After soccer on Tuesday we joined some of Harrison's soccer friends at a little playground next to the field. He immediately climbed to the top of the play structure and called out to his friend, Lauren, as her mother was changing her into play clothes, "You want to play E.T.?"
She immediately responds, "Do you want to play Cinderella?" "Well. ...I'll think about it." he answered back.
They played the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf.
We started hosting a Home Group at our house this month and found a great deal on a new Love Seat and Sofa. This morning I asked Harrison to get his clothes from the Love Seat and hand them to me.
Daddy took him to bed, we often take turns with story reading and tucking in, but he came down to get a drink for Harrison. So I took the water up to him.
After a drink, he hugged me, I hugged him tighter and told him, "I love you so, so much." with tears welling up in my eyes. (yeah, I was having a mommy-moment)
Harrison says as he holds me in the hug, "I love YOU so, so much. I love you when you're sad, I love you when you're angry, I love you when you're happy, I love you when you're glad."
Daddy taught him that.
Then he said, "I love you way, way far away into outer space and Ster Trek."
Can't beat that.
Getting ready for his Thanksgiving Program at School.
Mmm, I made Eggplant Parmesan the other night and it has been a yummy leftover in the fridge to score for lunch! the night I served it for dinner Harrison says to me,
"You're a good eggplanter, Mama!"
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We went shopping and picked up some mini Jack-o-Lantern pumpkins, as well as other delicious fall foods, when we arrived hiome Harrison dug the pumpkins out of the bag to show daddy.
"Daddy look!" he crys, "Baby Jacqueline pumpkins!"
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And finally last weekend Harrison and I sat down to play a riveting round of Break the Ice. We set it all up and Harrison starts carefully tapping away on a corner cube.
I wait.
He rhythmically taps.
I wait...longer.
He taps patiently.
I began to squirm.
Wait, who's the child here?
He continues tapping.
I sigh.
He looks at me with a smile and says, "It's going to take a while, huh?"
This morning, after a long sleepless night, we came downstairs to start our morning routine. I don't know about you, but for us, the morning routine always starts with using the bathroom. I walked into the bathroom and Harrison came in behind me closed the door and said,
"Okay. Let's do this."
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I was organizing and processing some pictures from the last few weeks when Harrison yells, "I want to see the screwdriver mommy!"
What?
"The screwdriver, I want to see the screwdriver again."
Ugh. I have NO IDEA what he's talking about, logic is just not working for me here. Then he adds, "The screwdriver in the water with the salad."
Ah-ha!
Meet the screwdrivers.
And check out the 'salad' in his hand to feed the fish.
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Harrison has taken the initiative to pray for our meals lately. The sweet prayers usually start like this,
Pray Jesus, For our food... Soccer is tomorrow... (or "no soccer today") Dukie doesn't play soccer...
AMEN!
And this evening as we sat eating our Tomato soup for dinner after Harrison prayed, he reached over and cupped his hand on my forearm and said, "Mommy, you make good soup. I like yours soup."
I slaved over the hot stove all day for that soup to hear him say that. Okay fine, I bought it at Trader Joe's.
We were in the car stopped at a stop light the other day when Harrison saw [what I thought was] a movie poster. He points to it and says,
"Mommy look! Her dreaming. Her dreaming 'bout... her dreaming 'bout..."
Pause
"I don't know what her dreaming 'bout."
Last week Harrison started calling me My Darling. He says it in a drawn out sigh - "My Daarrrleeng".
He uses it most often when he is rejecting something like when I asked him if he was ready to get into the car, "No, My Darling...", he replies.
I asked him the other day if he was ready to get out of the shower (at which time he was lying on the shower floor playing in the "rain"). He responds "Not yet, My Mother, My Darling".
If I use My Darling, he corrects me and says, "No. I say My Darling, you don't say My Darling."
Oops, sorry.
But the question that keeps coming up - even when pulling into the driveway after a long day of fun is -
"Are we going to a fun place?" "Are we going somewhere fun?"
Yes, I mentioned it before, but I've heard it every day, at least twice a day for the last 3 weeks.
