I would edit this, but then it would never get posted

Some thoughts about da Roo:

We have made some little trips lately, and several people have asked us about da Roo: "Is she always this happy?" We think, we blink, and we respond "yes." Of course there's the RDA of fuss, but it's usually short-lived.

People sure do come up with some funny things to compliment. We used to laugh about the descriptor "alert" for babies. It seems to be reserved for when people can't think of something else nice to say, such as "cute." So I say we used to laugh about it, and then we started hearing it a lot about da Roo. Now don't get me wrong, I think she's the cutest baby since, well, da Shmoo. I am not objective at all, and I couldn't care less about whether others think she's cute or not. It's just funny. The other one I've heard on several occasions is "she has such a perfect head shape." Head shape? Way to go, Roo!

OK, but really, da Roo is the next Mary Tyler Moore. Because she can turn the world on with her smile.

Rambling while I have the chance.

I also used to think "preschooler" was a funny category of kid. "Infant" and "toddler" make total sense. Couldn't there be something more specific for 3- and 4-year olds, like "verbalizer" or "staller" or "no of course I don't need a nap. I'm not sleepy at all-er" or "must torment, startle, and otherwise bother baby sister every moment of every day-er." But now that I have a preschooler, I realize how apt a descriptor it is for this age. The kid is defined by my needing time away from him. To send him somewhere else for several hours of the day. Yes I love him. But holy. He can drive me crazy.

(Evolution has also been very wise in making children look so sweet and angelic when they're asleep. It has no doubt saved multitudes from being smothered in their sleep.)

Da Shmoo also has so many moments of awesomeness. He cracks me up and has such fun observations. When we can get beyond his stubbornness and my annoyance, we can really have a good time. Like last week in DC when he was supposed to be napping and instead was putting on a show for da Roo, who was also supposed to be napping. I just laughed, got them in their swimsuits, and went to the pool.

Shmoo and I were discussing Bob  L'Eponge recently. He asked me where sponges live and I said "Well, they're sea creatures, so they live in the water." Astute Shmoo responded. "Sponges don't live in the water. They live in the sink!"

We had broccoli recently, and I asked Shmooie whether he wanted Parmesan cheese. He did, so I brought out the green cannister. When he saw it, he said "where's the cheese?" It took me a moment, but then I realized he thought I was offering Parmis-on-cheese. So I got out a slice of muenster.

 

We went up to visit Nana this past weekend. (Nearly two years after that post, she is just now declining rather rapidly.) Shmoo was attentive, gentle, and loving with her. She would speak with us for a few minutes, but kept falling asleep. We let her rest, and then a nursing assistant wheeled her from the dining room back to her room. We were about to say our farewells and we told Shmoo that Nana was very sick and that we were going to let her know we love her. After she was situated, Shmoo walked right over to her side and said "I love you, Nana."

Comments

[SteveO]

ahem...got a little something in my eye...

[sgazzetti]

SO sweet. I'm happy to hear that Roo is being a compliant baby. Also that her head is well-formed.

Sorry to hear that Child 1 is a handful. We've got a similar thing going on. There are days when we wonder how we're going to make it. You were describing Adam, too, when you wrote the kid is defined by my needing time away from him.

We spend a lot of time asking each other, Whose idea was it to have two of them?

[Thomas Taylor]

Nice work on the literal creation of Parmis-on-cheese (Monster cheese, even!)! One of our favorite J moments was when he combined that mis-parsing (mis-parmissing?) of parmesan cheese with toddlerian word order confusion and requested cheese-on-parmis.

I can't imagine combining pre-schooler reticence with your Swiss-precision commute. Had to start putting L's clothes in a bag and tell her I was taking her naked self to school that way this am. They sure know where the buttons are, don't they!?

[Niki]

At least one of them isn't fussy, right? I too have heard well formed head. I was like "WHAT? That's all ya got. How about 'It's so wonderful that he has all his limbs.'"
I hear ya on the challenging preschooler. Noah is going in phases. He'll have a couple of days where he is being difficult and then a couple where he's so grown-up and heavenly. I wish I knew what forced the switch.
Love the sponge observations and cheese misunderstanding. And touching last moments with family leave me teary eyed.
PLEASE come visit us soon.

[supa]

chuckling. I have gotten the "perfectly formed head" thing many a time -- enough to give me a complex.

[Bearina]

I'm Bearina now, hmmm. Well, anyway Parmis-on-cheese. A classic!

Roo is 100% adorable and I'm glad she's grounded with a great personality so the dazzling blonde hair that comes out of that well formed head won't spoil her ;-).