Dr. Jekyll, meet Mr. Hyde

It makes my head spin...the way Parker can be the sweetest little boy you've ever met one minute and a little devil the next.

This morning, he was watching a Curious George cartoon in the main living room. Aaron, Maddie and I were in the office. Maddie toddled away, and soon we heard the scream.

"NO Ma-da!" (Parker's quite capable of saying 'Maddie' but uses 'Ma-da' when he's feeling particularly angry and ornery.) He came running into the office. "Daddy! Maddie turned off the TV! Will you come here and push her down?" Aaron stood calmly and began to walk toward the living room.

Parker ran ahead of him and stood next to Maddie, bending his head down so they were nose to nose, he shouted in her face, "Daddy is coming to push you down, Ma-da!"

Then, a short time later, as we were preparing to leave for church, we overheard Parker whispering to himself and rocking something in his arms. "Bye-bye Squeeze [pair of toy pliers]. We're going to church, but we'll be home." He gave Squeeze a hug and set her down on the floor.

What the heck?

Barcode Confusion

Our library is pretty advanced. Perhaps they are like this everywhere now, and I just noticed it since having kids and more frequent visits. Each book has a bar code taped to the front cover, and there are large kiosks outside the library where you can scan books as you return them. When we are about to visit the library again, Parker helps me sort through our books at home, setting the "bar code books" aside so they can be returned.

Today, he was playing with his baseball helmet, spinning it in his hands.

Parker: Mommy, does this have a buckle?
Me: A buckle? Yes, it's just that we took it off for now since you wanted it off.
Parker: No! A buh - code!
Me: (seeing a bar code stuck to the inside of the visor) Oh! A bar code! Yes, it does.
Parker: (sadly) Does that mean we have to return it to the library?
Me: No, you can keep it.
Parker: (hopefully) Forever and ever?!
Me: Yes, forever and ever.

Sleep Deprivation/Co-Sleeping

I have determined that I would not last more than 24 hours in Hell Week (Navy SEAL training). The sleep deprivation would be my undoing.

See, I need at least 6 hours of sleep at night to function. Otherwise, I am a crazed, angry, tearful witch with frightening mood swings. Just ask the family members who stayed with us during the first few weeks after the kids were born. In essence, I break.

When we went home for Christmas, Parker had a tough time transitioning into an unfamiliar bed and ended up in the bed with us most nights. It was charming for about 10 minutes. Then I would have a small bony foot in my back or a hard little head stealing my pillow. I wanted him out.

I have friends who co-sleep. I came home from our trip with a nagging suspicion that they truly love their children more than I love mine. It was kind of sad. But every morning when I woke up sore and groggy with Parker stealing more than his fair share of the bed, I was downright angry. How do my friends do it?

Days before our journey home I began preparing Parker. "You know, when we get home you will get to sleep in your big boy bed all by yourself again!" Of course, when we got home, he asked, "Can you please sleep with me?" I almost laughed out loud. Was he insane? I answered, "No," in my best firm but friendly mommy voice, closed the door, and danced into my own bedroom, hugging my roomy mattress.

So back to the quesiton, do my co-sleeping friends love their children more than I love mine?...Perhaps. But I prefer to think that I am giving my children the gift of a loving, well-rested mommy in the morning.

Gone are the days

...of traditional research. Back in my day, if we didn't know the answer to a question, mom would pull out a dictionary or encyclopedia and search for the answer. If that didn't work, we would head to the library.

Yesterday, Parker shouted happily, "Mill-coo!"

Me: Mill-coo?
Parker: Mill-coo!
Me: What does Mill-coo mean?
Parker: (matter-of-factly) You'll have to look it up on-line.

Getting too big

Getting Parker to eat his vegetables is sometimes a battle. We are down to carrots, peas and edamame. Even then, he sometimes complains. I remind him that if he wants to grow up "big and strong" like his daddy, he will need to eat his fruits and vegetables. He usually sighs and them complies.

Last night at dinner, I noticed him staring at me as I ate. I turned to him noting the perplexed look on his face.

Me: What is it Parker?
Parker: Why are you eating, Mommy?
Me: Because it's dinnertime.
Parker: But you're already too big!

Thanks, bud.

Pretending

Parker is someone new every day. Quite often, he changes identity several times a day. It is high treason to address him by the wrong name. If he was Handy Manny in the morning and you didn't hear him announce he had become his cousin, Sharon, in the afternoon, heaven forbid you address him as Manny later in the day!

I finally just started asking, "Who are you now?" before I try to get his attention. He is so much more compliant when he is addressed as the proper character. Whatever.

Today, he was Fireman Sam for most of the day. He called me "Penny" or "Peddy" or something. Fine. He called Maddie, "Pooky," and explained she was the fire-dog. He really seemed to get into the drama. He tried to put Maddie on a leash. Whenever she ate, he pointed and said, "Look! She's eating her doggie treats." When I gave her the fake fire extinguisher, he was perplexed. "Peddy! She's just a dog! She can't use a fire extinguisher!"

Hmmm...Already referring to his sister as "just a dog." And I thought we had a few years before the seriouse name-calling would begin.

First Sleep-over

We were home for the holidays. It was wonderful and awful. Wonderful to spend so much quality time with family. Awful that every last one of us caught a nasty stomach virus. Susie, my mother-in-law said she washed about 14 loads of laundry within about a 12 hour period. Kids just aren't that great at making it to a bucket or to the toilet before spilling their guts.

Anyway, during this trip, Parker went on his very first sleep-over. I was the first one to get sick so I hadn't joined everyone when they went out for dinner. I got a call when they were on their way home. Aaron said we were down one child...that Parker had gone to spend the night with his Aunt Angela and cousins and that Angela was concerned I'd be upset. I asked him why she didn't take Maddie, too.

Angela called shortly thereafter to ensure I was not angry. I assured her that this was a break and a blessing - his first ever sleep-over. She informed me he would be staying the entire evening unless disaster struck, in which case we would meet at Children's Hospital. Angela is a no-nonsense kind of momma. I love her.

The next day, Parker returned, still happily chatting with his cousins. I don't think he ever stopped talking. Angela said he did really well. There was only a brief time period during which he seemed to have changed his mind.

"Aunt Ang, I like you and everything, but I forgot...I think I wanted to spend the night with my mommy and daddy."