So when all else fails - take him to he Fun Factory on the pier - It's like Chuck E. Cheese - without the Chuck E. Cheese. And pizza. And billions of obnoxious kids madly dashing around pumped up on various artificial sweeteners.
Last night as I pulled the plug from the drain to let the water out Harrison routinely began covering up the drain with the duck shaped slip guards while singing:
The ducky saved the day, Ducky saved the day, I know a dairy-O! Ducky saved the day!
"Do you have something hungry?" Harrison asks a secretary at the office. In other words, "do you have a cookie for me, I'm hungry for a cookie".
I'm not sure where he got this, but it works for him.
As I was making [a late] dinner tonight, he calls out, "Mommy, I need something hungry!" Again, the actual translation would be, "I'm hungry, I need something to eat".
I love it, I think I'll cut my words back and start using this phrase.
After all, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Let's start with words.
Last week was the GID's birthday, I asked Harrison what he wanted to do for his Daddy on Daddy's birthday. He said make cupcakes. So last Thursday, after a trip to the park, we came home and made cupcakes before nap.
They were a big hit at the dinner with our friends to celebrate the G.I.D.'s birthday.
I made a list of words late last year. A short list of the sweet words that Harrison started using regularly as he began to carve out his position in language.
I realized some of those sweet little cute-isms have already given way to proper pronunciations. It leaves my proud of his accomplishments and sad that this boy is growing SO FAST.
We were walking to the car from an elevator, Harrison stopped in the threshold of the elevator for a moment. I turned and watched him.
"Will it close, mommy?"
"When you step out it will close."
He waits for a moment and I wonder what he thinks about. Then he runs toward me.
"Thank you elevator!"
Then he adds, "The elevator says, Thank you too, Harrison."
I comment on the nice manners of the elevator...but I also realize that Harrison no longer says "Up-vador"
I have had my parenting challenges over the last month, Harrison has reared his stubborn, defiant side; yet in the same breath he will plead " I NEED you Mommy!"
I often think about that some-day when he will no longer say, "I need you."
It will come far too quickly, I'm sure.
When I think of that I often stop my work, my dishes, my laundry - and take the moment he needs - to hold him and tell him I love him.
It's not like a year ago when Harrison would pick up a word or phrase and use it for a week at a time until the better word came along. Now he just talks incessantly and if I don't jot something down it's gone in a flash!
But there are those classic moments that stand out.
Like last weekend.
It started in the car, Harrison, the G.I.D and I went to the Aquarium, on the way we stopped at a light and Harrison (in his best Lisa Simpson voice -I found out later) said,
"Are we here yet? Are we here yet?"
Surprised, the GID asked me, "Where did he learn that??" I shrugged. He turned and responded to Harrison "Not yet, we have to get on the Freeway..."
Harrison interupted, (in his best Homer Simpson voice -and it's good)
"No, No, NO, NOO!"
Then it dawned on me... I told the GID that we had heard part of a commercial on the radio the week before. I didn't know what it was.
Shortly after that, as if the radio gods were listening in on our conversation, the commercial came on the radio again.
It's the Simpson's ride opening at Universal Studios Hollywood!
We burst into laughter - realizing how Harrison put it together. At three years old, he understood the joke of a short radio spot enough to try it out on his daddy.
And of course, once we laughed, he had to imitate the radio spot a few hundred more times with that cute little cheeky grin of his saying "Are we here yet, no,no, NOOO!"
Laughter is just the reception that 3-year-olds enjoy receiving.
We shouldn't be too surprised, after all several months ago [before he turned 3] we were all lying in bed one morning, getting over colds, when he sat up and said, "I'm sick. [pause] Nice to meet you."
"Snow make you cold and chilly and make you shake." - Followed by a very intense, full-body shudder.
Checking out the dog under the table, "Oh Duke, you have so many hair! Where did you get that hair come from? Dukie, poor dog." When it's time to race: "On your Markets! Set! Go!"
Daddy put Harrison in a jammy that was too small the other night, Harrison's response, "My Skeleton is too big for this Daddy, I need to tell mommy that my bones are growing."
But his all time distraction lately is gender and family structure. Daily conversations include, "Mommy, you a woman and I am a boy, I'm a son. Big Brother is a boy. Daddy is a man. Daddy is a father. Big Brother is a son and Daddy is a son. Dukie is a boy. You are a girl, I am a boy. We are a family."
