Toddler Speak

"Mitchshell"
"What?"
"Mitchshell"
"My show?"
"Mitchshell"
"My ball?"
"MITCHSHELL!"
I just don't know what the heck he was trying to say. After a few rounds of 'guess the toddler words', I give up and just nod and smile. Or say "oh" or "that's nice" and hope one of them covers it and he is satisfied. This one is certainly NOT as clear as the "BUCKLE ME!" one a while ago. Usually the parents of young little tikes are the ones that are able to translate for others when their toddler speaks, I am afraid that I am NOT a good translator. Although I do understand some things and the cutest of them all lately is when I am changing his diaper and he proudly taps his privates and says, "my pee-pee, my bawls".

Why, why, why, why...but why?!

I actually didn't totally realize how much I said, "Because I said so" until after starting this blog. And I find myself trying to give other answers, but when you keep hearing, "why?" after each answer you give, it breaks you down a bit and you have to reply with something more powerful! And then you still get a "why?". I really dislike that word. I know all the experts would say its great when kids ask why, they are being inquisitive and learning so much and nerve pathways in the brain are growing and connecting and if they don't use them, they lose them. Well from my perspective, my kids can stand to lose a few! If I could just have 33 less "why's?" a day....we would be doing good and I wouldn't even be writing about it.

Do you really know where your kids get their "brains"? They steal them from you with every little question and why that follows...it slowly (or not so slowly in my case) eats at your brain, so while their brain is growing, yours is shrinking! I know you have heard of "mommy brain"....it starts with simple little things like losing your keys or forgeting the diaper bag at home and grows into forgetting your kids at the grocery store (or the shoe store in Logan's case). I have resorted to counting heads (like a daycare) in order to make sure I have all of them with me when we are out. And I know you might be saying, "well, you do have 5 kids!" and that is exactly correct....I have 5 - FIVE - kids eating at my brain all day everyday!! It's amazing I am not sitting in a rubber room at the psych hospital right now. And I am sure as daddy would be explaining to Logan that mommy is at the hospital right now cause she went nuts, Logan would say, "why?"! And he would look totally innocent saying it too!

By the way, if you don't believe me, think about your own parents and their current capabilities. For example, my mom cannot operate a DVD player and has difficulties setting up her answering machine. Things that I often say "a monkey could do". I am sure as children my brothers and I stole that part of her brain with the constant nagging.

BAD PARENTS!

So tonight we were leaving the house to head out to Brandon's baseball game. We are driving down our looooong driveway and Logan is yelling something over and over....kinda sounds like, "BUCKLE ME! BUCKLE ME! BUCKLE ME!" None of us could figure out what he was saying and finally I said, "I dunno what he is trying to say!" Then Autumn says, "Is he buckled?" I turned around and NO, HE IS NOT BUCKLED!! Whoever put him in his carseat (was not me, I buckle immediately!) did not buckle him! (I think it was daddy) He was yelling at us to buckle him and none of use could figure it out. Poor kid, trying to be the responsible one and we are all just trying to ignore him cause we can't understand what he wants. (This happens occasionally with a toddler whose enunciation is not the best) Good thing is we didn't even get out of our driveway before we realized what was wrong and I praised him over and over for letting us know he was not buckled! Smart kid!