From the resident stay at home dad:
Cashier: Oh are they twins?
Chris: No, they’re 4 months apart.
Cashier: [Confused look on his face.] Is that even possible?
Chris: Yes.
Cashier: [Really confused and surprised look on his face.] Hm, em, okay.
Chris: [Waits a few minutes attempting not to burst out laughing.] One is bio and one was adopted.
Cashier: [Relieved look on his face.] Oh, okay.
From the resident stay at home dad, the conversation before lunch (sitting around in diapers only) went something like this:
Cooper: [Twiddling his nipple.]
Daddy: Is that your nipple Cooper?
Cooper: [Runs over to Charlotte and points to her nipple.]
Daddy: Yep, that’s Charlotte’s nipple.
Cooper: [Runs over to daddy and points through his shirt.]
Daddy: Yes Daddy has nipples too.
Cooper: [Points to his belly button.] Beh-beh
Daddy: Belly button.
Cooper: [Runs over to Charlotte and points to her belly button.] Shaw beh-beh
Daddy: Yep, that’s Charlotte’s belly button.
Cooper: [Runs over to daddy and points through his shirt.] Dah-ee beh-beh
Daddy: Yes that’s daddy’s belly button.
Cooper: [Grabs his crotch.]
Daddy: Yes, that’s your penis.
Cooper: [Points to daddy’s crotch.]
Daddy: Yes, daddy has one too.
Charlotte: [Grabs her crotch.]
Daddy: No, Charlotte you have a vagina.
Charlotte: Ji – Ji!
Usually I just feel like I have two children. Last night I felt like I had twins. Here was how bathtime went:
Start the water, but don’t close the drain (so the bath won’t fill up until I’m ready for it to). Strip Cooper and put him in the bath.
Chase down Charlotte and bring her to the bathroom only to find Cooper soaking wet and naked standing outside the bathtub. Put Charlotte down on the floor and put Cooper back in the bathtub.
Only to realize Charlotte has run off again. Chase down Charlotte and bring her to the bathroom only to find Cooper soaking wet and naked standing outside the bathtub. Put Charlotte down on the floor and put Cooper back in the bathtub.
Only to realize Charlotte has run off again. Chase down Charlotte and bring her to the bathroom only to find Cooper soaking wet and naked standing outside the bathtub.
Hold Charlotte in one arm and lift Cooper back in with the other. Keep one hand on Cooper to keep him from getting out of the bath and use my other hand to undress Charlotte.
Put Charlotte in the bath and give them each a washcloth to occupy them. Works for half a second and they try to climb out. I close the shower curtain. Now they don’t want out, but they don’t want me in either!
They each pin the side of the shower curtain so now I can’t reach to wash them. I start laughing which only encourages them. I somehow manage to slide in and start washing Charlotte.
Cooper begins flinging his washcloth at me proceeding to soak my hair and clothes, and knock my glasses off into the bathtub. Now I’m really laughing and so are they. I pin him and start washing him and he rubs the sudsy soap all over my hair, face and clothes. I couldn’t help but laugh harder and they think this is the best.game.evah!
By this time I’m a complete mess! I rinse them off and get myself cleaned up (but still look completely disheveled). We played peek-a-boo with the shower curtain until they both decided to climb out of the tub at the same time. Thank goodness Chris showed up just in time to help get them into pj’s.
I still smile just thinking about it.
Charlotte has come such a far way in speech. It’s hard to believe that only 6 months ago she was barely babbling with consonant sounds. Not only is she saying 2 words now, she seems to be using simple sentences to convey her thoughts.
Her latest ‘sentences’:
No, dah-ee (no daddy, when he is tickling her)
Momma eat peeze (momma sit down and eat please)
No, Poopeh dow peeze (Cooper get out of my chair please)
She is learning everyone’s names at gym class and introduces them at the beginning of class when we go around the circle:
Bo-ee (Body)
Luhluh (Lorelei)
Tam (Sam)
She (Sherrie)
Gi (Angie)
I had no idea how much easier our lives would become once our little girl was no longer frustrated and could communicate her needs. And now that she knows that communication is way more effective with us, she has the patience to try many different words as well as show us what she wants/needs rather than melting down when we don’t understand her the first time. She will also answer yes or no when we ask questions so that we can understand what she needs. And she has good manners—she says please and thank you for everything. I am so, so proud of Charlotte!!
Although she still LOVES Handy Manny, her new favorite interest is trains or cheh-cheh as she calls them. The show Chuggington is quite funny to her. (We think it’s a cute show and does a great job with a play on words – the young trains in training are called ‘trainees’. However I don’t really care for the animation and it doesn’t really grab my attention like Handy Manny did. For me there isn’t much ‘adult’ to the show.)
Tomorrow we have her 6 month review to check on her progress and review her needs and next steps in the program. We’ll probably have a full update and change in therapy in a month since they just did her updated evaluations. Sometimes it feels like we aren’t making any progress until I sit down and write out these posts reminding myself that we are definitely making progress!
It was a perfect Mother’s Day for me this year. Just like I've always imagined Mother's Day for myself. Sleeping in and then my children greeting me with smiles and hugs when I wake up. Flowers, jewelry and toddler art for gifts. A low key day hanging out with my children listening to their laughter and watching them enjoy life. Making dinner for my family (something I love doing and don’t get the option of doing very often because I have a fantastic husband who does it all week). Perfect, just perfect.