A couple of non-information based moments:
This week when I ask him what he is doing when he is out of eye shot, he responds, "Nothing, Mom!"Gah![Hey you're not a teenager, yet buddy.]
Yesterday, we had a little friend come over for a play date [or maybe it was a mommy play date]. He's 8 months younger than Harrison and during their time together, Harrison got hurt. When he was all finished with crying, he got down, looked Parker in the face and gently said, "Hey, you didn't say sorry to me, you pulled on me and I hurt my head on the chair. You need to say sorry to me. You didn't say sorry." Parker sweetly answered, "[sic, sic, sic] shawry [sic] [sic] shho oh, ah, oh [sic] yeah. [sic]" Harrison was happy with the answer. Apparently he understood everything.
Big Brother has TheeCoolest room for a 3-year-old to venture into. He has TONS of Star Wars stuff, cars, musical instruments and Legos.
Plenty of Legos.
Now Harrison is still too young for Legos really; but when he goes in to play while Daddy plays electric guitar, he gets to examine and sometimes play with the Legos. Such was the case after nap yesterday.
The G.I.D. came downstairs to take care of a quick business message and when he went back up to check on Harrison, he had lined up Legos on the rug to examine them.
The G.I.D. asked, " You like the Legos?"
Harrison responded: " Mm-hmm. They're kinda cool."
On Tuesday Harrison had enough energy for 5 kids, no exaggeration! It started shortly after he woke up and continued until the G.I.D, took over and put him down for a nap at 3:30PM. He slept until 7:00PM. Amazingly, he was back asleep by 9:30PM. Phew!
That morning I was trying to get an assignment finished for work so I could get us out of the house to run off some of that energy; but as it goes with toddlers, Harrison was slowing down the process.
He wanted a Smoothie and he needed it NOW. I was trying to reason with him, help him understand that he needed to be patient and wait for mommy to finish some work. (Reasoning with a 3-year-old - RIGHT!) After several moments of a smoothie dance complete with chant - Maw-mee, I need a smoodie. Mommy, you make me a smoodie? I neeeed a smoodie, mommy. Make me a smoodie - he climbed onto my lap, locked his arms around me neck (while I'm still trying to type) and continued the smoothie chant; then he paused and sighed,
"This little boy needs a Smoodie."
Luckily I didn't spew coffee all over my keyboard when I burst into laughter.
I mentioned that we visited the spider exhibit at the zoo recently. A BIG spider exhibit.
As in big spiders.
Harrison was (in all his boy-ness) absolutely enthralled! I, on the other hand, went along for the ride, I took pictures, I tried not to squirm.
Since then he randomly brings up his new choice in pets,
"Mommy, I want a furry pet spider!"
"Oh, you do?"
"Yees, a big fuzzy spider that sits in my hand and tickles me."
He tells me this as he holds his hand out in demonstration. The other hand pretending to pet said spider. Now loved ones, don't get any grandiose ideas of the perfect gift for Harrison. No quiet, furry, timid, sweet, gentle, tarantula.
Uh-uh.
Gentle and timid or not, Harrison is NOT getting one of those until he buys it himself and takes it off with him to college! Or is married and convinces his spider-loving wife that it's a perfect first anniversary gift and pet.
As we go to bed this evening, he says:
"Mommy I need a pet yellow spider."
"You need a yellow spider?"
"Yes, Mom. A furry spider that I hold with hair that tickles my hand."
Harrison is growing by leaps and bounds and the cute little sayings just keep coming... Here are the newest additions to our conversations.
On Friday I needed to examine a toy before I would commit to a purchase; I HATE when they seal the box like Fort Knox and you can't get a look at what you are buying until you get home, uh-uh. Anyway, we sat on the floor in the toy section of a large store as I was tried to get everything closed and back into the box. Harrison was happy to support me with the process, while I'm grumbling, closing and cramming said toy into box he says,
"Oh, it's tricky!"
