love it or hate it

overheard at dalia's most recent playdate from her two yr old friend: "dolly, will you put my shoes on?"  also overheard at a recent playdate from another two yr old friend:  "dalia, stop! stop!  no!" 

concerning dalia's repetitive obsession with putting on and taking off shoes for others- you either love it or hate it!

the 'polkadot baby' adoption

Claire first came to our home as the baby kindin picked out with her grandmother at the store.  as one of many dolls kindin liked to caretake, Claire was THE favorite baby- even earning status in kindin's bed at night.  dalia watched jealously from afar and often snuck Claire when the opportunity presented itself.  if kindin was not looking, Claire was in dalia's clutches which would upset kindin and necessitate parent intervention.  dalia soon came up with a smarter game plan and began seizing 'kindin's baby' only when kindin wasn't around (ie. during the school day).  but, every night there was an argument as a frustrated and tired kindin searched the house for where claire had gone.  this angry cycle repeated itself and grandma pleaded to step in with a second baby claire but even she could agree that that wasn't an effective solution.  the anger continued to build and dad stepped in with a very clever reframe.  dad began applauding kindin for getting such a great 'babysitter' while she was gone.  because kindin could hardly argue with that,  she soon began thanking dalia for babysitting every day.  they had inherited a very happy arrangement- dalia babysitting days and kindin had her beloved baby in bed every night.  time passed and kindin soon forgot about claire but dalia did not forget about 'kindin's baby'.  in spite of at least 8 other babies in her possession, dalia always preferred 'kindin's baby'.  she even boldly renamed her 'polkadot baby' when she sensed kindin's lack of care and concern!  claire has essentially been adopted to dalia as polkadot baby and dalia couldn't be happier.  she coos to her and cuddles with her.  she tries to help her walk.  she reads to her and she even reprimands her.  when dalia's upset, the easiest way to redirect her is to ask about polkadot baby.

   
 but she never asks to sleep with polkadot baby- it appears some happy arrangements die hard!

the great niobium experiment

Nb: I really enjoyed the periodic table in middle school but, in all of my memorizing, I have no recollection of niobium.  once unknown to me, niobium is now a hot commodity (or should I say element?) in the parry household.  it all started with a few unsuccessful trials with a variety of different earrings (we'll call them 'variables').   kindin's ears never truly accepted her white gold starter set and reacted more severely to her second, third, and fourth sets of varying compositions.  after hours of wiki/ yahoo/ google fact-checking and consultations with the experts at claire's  (I know- extremely calculated deduction methods), it sounds like kindin is not only allergic to nickel and some metals but alloys in general.  and although the obvious, immediate answer is purchasing high karat gold earrings- have you ever price checked that?  and have you ever tried to find a pair congruent with 7 yr. old tastes?  there had to be another answer to kindin's ear sensitivities.  so, I 'researched' (translated loosely) and nobium emerged as a fairly easy answer to her troubles.  (aside from being able to step into target and just buy earrings at a reasonable price like any normal person! note: scientific sarcasm)  i will say my bibliography heavily sources a miss Maggie from an unknown town in florida but she seemed to know what she was talking about.  so, a hopeful mother (ahem scientist) wanting to increase her sad little girl's chance of success with earrings, sent $53 to an unknown niobium artist.  kindin squealed for joy when Maggie's creations appeared in the mailbox; her 'wear earrings again' claim was tested immediately.  and within days, the oozing, discomfort, and itching stopped!  In fact, the subject reports that she doesn't even feel like she has earrings in.  the great niobium experiment appears to have really worked!

creative (aka sneaky, desperate)

jack has already decided that love and affection from his parents is uncool.  it usually manifests itself as a wiping off of bedtime kisses but has become a rejection of all things hugs too.  of course we still give them but he still rejects them... and, of course, while still desperately needing them!  so we're left using creative (aka sneaky, desperate) means to give affection.  this morning, I was successful when I snuck into his room right as I knew he'd wake up and laid there waiting for him to wake up.  we chatted and cuddled before his manly defenses were up.  and he was singing all the way to school!  his father was successful getting affection by creating (what's always worked for jack) a paradoxical intervention.  and we've found competitions for who is the best at giving kisses also works- mom even got a kiss on the lips with that sneaky trick.  luckily, our creative devices have given him the affection he needs again! 

... just another of those times I scratch my head at parenthood- never imagining the amount of creativity (aka sneakiness, desperation) needed to successfully meet your child's needs!

3 little bug catchers

we've recently found an outdoor hobby all 3 kids absolutely love... and spend hours doing together!  every day, they unite in the great cause of catching cicadas, crickets, roly poly bugs, and butterflies.
 

only child perks

the other day, dalia admitted with a sly grin that she liked having jack and kindin at school.  I giggled that she admitted to what's so painfully obvious!  within just two short weeks, she has already become quite accustomed to an only child lifestyle.  the perks include:

-a LOT of hand holding! "mommy, hold my hand pwease"
-a regular playdate with 4 toddler cuties
-she often gets 'copcorn' on target errands
-free reign to sample her sibling's carseats
-yogurt and goldfish for lunch or self-serve nutella sandwiches

-sometimes, she gets naptime with mommy rather than in her bed
-piggyback rides to the park

-sneaking into siblings' lipgloss collections (and a variety of other collections)
-helping herself to the gummy 'spidermans' (vitamins)
-trying on everyone's 'shoop shops' (flip flops)
and
-eating 'licky' (minty) gum whenever she pleases