Maybe the "stars" really are like us... ;)

Russell Crowe's Son Destined to Marry Keith & Nicole's Daughter? - Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe : People.com

This article made me laugh, given that I sort of joke that Kiddo has a list of approved future brides (pretty much just the daughters of my dear friends or people I really admire, with extra points going to those girls whose parents read my blog ... and I request that he should get first shot at Miss Emmarae! :) ). I also thought Mikaela would appreciate this, since she too likes to match-make for Kiddo. It's good to know that Nicole Kidman and I are alike in one way. Too bad it isn't that we could be mistaken for twins...sigh.

Seriously, nobody should be allowed to look this good at 6 months pregnant-- unless we all did!

Gotta love Primary!

I think I neglected to post that almost 2 months ago, I was released from the Primary Presidency and called to teach the CTR-7 class (kids turning 7 years old in 2008). Even though they are a noisy bunch who demand treats and do not seem to realize that they are supposed to walk WITH their teacher to the classroom, I do already love them dearly. They all have their own quirks and cute personalities. For instance, one little girl likes to pause for effect in the middle of a story she's telling, and say, "We-ell, let's just say..." and continue with something like "... that wasn't a great idea."

Yesterday, the kid who I would say generally has the best manners of the group was looking at me intently, I assumed because he was listening to me teach, and suddenly stated, "You're really pale!"

"Yep," I replied, "I sure am."

"Why?" one of the other children asked.

"Uh, well, I was born that way I guess." By then I think the whole class was staring at me, attempting to sum up the situation. Trying to move past the awkwardness, I said, hopefully lightly, "It's pretty scary, isn't it? I look kinda like a vampire, don't I?"

They laughed, but they didn't disagree.... hmm....

If found, please return to:

Have you seen this guy? You know, the one who sleeps peacefully for several hours each night, and takes a nice healthy nap each afternoon?

The child who fell asleep on his own, sometimes so tired he could sleep in the oddest positions (yes, even after insisting we must not remove the shoes) and not even wake when we moved him?

It seems he has been abducted by aliens or something and replaced with this kid. You know, the one who leaves miles of messes in his wake? The one who wants to live it up all day, all night?

The child left in his place wants to party, party, party all the time and has no desire to let the Mama sleep!

This child has seemingly no end to his stores of energy and excitement. He is very cute, but more than exhausting. I am wondering if he has some serious demands, and he is trying to wear me down until I am ready to concede.

If you see my real Kiddo, the one who will cuddle a bit and then settle down and rest a while, please send him home! I miss him terribly, and I'm afraid his alien clone is going to send me to an early grave.

If you're wondering, this is the main reason I haven't commented on anyone's blog in a long time. I apologize. I'm just too tired for words. All I can think to say is to reiterate that you are all wonderful and your kids are beautiful. I hope they are all letting you get a good night's sleep, and maybe even a nice little nap here and there.

How much is too much?

Kiddo "reading" The Monster at the End of This Book,
one of my childhood favorites

If you've been reading the blog a while, you've probably noticed that I write a lot about my Kiddo. And that's natural, I suppose, since he is the focus of my life right now AND I love him to pieces. You've probably also observed that Kiddo is not your average toddler. In fact, he's really a lot smarter than he ought to be at this age. I don't say this to boast. I say it because it's true. But I've been hesitant lately to say TOO much about him and what he's been doing these days, and here's why: People are always stopping us to ask us how old he is, or to comment on how well he speaks. Sometimes they've heard him counting, or spelling "EXIT," or saying his ABCs or singing. If I had a dollar for every time we've been told that he's smart, I'd probably have a good start on his college fund. Some people have commented that we should "have him tested." Others tell us he should be on TV, many have suggested that I should definitely home-school. And some people, when told that he was two in June, look at him in shock, then look at us, look at him again, and shake their heads. And I wonder what they're thinking.

Daddy-O thinks some of them are uncomfortable because their kid doesn't do what Kiddo does. He is also afraid that the people who are really excited about Kiddo's skills might try to steal him. I know there are some people who just think he's cute and delightful. Some make a big point to say that I must work with him A LOT, which I don't think I do really. I think some probably think we're prideful and just drill him all day so he can show off and make us look good. Have you seen the movie Parenthood, in which Rick Moranis is pushing his toddler, Patty, to be the world's greatest genius even if it kills him and his wife? Yeah, well, we're not like that at all! Frankly, for the first year, I thought Kiddo would be much more like Steve Martin's little kid who just likes to spin around a lot-- and I was fine with that.

But Kiddo isn't like that. And I am proud of him. But I would be proud of him no matter what, because he is my son and I love him. To me, he's the best kid ever just because he's my kid-- not because I'm so special, or even that Daddy-O is special, but just because he's his own little wonderful guy. He also just so happens to know lots of countries adults have never heard of, and can tell you the authors of all his favorite books, knows the words to many songs, and now, knows all 43 U.S. presidents' names and "numbers." He likes to play with calculators. He doesn't build with blocks. He spells with them and makes 2-digit numbers. But it's because he likes to do these things, because he is innately curious, and he is possibly just a genius.

