Nice

It has been a roller coaster week, and I've definitely had more than my share of impatient, distressed mom moments.  At least twice Chicken has asked me not to be mad at him and that he doesn't like it when I'm mean--which of course made me feel like the worst person.  If I'm disappointing my sweet and sensitive Chicken, someone whom I would rarely get upset with, then that's saying something.   Most of the stuff that has had me flying off the handle has been your run-of-the-mill  two-year-old mischievousness, curiosity, and defiance kinds of things,  but it's taken me off-guard coming from him.

(I stayed surprisingly cool during the poop smearing incident in Edee's room yesterday....just to give you an idea about some of things I'm referring to.)

Both kids have known I've been having a hard time.  Daddy helped Edee pick some flowers to give to me one night and told me that I was a good Mommy.  The next day when we were outside, Edee picked me flowers again, and when I  thanked her, she said, "Daddy told me I should do that more often."  It made me smile.  Edee isn't often that empathetic on her own, but she sure does try once she gets it.

But Chicken understands.  He's very thoughtful and sympathetic for a two-year-old.  Yesterday he came up to me and asked for a hug, held my cheeks, gave me a few kisses and told me, "You are a nice person Mommy,"  completely unprompted and out of the blue.  Of course I told him he was a nice person himself, and that I was very proud of him.   Which is so true.

Then last night he grabbed my face and said:

"Mommy, i yuff (love) you a yot of the times, every day, yo you much Mommy.  Some days I do.  And Mommy....yum times....yum times dere are ayigadors (aligators) and yum times dey are mean.  But.....sum times I yuff you, Mom. Weally much"

Being the mom is the best.
(And it's the worst!!!  Think 'smeared poop', and I think enough is said.)

Chicken Fight

Edee and Chicken can be pretty good buddies.  They also can fight like nobody's business.

Yesterday morning, as I was getting ready in the bathroom and they were supposed to be getting dressed in their rooms, I hear this going on (it had actually been going on for awhile before this, I finally realized it was going to be going for awhile and that I should record it).  Eva was only in her underwear and Chicken is just his diaper.

Edee:  Get out of my room, Chicken!
Chicken: No, get out of your room Ewa!
Edee:  No it's MY room, get out!!!
Chicken:  No, you get out and talk to Mommy!!
Edee:  I will noooooot!!!
Chicken:  It not your choice!!
Edee: Yes it is.
Chicken: No it's not.
Edee: It is!
Chicken: No it's not!
Edee:  IT IS!
Chicken:  NO IT's not!!
Edee: Yes.
Chicken: No.
Edee: Yes!
Chicken: No!
Edee: YES!
Chicken: NO!
Edee: Yes! Get out of my room.  I will never play with you.
Chicken: Don't ever play with me!
Edee: When you ask for something I will not give it to you.  And if you want to play I will not listen to you. Okay? Chicken no!!!!

At this point (I had started recording this with my phone) I had to intervene because they started hitting.  We're going through almost the same thing this morning.

But Sometimes

Chicken and Edee are both pretty good conversationalists.  You know, for being two and four.  They converse fairly easily with others,  and especially with each other.

Chicken, however, seems to realize that Edee might be one step ahead of him in this department while talking with adults, and gets a little jealous of the attention she gets.  He tends to interrupt when he sees this happening, wanting to be a part of the conversation.  It actually has been happening quite a bit lately.  Here's just one example.

Friend:  Are you in school, Edee?
Edee:  No, I not in school yet, I'm dust four, but I went to a little preschool, but it's over now.
Me:  Yeah it was called Joy School, we did--
Chicken: (interruping):  BUT, but, but......but......yumtimes dere are dinosaurs.....an an an.....yumtimes we see cala-piters (caterpillars).....and....an.....hmm.
Me:  Yep, you  like caterpillars a lot, huh Chicken?  Anyways, so a bunch of us moms trade off teaching Joy Sch---
Chicken:  But but but.... yumtimes....yumtimes dere are.....um....yumtimes dere are....blah blah plah buh buh doo doos!!!  Ha ha ha!

At this point you can tell he has no idea what to say, so he just starts making funny noises and faces and wiggles his hands around like he's putting on a little show.  He seems to think that he's so irresistible that everyone else will think it's amazing.  It ends up working out for him. 

Thunder

Chicken loves saying prayers and, might I add, is pretty good at saying them.  Lately, in every prayer he asks that we'll be safe from the "funder" storms.   We had a thunder storm once close to a month ago and he hasn't forgot it and includes it even on the sunniest days!  He also asks that Daddy will be safe at work, even when Daddy is already home from work or won't be going to work that day.  The way he says safe, "yafe" with a hard F sound is pretty darn cute.

At dinner yesterday he asked that we would be hungry, and one time when Eva wasn't being very nice he asked that we wouldn't hit each other on the head.  I think he understands the prayer concept pretty well if you ask me.

Just Me

I have a few dozen nicknames for Chicken.  Depending on the day lately, he doesn't like it when I use any of them.  It's hard for me to catch myself in using them since for the entire past...well, lifetime of his, he's been just about every term of endearment you can imagine.

Usually, his response is very hurt and annoyed.  Example.

Me:  Hey Sweetie(or insert any of the many random things I call him), can you come here?
Chicken:  I not a 'weetie!  I dust Kay-tin!
Me:  Okay, just Chicken...sorry Chicken.

There are exceptions.  Like when we're snuggling together at bedtime he's okay being my snuggle buggle or snuggie buggie.  He likes being my snuggie buggie, and calls me"snuggie buggie Mommy"  (oh he's going to cringe if he reads this in a decade or so.  I LOVE it though.  Please don't grow up, Chicken).

He also has been calling me "Mommy inchworm" lately and requests being called either Baby inchworm or Buddy inchworm in response.

Edee is also particular at times about the whole nickname thing.  I once made the mistake of calling her "buddy".

Edee:  No! No, no, no.  I am "Honey", and Chicken is "Buddy".
Me:  Oh....yeah, I guess you are right.  Sorry Honey.

How could I!

Coming Up

I have been horrible keeping up with this blog.  Which is tragic, because Edee especially loves it when I read past posts to her.  She even asked earlier this week to: "hear a story about Edee and Chicken".  My memory is so bad that I need to write these things down, but lately it seems like it's SO bad that I can't remember well enough what they said just by the end of the day when I finally get a chance to jot it down.

I do remember this one, however from a couple weeks back.

Edee was coming down with a cold, and she must have heard me say it because one evening before bed when I asked her how she was feeling, she said, "I'm coming up with a cold!"

Perfect.