As a mother of two kids, I am amazed at the different levels of knowledge each one holds. And how much it increases as they get older. I watch as my last baby [boy] goes from being a preemie in the NICU to 7 months old and tries to make sounds, attempts to crawl and laughs at his sister when she is being funny. My first born daughter, on the other hand, just blows me away with what she knows. In the 7 months since Baby Boy was born, she went from saying a few sentences to not shutting her mouth and talking up a storm. You never know what is going to come out of that 2.5 year olds’ mouth.
HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT??
One day after “school” we were driving home and stuck in rush hour traffic. While Baby Boy was snoring in his car seat, my 2.5 year old daughter is looking out the window.
“Look Mom – a man standing on the building,” as we drive by a construction site for a future nursing home.
“Mommy, what is that?” and points to a red crane at the intersection in front of us.
“That is a crane” I tell her. Being the Architect that I am, I answer her questions as if I am talking to a colleague. “That is a steel beam and it is part of the building structure so the building doesn’t fall down”.
I continue to drive and silently curse at the drivers around me trying to cut me off – so I’m barely paying attention to what she is asking.
“Like the beam at Gymnastics*?”
OMG.
“What did you just say?” I ask.
“You know, the beam at gymnastics. Is that the same beam?”
I am now BLOWN AWAY at how she was able to associate a building beam with her gymnastics beam in mere seconds.
“Yes sweetheart – like the beam at gymnastics”.
** We participate in the weekly Parent Tot class (age 3 & under) at Bloomfield Gymnastics. They are 8 week sessions and we love it! The tumbling, bars, beams and trampoline! www.bloomfieldgymnastics.com
MY KID IS LIKE A SPONGE!!
I was always told that toddlers remember what they hear, have photographic memories or are listening when you don’t think they are paying attention. I didn’t realize this until I experienced it firsthand. I was changing Baby Boy in his nursery and my daughter was still in the bath. All of a sudden, she starts singing.
“Oh my God. Look at her butt. Oh my God. Look at her butt.”
Where the F did she learn this song???
“My anaconda what? My anaconda what?” She’s singing the Nicki Minaj version of Sir Mix A lot’s Baby Got Back. Dan carries her into the room and looks at me.
“Where did she learn this” he asks me. “Are you still listening to the radio? You have satellite radio!!! I don’t know why you listen to that poppy trendy teeny bopper Britney Christina stuff”.
First of all dear Hubby – Baby Got Back is one of the best old school rap songs from my teen years.
Yes I am that mom that turns on morning radio (Shout out to my favorite morning radio show Mojo in the Morning and fellow DMB Blogger Shannon Murphy) while my kids are in the car. It is partially your fault [dear radio station] that my daughter knows this song. So what if she watches Bubble Guppies show on the TV in the car AND the radio playing at the same time. I just assumed she was watching the TV and not listening to me jam in the car at 6:30am. So now what? No more radio? I have to listen to the Disney channel on Satellite radio? I can only listen to “Down by the Bay” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider” so many times in a row.
So here we are, trying to sensor everything that comes out of our mouth. I’ve caught her saying a few swear words here and there. And when I am talking to her and SHE tells ME, “Shh mom. Shut your mouth,” all I can do is hold back a smile and think to myself, wow, she is turning into a little girl. A SASSY little girl that is.
Of course I had to record it. And then Hubby blasts on YouTube (no judging please… I already heard enough from my own mother!) Click here for the world premiere of “My Anaconda” featuring Alexandra.
YOU DID WHAT TO HIS FACE?
I’m usually pretty good at keeping the eyes [the ones on the back of my head] on my kids while I am doing something else. Hubby was finally home and was “watching” the kids in the family room while I was making dinner when I heard him yell at my daughter. “Don’t write on that!”
Then he brought my son over to me and turned him around.
How do you punish a toddler when she drew the prettiest drawing RIGHT ON HIS FACE?? Eyelashes and all! As an art lover myself, I couldn’t help but notice the specific markings on his face. My own little Picasso. My first instinct was to grab my camera and take half a dozen pictures. Then post on Instagram. Then on Facebook. Then send to my family. THEN questioned if it was a washable marker or a sharpie. Thankfully it was the latter.
I’m sure this won’t be the last time she draws on him. And one day he will return the favor back to her. As the 4 of us were in the kitchen laughing about her “artwork” I couldn’t help but think, what a great family I have. And these kids are mine. They were in my tummy once. And now they are little humans with a wild imagination and just like the rest of us – make mistakes too.
Please comment below and share a moment from your TODDLER LIFE: Triumphs, Tribulations and Picasso! We love hearing from our readers!
Ever since my daughter was born three months ago, my three and a half year old son has become quite contrary. At first, I thought he was just arguing with me to get attention; then, I realized he was taking an opposite stance on EVERYTHING. Throwing toys IS nice, he tells me; we’re NOT on our way, he tells Paw Patrol. Then I put him in his carseat one day – and the radio isn’t even on – when I hear him singing: “Mama base, Mama base, YEAH trouble!” so, the words were a little off but the tune was spot on. My little man was arguing with Meghan Trainor!