All we've done is had a home with books and maps and toys. We've read a little bit to him every day. We sing every day to him, and play different kinds of music. I like to talk, so I talk to him a lot. He doesn't watch a lot of TV, but he does watch Elmo or Arthur or Letter Factory almost every day-- maybe too much on some days. We've pointed out letters and words and numbers, just because we thought he'd need to know them some day. We answer his many, many questions the best we can. We've had no definite expectations for him, except that we hoped he'd be happy and enjoy learning. Heck, I mostly bought the U.S. Presidents placemat because I thought it would be interesting for me to learn. I thought it would be years before he picked it up himself!

Really, a lot of the things you're supposed to do, I haven't. I had to quit breastfeeding after 3 and a half weeks because of all my meds. We don't buy organic because we can't afford it. He's never had fish because I can't stand even the smell of it. He gets pizza at least once a week. You can hardly get him to eat a vegetable these days. I rarely play classical music, even though I like it, but because he likes music with words. I haven't always picked him up when he's crying. Sometimes I let him cry it out. We're not in a Play Group. The only special activity he regularly goes to is Story Time. He started watching segments of Elmo's World at four months just so I could run to the bathroom or take a five-minute shower. I've spanked him a few times, which I regret, but haven't totally given up. Sometimes I'm very distracted by my own stuff. Sometimes I wonder if I've somehow doomed him to a life of nerdiness. Other times I feel terrified that I won't be able to guide and teach him well enough for him to reach his potential because, for heaven's sakes, I'm really not that smart!

Anyway, what I'm taking a LONG time to say is that, I do want to share what Kiddo is doing, and I want you to know that it is for the right reasons. But I also really hope it doesn't make anyone uncomfortable. I just wonder sometimes, how much is too much? How much is too little?

WARNING: Could be hazardous to your health!

So, I haven't blogged much lately. Not a lot is going on here, really, except that the guys have icky colds and Daddy-O's grad school assignments are really eating into my computer time. Hmph! ;) And then there's Kiddo's recent feeling that HE needs to type too. He actually tried to push me off the chair this morning! Kiddo now has about 20 or so sight words now, and has learned to spell them all, too. So now he wants to type all those words every day. He gets very excited every time he sees the W for Word appear on the computer screen. But he gets a little impatient waiting for the program to load, so I've taught him to watch the hourglass until it pops up. Here's a photo of some of what he typed today. He doesn't totally get the concept of the spacebar yet, so the words run together. Can you find them? I count 14 that he made on purpose, 2 by accident.


Last week I found a book called Pizza at Sally's at the Library. Not only is the whole book about making pizza (one of the great joys of Kiddo's life), but there is also a page with lots of signs and Kiddo LOVES traffic signs. He even decided we needed to name the cat in the book, as well as the children in the "School Crossing" sign! However, the bad thing about this book (other than the cat helping to make the pizza-- yuck!!) is that the word PIZZA is repeated many, many times and now Kiddo can spell it, too. Daddy-O and I learned long ago that if we said "PIZZA," no matter how quietly, the kid would start begging for it. So, for about a year, we've been saying "p-i-z-z-a" instead. Ha, ha. Yeah, so now we have no code word for pizza. As my niece Emily pointed out, it's not like you can even say it in a different language, because it seems that the whole world calls it the same thing. I had thought that one of the good things about being so much older than my kid was that I'd be able to spell things so he wouldn't know what I was talking about. But it's all over now. We're going to try spelling it backwards, but it's only a matter of time I guess, before he figures that out too. Sheesh.

The other thing preventing me from blogging is that I joined Facebook last week and have been spending LOTS of time on that. Probably too much time. At least that's what my back, neck, and wrists have been telling me. But I tell you, that Facebook is addictive! It has been so fun to find friends who I haven't seen in years! And then there are all these dumb little things that you can add to your profile that are sorta fun, even though they're hardly necessary. The sad thing is that I'm a horrible correspondent, and now I have even more people I want to stay in contact with so I suppose I'll be even worse now. :( I apologize. I love you all. Really I do. And, hey, if you love me back, even just a little, leave a comment, okay? :)

"You can do it! I know you can!"

Australia?

I was checking my sitemeter today, and it said someone checked the Blog from Australia! I'm not sure who it was, but my Kiddo loves Australia! It's his "favorite country." We've taught him to say, "G'day, mate!" so he can fit in if he ever goes there. ;)

I've been wishing I knew someone who was going to Australia who could send him a postcard or even a cool little souvenir. But what do you do? Email everyone you know and say, "Hey, anybody going to Australia?" as though it's just another everyday activity? Well, I have actually thought about it!

So, anyway, if you're in Australia, post a comment and let me know who you are and if I can bribe you into getting a little surprise for my Kiddo.

