What?

I can't decide - is the web translator I'm using (not that I've chosen it, it just seems to magically appear) insane or is it me?

I have no idea what the hell my French blogger is talking about here. Is she picking her nose? Is she making jewelry? Is Minie laying out on the grass, looking at the pretty clouds?

I promise you, this blog is always entertaining. It's like trying to do sudoku or crossword puzzles.

- H

Cutie cute

Have you ever noticed that some Japanese designers make the cutest things?

Here's an adorable Japanese blogger who writes really well in English. Just cute enough to make me smile.


http://mairuru.blogspot.com/



- H

Posterity

I had two conversations with my son today that make me laugh. So I figured, what better place to document them?

I'm color coding for ease of reading and so I don't have to preface every line.

I was in the bathroom, cleaning. Cooper was in the office with his fish tank. To have this conversation at that distance, we each had to shout.

Mom!

What?

I'm sorry you were crying.

I'm not crying, honey.

Mom!

What?

I'm not crying anymore.

That's great, Cooper, I'm glad to hear that.

So we can go to Target and buy toys.

I don't think that's in the plan. If you want to buy toys you need to get a job.

I don't have a job.

I know, I said you should get a job.

Oh. Okay.

He sounded totally bummed, like summer vacation was over and now he's going to have to go back to work again or something. I think the thing that was so funny about this conversation was our distance and the volume. Oh, and can you tell we're having some "issues" with Cooper throwing fits and crying and screaming to get what he wants? Yeah, that's fun.

Then tonight as I was putting him to bed, we had this conversation:

Soooo, tell me about work.

Well, yesterday I was in Atlanta and I got to talk to some people about some stuff, and then the day before that I was in Dallas, where I got trained on the new data and that was fun.

Were you at school?

Kind of. Except when you're an adult, they call it training.

Did you have a teacher?

Yep.

Who was your teacher?

I had two. I had Julia and I had Kristina.

Did you like them?

Yes, they're very nice.

Did you take a nap?

[laughing] No, unfortunately we didn't get to take naps. I wish we did.

Wouldn't that be great? You have to go to a meeting or to training, and sometime after lunch you call get to pull out your blankies and lay down for two hours? Heaven!

- H

Mine

I had to get up super early today and head to the airport, which is where I'm writing right now. My life is such that I never need an alarm clock. My kids tend to wake me plenty early (sleep in, people!) but today I had to set my Blackberry for the dong to remind me to get up at 5:00.

While I got ready in the bathroom next to Griffin's room, I heard the sweetest thing.

In his sleep, Grif suddenly said "Oh! Yeah."

So sweet, those two words clear as a bell, from a child who otherwise has decided that one word is plenty vocabulary for him. Don't get me wrong, he has a few other words.

He says more. He says dadda and doggy and mama.

He says Cooper , although it comes out more like googoo.

Outside is a favorite word, although it sounds like owweye.

And then there's the word that pretty much sums everything else up for Griffie.

Mine.

Mine means, in no particular order:

That's mine.
I want that.
I want more of that.
Binky.
I like that.
Give it back to me.
Hey, take me over there.
Carry me, mommy.
I want to do something else, this is boring.
Can I have some candy?
I pooped.
I want to go peepee on the potty.

You know, I have to give him credit, his singular vocabulary totally works for him. We seem to know what he wants and he certainly isn't suffering from misunderstood-child-syndrome.

Except for when he really unleashes the "words" and you get a stream of stuff like blee do bah see blee blee my doh doh eee see yah.

It's strange to think that Cooper was telling us stories at this same age, in full sentences. I don't look at Griffin and think of his verbal skills as at all delayed for him. He seems to be right on track.

And thank God for a second child who is potty-training himself!

What if she's right?

What if happiness is as easy as a wire-cutter? Hmmm. Pause for consideration.

- H