Highs and Lows - mid-January edition

Looking back at last year makes me realize something.  I suck at blogging.  In 2011 I blogged almost once a week.  2012?  Only every other week.  That's not very often.  I realized that I blogged most often when I kept up on my Highs and Lows.  I also realize these are some of my own personal favorite posts because it's a great reminder to me of the craziness that went on around my home.

And it often makes me grateful that whatever caused my lows is usally something the kids have outgrown.  Kids growing up is wonderful.  Can I get an amen?


So here's some highs and lows by person:


Liam:
High:  (Or more precisely, the chance of a high...)

I think that there MIGHT be a SLIGHT possibility that Liam COULD learn to talk soon.

Maybe.

Because we've been convinced that he's never going to.  After all he's almost a teenager and he doesn't speak.

Alright, fine.  He's 17 months old but he honestly only has ONE real word.  Mama.  And that is recent.

To be fair he also says "bye bye."  But instead of b's he uses d's.  So whenever some is going away he yells, "DIE!! DIE!!!"

Which, I think we can all agree, is not very friendly.



He won't even repeat words.

Me: "Liam, say doggie."

Liam: "Enddggaggoao  moooommmmmmmssfflkj.  gnk"

Me: "Liam, say Belle"

Liam, "Gaagggooddnnnngllskk.  gnk."

Yes, he always ends with the 'gnk' sound.


But yesterday, while Medman was trying to watch football (which is a low we Bronco fans are NOT going to talk about) and had tried about a dozen friendly things to get Liam to stop poking him in the face, he said, "Liam, go away."

Liam looked at him seriously and said, "Away."

Shocked silence.
I motioned enthusiastically at Medman to say it again.

"Go away."

"Away."

"Go away!"

"Away!"

Exciting, no?  Don't judge our parenting.  I'd say in the grand scheme of things learning to speak outweighs whatever short lived emotional scarring will occur from both his parents eagerly telling him to go away.


Since then I am pretty certain he has tried to say ball and when I tried to read the Thomas book to him at naptime today he did hollar "ELLLLMMMAA" while pointing at the (wordy and boring) Elmo book he wanted to read.

So, stay tuned for the day I can officially make this a high because he is consistently trying to talk.

Low:  That day is not here yet.



Belle and Dalton:
The other night we let Belle and Dalton do a sleepover.  (By "we" you know I meant Medman thought of it, right?  Does ANYONE think that the mom came up with an idea like that?  No, that has "Fun Dad Idea With Possibly Terrible Ramifications" written all over it.)


High:
Oh me of little faith, because they did really well and had a blast.  Their two rules were No Fighting and No Jumping.  I don't think we actually had to do the No Fighting rule.  Any time those two have gotten to sleep in the same room as each other there is nothing but hysterical laughter for hours.

In fact, next time they're bickering in the middle of the day I think I'm going to declare it Sleep Over Time and send them both up into Belle's room.  Hours and hours of ceaseless laughing.

Low:
Belle is the child who will wake up at night.  You can dance toys on Dalton's head while he sleeps and he won't stir.  Really, we have videos.

But Belle sometimes wakes up.  So around 3:15 am she woke up and apparently needed me.  So she started crying for me.  Which woke Dalton up (wow).  From what I can put together, their conversation went something like this:

Dalton: Belle, what's wrong?
Belle:  I have something to tell mommy!
Dalton:  You should tell her in the morning.  (Do you see how smart my boy is?)
Belle:  I can't possibly wait until morning!!!! It is so very important!!!! I MUST tell her NOW!!!

Since Belle religiously follows the "Don't Get Out Of Bed At Night" rule, she used her imperial power to send Dalton in to our room to let us know she had something to tell me.

When I entered the room, she began a very Belle-ish tale.

"Mommy, before I went to bed tonight - this night, the one where I put on these blue footie pajamas which are SO WARM and COZY and I love so much more than the monkey ones - before this night - but after it had already gotten dark even the part of the sky that was still yellow for a long time after dinner - at the beginning of THIS night I saw a train.  But you didn't.  And I had to tell you that."


High:
About 8 words into this I noticed that Medman had followed me in.

Sucker.

I patted his shoulder and said something encouraging like, "You got this," and went back to bed.


Low:
When Belle wakes up at night, if she really wakes up she ends up talking to herself for about an hour before going back to sleep.

When Belle also completely wakes up Dalton the two of them chatter to each other for TWO HOURS until their mean mom comes in and declares that if anyone makes even one single sound they are going back to their own beds.

Judging from the next day it is much more difficult for a mom to be up for two hours in the middle of the night than for a three year old and a six year old.



Hope everyone had a lovely holiday season!

Anyone have any highs or lows they want to share?

OR anyone have any grand ideas on getting a kid to talk?