Ten Months

You guys. Ellie hit a HUGE milestone this month. I mean, huge. Been waiting for it since the day she was born. Well, since the day we found out she was a girl, really.

BOOM.

Hair clip! Enough hair for a hair clip! A friend was watching the kids one morning and when I picked them up, Ellie had a little clip in her hair. She showed me how to put it in so that it STAYED ALL DAY.

Of course, Ellie fails to appreciate the occasion and prefers to eat her hair clips. Whatever. 

We also pulled out the walker, but she's not very good at turning yet, so the walls are in constant danger. It's rather a high maintenance toy at the minute.

I'm enjoying the heat if only because sundresses! Baby! Baby in sundresses! Have I mentioned I love having a girl?

Because Ellie is so very small for her age, our visits at the doctor usually include a conversation like this:

Doctor: "And you really should start giving her solid food."
Me: "Oh, she is on solid food."
Doctor: "But you should give her more solid food. Even if she refuses a food, you should find something else for her to try."
Me: "But she doesn't refuse food."
Doctor: "Then you should give her more food."
Me: "You don't understand. I can't give her more food. I let her eat until there's literally No More Food."
Doctor: "Oh. Well maybe add another snack."

Josh and I are engaged in a secret (well, until now) competition to find a food that she won't eat. We've had some pretty serious competitors--including spicy curry, salsa, and sriracha--but none of them have survived the Hunger Games: Baby Edition.  At this point, there is a high probability that she lacks taste buds altogether, because if Josh and I don't like something, we just scrape it into her bowl. The closest she's gotten to refusing a food was finishing her first bowl of split pea soup and not immediately demanding a second bowl (but she happily ate leftovers the next day).

All that food seems to be working, though. Remember this picture? Taken last August.

Nine months later....

Ah, time. You are a cruel master.

She's a daredevil who loves to sit on the big girl swing all by herself, who loves to climb then slithers down HEADFIRST, and who took her first solo step just a couple days ago. She's a total squirmy wormy who prefers to be held upside down, sideways, or thrown over a shoulder.

 And then there's Kekoa. Kekoa-the-crazy. Kekoa-who-is-almost-three-and-don't-you-forget-it.

After Memorial Day picnic - that's a little boy's face if I ever saw one

Kekoa who suddenly appeared to develop a rather morbid fear of death. Kekoa who used to love naps and bedtime, then suddenly started resisting by saying, "But I don't want to go to bed! I could DIE!"

It took a while to figure out, but one of his picture Bibles has the story of the little girl who dies and then Jesus raises her from the dead. Which, apparently to a toddler mind, means that if you lie down on your bed, you will probably die. Whatever that even means to a toddler.

In the meantime, most of our other conversations center around food.

Kekoa: "I'm hungry."

Me: "Okay, I have some soup for you."

Kekoa: "No thank you. I'm a different hungry."
***

Me: "Are you a copycat?"

Kekoa: "No, I'm not a copycat!"
Me: "What are you then?"
Kekoa: "I'm hungry!"

***

Me: "Okay, the toilet is clean enough now. But if you're very calm and patient tomorrow, I'll let you clean the toilets again tomorrow."

Kekoa: "Hurray! Thank you so, so much! See ya tomanow, toilet!"

***

Genius strikes on a fine spring day

Kekoa spontaneously bursts into tears.

Me: "Why are you crying?"

Kekoa (in between hiccup sobs): "Because my neck is clean!"

***

Me: "Did you know that I love you?"

Kekoa: "Yep!"

Me: "Do you know who else I love?"

Kekoa: "Wonder Woman!"

***

He also got two temporary tattoos, an octopus and a whale, who proceeded to have a conversation.

"Hi Optotus"
"Hi Whale."
"Are you getting tired?"
"Yeah, I'm a little tired. Are you getting tired?"
"No, I'm not tired."
"Okay. See ya later."
"Okay."

It reminds me of my brother's infamous knock-knock joke at 3 years old, that one that was so lame that it was hilarious. "Knock knock. Who's there? Pig. Pig who? Goodbye pig."

Sometimes his conversations between toys are a little more passive-aggressive and typically follow a particular failing of mine (like refusing a dessert request at 8am):

"Hi Mater. Can I have a special dessert?"
"Yes, you can have a special dessert! Want to share some jello?"
"Oh yes! Thank you Mater! I love you! You're my favorite!"

"Hi red train."
"Hi blue train."
"Can I watch Cars?"
"Yes, blue train! You can watch Cars TWO TIMES!"
"Oh, thank you red train! Thank you so, so much!"

Ellie climbed up onto Kekoa's bed. Kekoa was thrilled to have a bedmate, so he laid next to her, they giggled together a little bit, and then they both went to sleep (which was an extra nap. No complaints here!). These are the days that make all the toy-sharing, eye-poking, and clean-neck drama worth it.