Where did that one come from? I love it
Last Thursday we went to an Inside Playground to meet up with some friends to play and have lunch. The GID had taken Harry to the backyard to play for a few minutes so could I finish up a couple things to get us out of the house. Once done, I went out and called Harrison to go on our play date. He excitedly dropped a baseball bat and ball saying,
"Sorry Daddy! Gotta go! Gotta go Daddy, sorry."
He has used this one several times this week, it still cracks me up! I picked him up from school - same thing.
Today as he played with his new "Star Whores" rocket ships he needed help so he walked over to Big Brother and asked,
"You do me favor?"
Other words: C3PO is known as - Golden Robot CTPO R2D2 is - Baby Robot R2D2 Then there is - Dar Bader
We don't take baths around here, we Take a Baps.
And in the morning we eat our favorite (very yummy) cereal from Trader Joes - Just the Clusters Only Harrison asks for - Milk and Customers.
"Mommy, I want Star Whores Rocketship for my Party!"
Exact translation would be: Star Wars Rocket for my Birthday.
You say Birthday, I say Party, whatever just get the ship, mom.
That's what it all comes down to now days. He even talks to me in song to the tune of STAR WARS! He gives a whole new meaning to singing for your supper! He has had his awakening.
Confusing Party with Birthday is understandable considering that we have attended several Birthday Parties recently; but I've noticed that he tends to turn some regular phrases or words around often.
Another cute oops! he has is...
"You Show Me!"
It started a few weeks ago when Big Brother's mom stopped in to pick him up; immediately Harrison grabbed her hand and pulled her to the table to show her something saying, "You show me! You show me!"It was so cute, all could I do is say, "Are you showing Big Brother's mommy that?
Honestly, my mommy-brain has left me wanting for what it was that excited him that day.
He has taken to peppering his speech with cute little key phrases like: "Maybe we will..." "Maybe we can..." (fill in the blank}
Hey, I have idea!
The other day, he was playing upstairs with the GID, The GID was making hand puppets, not too unlike the crazy General Garcia 1979's The In Laws. (A far superior movie to the 2003 remake.) Only the GID can't find a pen to draw a face on his hand. Suddenly Harrison jumps up and tells him, Wait Daddy! I have idea! He runs out of the room.
Downstairs, I"m working on the computer, Harrison walks in and nonchalantly says, "Hey mommy."
I glance up at him, he puts his hand up and says, "Wait there mommy, I be right back. I come back, okay?"
"Okay, honey." Out of the corner of my eye, I think I see crayons in his hand as he exits the room.
Unbeknownst to me, back upstairs, problem is solved. Crayons are used to get a face on daddy's hand.
And there was toddler laughter heard throughout the land.
I just wanted to let you in on a couple (albeit, silly) events that WE are excited about!
First and foremost, if you live in Southern California you have heard of (or maybe even been to) Six Flags Magic Mountain. Just over a year ago the new owners of the Six Flags Corporation made a decision to sell 8 of it's theme parks - as a package or individually - preferably to another theme park company; Magic Mountain (One of Six Flags 4 top $$ grossing parks) was included in that list. Why? Let's face it, it had become a teen riff-raff hot spot due to low-cost season passes and lots of thrills. Not so much family-friendly any more. Heck, a remodeled Bugs Bunny World had it's big Grand Opening in 1997 and today it looks like it's 30 years old. Not to mention that the land it sits on is worth - well, a LOT of money. Here in Los Angeles once the media and Real Estate developers got wind of the potential sale (and hints of closure) everyone went wild. For a year it was like wolves on a kill. Dogs and Cats living together. Mass Chaos.
But the bottom line is that it didn't sell. Only that doesn't make for interesting news.
It didn't close. Although people STILL say to me, "I thought it closed."
It is, AND has been open.
And for a mother of a toddler boy, it's getting better in 2008!
Why do you ask? Not only is Six Flags eventually bringing The Wiggles to it's flagship theme park; but this spring Thomas the Tank Engine will become a PERMANENT ATTRACTION AT MAGIC MOUNTAIN!
And if you don't believe me, check it out for yourself right here!
I can't tell you how excited we are and if your scratching your head because you only know me through this blog. Well, this morning as the GID was getting ready to leave for work, Harrison asked, "Can I go to work with you daddy?"
