at her and said, "Oh, Oma. You know how I am." How true, my sensitive little guy! Later that night Henry told Oma out of the blue, "You're a great Oma."

Lanie was also feeling the familial love. She had been sleeping very soundly as we waited for some test results at the hospital. Once we got to the car to go home, though, she perked up asking, "Where's Henry?" When we told her he was at home with Oma, she chattered the whole four blocks back to our house about how she wanted to see Henry.

Touching the bottom

Today Pa was in the swimming pool, and Lanie wanted to join him. Pa told her that she needed to put on her arm floaties because the pool was deep and she couldn't touch the bottom. Confused, Lanie reached behind her and, grabbing her backside, responded, "I can touch my bottom, Pa!"

I caught a fish this big...

Josh, Henry, and Lanie are in the Ozarks on vacation while I'm in Quincy resting up for the impending arrival of the latest addition to our family. I've been getting daily reports on the kids' activities, mostly from Josh, Pa, and other family members since my children are way to busy to talk to mommy. However, Henry did take the time today to correct Pa's account of the day's events. Pa told me over the phone that Henry had gone fishing and caught three bluegill. Apparently Pa's description was lacking because I heard Henry in the background shouting, "No! I caught three BIIIIIGGGGG bluegill!" No photographic evidence of the size of the bluegill exists, but I've asked Henry to draw me a picture of the fish so that I might have some idea of the whale-like proportions of his catch.

What's Heaven Like?

Oma (what the kids call my mom) picked Henry up after preschool one day and the two of them happened to drive by a cemetery. Henry asked Oma about the cemetery, which led to a lengthy discussion about death and Heaven. Oma concluded by explaining that after people die, they go to Heaven, which is a wonderful place where they can do whatever they want. Henry responded, "Oh, so there are no Moms or Dads there?"

Marrying Mommy

After months and months of intense planning and anxiously awaiting the big day, Aunt Laura got married last weekend. The wedding ceremony was sweet and special, and the reception was a fabulous party. Lanie especially enjoyed dancing with cousin Evie in their coordinating seersucker dresses that twirled around them when they spun around. The whole affair must have made quite an impression on Lanie. Exactly a week after the wedding, Lanie came over to me and said, "I want to marry you, mommy...in a big dress." I'm not sure who the "big" dress was for - Lanie, who was enamored of Aunt Laura's gorgeous gown, or me, who at eight-and-a-half months pregnant would need a really big dress.

About Ingrid

Not much to say, yet. Ingrid's due date is July 14. We're pretty sure she's a girl...I've redone the nursery in lavender, so if Ingrid is a boy, I hope he likes purple. Ingrid was accommodating enough to wait to be born until after Aunt Laura's wedding; I hope that means she'll be just as patient when she's born! Henry, daddy, and I are looking forward to meeting the newest addition to our family. Lanie is yet to be convinced this a good idea.

About Lanie

Elena, or Lanie, as we call her, is two-and-a-half. Like her brother, she is very smart, very sweet, and just gorgeous, but the similarities pretty much end there. Lanie slept all the time for the first three months of her life. Since then, she has not stopped moving. She is outgoing and very expressive. My sisters joke that Lanie has one volume - loud. Now that Henry has decided he's too old to kiss his mommy anymore, I am lucky I have Lanie. She puckers up constantly and showers affection on me, daddy, and even on Henry - except when she's sitting on his head! Lanie's great passion these days is her collection of baby dolls. Baby Lucy is her favorite, but she also has Baby Celia and Baby Jesus (who is a girl, by the way) in addition to other unnamed dolls. Lanie's devotion as a mother puts me to shame. Lanie has at least two dollies with her at all times, including at the grocery store and in church. Her babies have to be buckled in when we ride the in car, they have to be fed at lunchtime, they must have new outfits put on them every 15 minutes or so, and they like to take walks in their stroller. Lanie is an enthusiastic dancer and is very "girlie." She likes having her curly hair styled, and she chooses dresses over pants or shorts whenever she's given the option. When she was an infant, I started calling her "sunsine." I think it remains an opt description today.

About Henry

At the time I am writing this, my son, Henry, is four-and-a-half. Henry has always been a sweet, cautious, sensitive, and - if I say so myself - extraordinarily bright little boy. He recently completed his first year of preschool, which was a period of enormous change for him. When I talked with him last summer about his impending enrollment in school, he assured me there was no way he was going. Over the course of the school year, however, his teacher reported that he really opened up. I, too, have seen his confidence grow: now he likes to play with other kids, instead of watching from the sidelines, and he usually responds with enthusiam when adults ask him a question, instead of hiding behind my legs. Of course, he still tells me that he is going to live with me and daddy forever...that sounds okay to me. Henry is concerned about the people around him. He is very helpful with his little sister, Lanie, and he calls his cousin, Isaac, his "pal," even though Ike is more than three years younger. Henry's advanced vocabulary is a bit of a mystery: I have never heard such sophisticated words come out of such a little mouth and I'm not quite sure how he manages to remember them, much less use them in the correct context. I could go on and on about my beautiful, special boy, but I'll just end my noting the thing that really makes my heart just ache with love for him - his amazing smile.