More funnies from Kiddo

I just love to hear what Kiddo will say next. Here's a few of his recent quips:

• On the bus to the Library yesterday, "My friend is Mommy... and Daddy."
• At the Library, by the puppet show booth, "I'm scared of the puppets!"
• During breakfast today, "B is for Bagel!"
• To the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It," I always sing something like, "You're the cutest little Kiddo in the world. You're the funniest little Kiddo in the world. You are the smartest Kiddo in the whole wide world. You're my favorite Kiddo in the whole wide world." When I get to the part about him being the funniest, he's started agreeing, "That's right." Ah, yes, I'm doing a great job of teaching him to be humble.
• Our street has HORRIBLE uneven, broken sidewalks that are often littered (by people leaving the gas station, I suppose). I was pushing Kiddo in his stroller this afternoon, when we approached a particularly hazardous spot. "Be careful, Mommy!" he called out.
• I was drinking a glass of pop, and (gasp) accidentally burped. Before I had a chance to say anything, he sweetly scolded, "Excuse me, Mommy!"
• But I think my favorite of the day was while we were on our walk. A man walking toward us was wearing a red and white football jersey with the number 88 emblazoned on the front. "Look!" Kiddo cried, "Eighty-eight!" I agreed that yes, the man was wearing #88 on his shirt. "AWESOME!" he breathed. As the completely oblivious man passed us, Kiddo turned around in his stroller to watch the jersey going away. "That's really cool."

Buyer's Remorse

Or, why you shouldn't shop when you're tired and hungry...

Friday night I had a terrible case of insomnia, so I stayed up VERY late loading videos of Kiddo on to Google Videos (so I can just share them with specific friends or family members). Saturday morning came way too fast, and after a small breakfast we went to the Library for Storytime. We ended up spending quite a bit of time there, and afterwards we went to Aldi to pick up some groceries.

By the time we got to Aldi, Kiddo and I were both famished, and I was about to fall over from being so tired. He was getting whiny about having to ride in the cart, and then he saw me put M&Ms in the cart, but I refused to give him any (mean, mean Mommy). The whining escalated. As I turned down the next aisle, he cleverly spotted a toy he's played with before at his beloved Target, and asked to hold it. He promised to stop whining, so I handed it to him in hopes of a more relaxing trip. By the time we were ready to check out, he was becoming unwilling to part with this toy. I mentioned to Daddy-O that it was on sale for $7.99 which was a much lower price than we'd previously seen (about $20). I further pointed out that it was an educational toy, with games involving spelling, telling time, counting. Then I supposed that it would be a good toy for a long car trip, since it has so many features. Daddy-O considered it, and said we might as well buy it. A little voice in my head asked, "Are you sure? Does he really need it? Can you truly afford it?" Then the evil voice said, "Oh, but it's on sale-- such a good deal!" Obviously I wasn't thinking clearly due to the hunger and exhaustion, so I said, "Yeah. Let's get it."

All the way home Kiddo played with this toy. As soon as we got in the door, he resumed playing with the toy. In order to get him to eat or take a nap, we had to drag him away from the toy. When he woke up, he went back to the toy. The next day, the first thing he said to Daddy-O was, "Go get the new alphabet toy?" When Daddy-O asked him if he wanted to go say good morning to Mama, Kiddo replied "NO" and moved straight past him to go down the stairs. He cried when we told him he couldn't take it to Church. He ran for it as soon as we returned home in the afternoon. And on and on and on...

On the one hand, great, he loves the toy. He's more interested in it than in watching TV or getting into mischief. Theoretically, I could get lots of things done since he is so wrapped up in this toy. On the other hand....

One of the settings is "Music." I may have mentioned before that Kiddo LOVES music. He has since he was in the womb. So I showed him that each letter plays a different song. So, of course he is really no longer interested in any of the educational games. And for 3 days now, he has been playing song after song after song after song after song after.... and mostly just a few of his favorites. Some of the "arrangements" of these songs are a little manic, and kinda give me a headache. Plus the lights flash in different patterns for each song. And, here's the best part, he wants to share this toy with me. He wants me to sit with him and tell him each song title and teach him all the words, even the ones I don't know or don't like. I think I'm going to go crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, there's an off button, and actually the toy goes off by itself if he leaves it alone for a while. BUT, it tells him goodbye when it turns off. So he gets upset and runs back over and turns it on again. Every time that happens, it makes the sound of a phone ringing. Why? I don't know. Probably just to send me to the nuthouse.

But if you could see the joy it brings to his face... ai-yi-yi... what am I going to do?

Love this Little Girl!

Can I just say, that while I'm still undecided about the November elections, I think Piper Palin ROCKS! Here she is at her mommy's 2006 Inauguration. Clearly, Gov. Palin has been upstaged a few times by her little cutie.

Tongue Twisters

Kiddo really likes to hear me say different tongue twisters. I can't even remember when or why I started doing them, but I think this is his favorite. At least, it's the only one he says back to me!