Harrison has been to Disneyland countless times; but he's never gone to "work" with daddy (well since his birth anyway), I think that's all about to change in 2008!
As for the other exciting news for us, we ran across this little trailer on the internet this morning, purely by accident. Disney/Pixar's latest creative venture.
Introducing WALL E
Now we are probably the last to find out since we never go to movies in the theater, but now we have begun a WALL E count down to June 2008.
Harrison watched these videos over and over this morning. One time I walked out of the room to get something and I hear it start again; when I come in, Harrison proudly exclaims, "I DID IT! ON MY OWN!
And that, my friends, is another favorite phrase of Harrison's lately.
On. My. Own!
Before we know it, he'll be going to Magic Mountain on his own...EEEK!
A couple months ago every other word out of Harrison's mouth was "Wheydameenut!" It's a hoot watching him test each new phrase in every aspect of his little life from eating, playing to bathing - ALL DAY LONG we would hear it... "Whey-Da-Meeen-Nut!"
I'm not sure where he picked it up from but it had us rolling on the floor. Because he used it for LITERALLY EVERYTHING.
This was an explosion on the Harrison vocabulary front!
Unfortunately, due to the holidays, illnesses and my work schedule, those best, first moments of that beautiful word rolling from his mouth eluded me. But the GID and I will always remember the sing-songy way in which Harrison would declare "Wait a Minute!"
He still uses it; but it no longer saturates every thought and sentence. Rather, when he turns to find something missing from his view as he's playing, or his curiosity is suddenly spiked, I will hear, "Whey-dah-meeeen-nut!"
More recently he asked to put a movie that was sitting on his little table in the VCR; during the time that he turned from the table to the TV and back again, I had picked it up from behind him and put it on top of the TV.
(Okay, I was trying to avoid putting a movie on...)
He looked at the empty table and let out a curious, "Hmmmm..." slowly glanced left to right and then uttered, "WHEY-DA-MEEEN-NUT!"
I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the Laurel & Hardy, slight-of-hand moment that I had just caused for Harrison. I could see his little mind just going - the video was right here, I just saw it, where did it go?
I told him I moved the video and then I caved. We watched Lilo and Stitch.
Can you believe I started this post on 12/14/07? Wait a minute!
Lately when I put my head in my hands for any reason, be it frustration in the moment or a juicy headache that has stuck around for 3 days, Harrison will come up to me and rest his hand on my back and gently say, "It's okay, mommy; it's okay."
Last week we went up to brush teeth, potty and do our bedtime routine. Everything was going as planned when Harrison suddenly had had enough with his "listening ears" for one night. He no longer wanted to finish brushing his teeth or sit on the potty, or do anything I asked for that matter; and I didn't want to get in a mental tug-of-war with my two-year-old, yet again.
Once more, I was done.
Harrison wasn't listening and I couldn't take it. After a moment of almost loss of control, I turned and lay my head in my arms on the sink. I said nothing.
Silence.
Then Harrison came up, rubbed my back and in that gentle voice said, "It's okay mommy. It's okay."
I didn't move. I didn't respond. I WAS asking for strength and grace in my shortcomings.
Then Harrison said again, "It's okay mommy."
I looked at him and smiled.
"I get daddy, now. I go get daddy to help, it's okay. You be OK."
"I'm okay, now honey." I responded.
He told me to wait and went out the door and called down the stairs, "Daddy, come here, daddy! Mommy's sad. Mommy's sad, daddy! Come. Up. Stairs. Daddy!"
All my frustration had melted away in that first moment when Harrison reached out to soothe me. When his two-year-old wisdom and compassion kicked-in. I called him back into the bathroom and gave him a hug and told him that it is okay now, mommy is fine; and why mommy got upset in the first place and that I love him.
The GID came upstairs and took over for me. I got to have a break.
Later the GID came down and said that I was wanted upstairs. I went to say goodnight to my son; my gift from heaven. We talked for a moment, hugged and kissed each other, then he went to sleep.
Portrait photographer, Mom, Friend, lover of sushi, chocolate, movie nights, far away places, an ocean breeze and the smell of fried chicken on a hot summer day.
This is my little space to add some color to by my own rules.
