Two front teeth

Melissa's second top tooth came in today. This after a grumpy day yesterday and a restless night. HOORAY! Two teeth in, 18 more to go... I'll try to snap a picture of her new pearly whites.

In some respects Melissa is remarkable like Matthew. Just like her predecessor, Melissa doesn't like to be bothered with diaper changes. She prefers to be on the move at all times and 1 minute to change soiled pants is too tedious for her. I've run out of tricks to amuse her and have occasionally resorted to pinning her down with one leg while I do diaper duty. She squawks and tries to roll over during the whole proceedure. I guess it's in the genes. Neither Jonathan nor I are particularily docile.

"I have an Idea!"

Matthew picks up on things so quickly now and likes to play pretend too. Yesterday he asked me, "What dat noise?" I told him I didn't know, I hadn't noticed a noise.
He then said, "I know! I have an Idea!"

He launched into an elaborate tale about two cars crashing outside making the noise.

Matthew also pretends to make things. A few days ago he got out some stacking cups, his toy castle, and some balls. When I asked him what he was doing, he answered, "I making hot chocolate for Mama, Dada, baby sister Lel'lis. Here." And he handed me the medium sized stacking cup with a ball in it, and an admonition to be careful because it was "hot". He then took the big stacking cup with a a ball in it, placed it atop his castle and spun the turret and cup while making humming sounds. (I think he was trying to replicate the microwave.) "Der Dada hot chocolate done."

-Rachel

Count to five

Our son has a very short fuse and gets frustrated easily. This wouldn't be so bad if he weren't a "Monk" (fictional oc detective) in miniature. Almost everything has to be a particular way or he flys off the handle. Seriously. For instance, at dinner if he gets the slightest drop on his hands or face he insists on a napkin then and there and will throw a barely used napkin in the trash and demand another one for the next spill (he used to run to the bathroom every time so this is an improvement). If we state that he must use the same napkin throughout dinner he falls apart. Don't even think of altering his bedtime routine in the slightest or there will be howls of protest.

During a particularly exasperating episode I decided to institute the counting game. Amazingly it worked! He counts to five when he starts to lose it. Most of the time I prompt him, but occasionally he'll start counting on his on accord. Counting only works for minor to medium frustrations, but hey, it's progress.

-Rachel

A couple more thoughts

Melissa cut her first tooth Friday. It's on the left, on her upper jaw, which Rachel tells me is unusual. Marching to her own drummer already...

Melissa is eating more and more solid food. She feeds herself cheerios and such in her high chair; she gets about half in her mouth now, and I recycle the other half from the seat of her chair when she's done. She also eats potatoes and carrots and she LOVES her mom's bean soup.

Matthew's diaper is dry when he wakes up, most of the time.

Melissa is thrilled, in her baby way, when Dad comes home from work. She hoots and crawls towards me eagerly. It's very flattering. Saturday I took Matthew out to burn off some energy at a play area and Melissa was most displeased that she wasn't invited. I almost took her, but I know how this turns out: 15 minutes later she's bored and wants to go home and see Mom, while Matthew's just barely getting started.

It's been a while

12 hour days starting at 6 AM mean I need to be in bed early if I'm going to do more than stare sleepily at the screen all day. Here's some capsule summaries of Peanut goings-on:

Bought a car Monday. ('94 Lincoln Mark VIII. Overpaid a bit, but Rachel was going stark raving mad not having a car -- my vette having failed to pass emissions -- so the alternative was paying $200/wk to rent something.) Matthew attached himself to a happy meal toy at Darin the seller's house, and threw a tantrum when we gave it back, so Darin gave it to him. ("We have a dozen of those anyway.")

We ate at a restaurant to celebrate the new car, and Matthew left his new toy behind. He was TICKED. I called that night and nobody had seen it, so he went to bed angry. (It's all Dad's fault, of course.) The next night I called the restaurant on my way home and they'd found the game under the table, so I picked it up. Matthew thanked me for 3 days. "I glad you find my dame, Dada."

Matthew is playing Sonic Advance for the GBA. I'm so proud. (I picked up an extra GBA at a used store yesterday, and the guy threw in a battery cover from a busted one, so now I can fix my existing, afterburner-enhanced GBA too. Woot for Phantasy Star collection!) It's a bit out of his league, though. Maybe in another year he'll hit his game boy stride.

Son of Pedantic Man

As a kid I had something of a reputation as an annoying little twerp who liked to correct his elders. In this respect at least I can't complain that Matthew doesn't follow in his dad's footsteps.

Tonight, for instance, I got a little exasperated with his apparent inability to sit at the table while eating. (He found making swimming motions on the floor under the table more amusing.) "Matthew," I said, "Dada sits at the table. Mama sits at the table. Even Baby sits at the table." Matthew saw a hole in my logic. "Dats not table! Dats hightsair [highchair]!"

Smooth Talker

Matthew now employs his 3 year-old powers of persuasion on his parents. Instead of resorting to a temper tamtrum when his will is crossed he'll say,

"Pume on! (Come on) Id be Fun!" or

"Pume on! It's good!" [J: usually when trying to get me to eat something]

He says this in a chirpy voice and with a grin on his face . The lastest use of this "power" occurred just after I taught joy school today. He wanted to watch his new Superman DVD. I said not right now, son. "Pume on, id be Fun!" He was so funny batting his eyes and grinning at me that I couldn't help myself and I laughed. He knows the battle is won if he can get his mom to laugh. Little imp! I had had an exhausting morning and so on second thought Superman sounded like a good idea to me too.

Daddy, The Royal Bottom Wiper

Jonathan had been working from home the last 2 weeks of December and Matthew was delighted with the arrangement. Since Daddy was home, Matthew decided to bestow the bottow wiping honor on his Daddy. Lucky Daddy! Yesterday Matthew hollered from the bathroom,

"I allll doonnne!"

"Okay I'm coming."

When I get to the bathroom. Matthew declares, "No! Dadda wipe!"

"Ugh, Matthew, Daddy's at work, so Mamma will wipe."

"No! Dadda go work, Dadda come home Maa-tthew's house, Dadda wipe."

"Son, Dadda will come home when it's dark outside, it's going to be a long time still."

Reluctantly he granted me bottom wiping authority, "Oo-tay, Mamma wipe."

-Rachel

First day in Primary

Matthew graduated from nursery, where they pretty much let the kids under 3 run around and play and eat snacks during the last 2 hours of church, into primary, where they actually try to keep them to sit still and pay attention. Although some slack is cut for the youngest group, the Sunbeams.

His teacher said Matthew has a severe case of the wiggles (tell me about it...) but was happy to go back and sit still when reminded. Until he forgot again, of course.

This brings two thoughts to mind:

"They grow up so fast."

"Man, I wish I had snack time at church!"