Big Sister

I know I've mentioned how much Ali adores her baby brother. While of course there are moments of "No, Sammy, that's MINE!!!!" I'm being totally honest when I say she had no period of adjustment when he was born. She loved him from the moment she walked into the hospital room to meet him, and has continued to adore and look out for him ever since.

This morning, we had a super special Friday treat in that she got to watch a "long video" on the TV while she got dressed and ate breakfast. We still aren't letting Sam watch TV, so when I turned on her show and he crawled over to see what we were up to, Ali said, "Sammy isn't allowed to watch TV?"

"No, he's still too young to watch TV," I told her.

"What is he allowed to do?" she asked.

"He can play with toys!" I told her, trying to sell the idea that toys for him are just as much fun as videos for her.

She thought about that for a moment as her show started, and then got up and said, "I'm going to ask him if he wants to play with a ball. Then I'll come back and watch my show."

I absentmindedly said okay as I picked him up and brought him with me to the kitchen so that I could finish getting ready and he wouldn't be able to see the TV. I stepped into the bathroom to grab a brush, and when I came back, a small yellow ball had been set by Sam's left leg.

She was already back in the living room, watching her show. But first, first she had made sure that her baby brother had been taken care of, that he had something fun to do since he was still too little to share her fun activity.

It's no lie that having two kids this young and this close in age has its challenges. But I'm reminded every day--when she spontaneously hugs him, or wants to help wash him, or brings him a plastic ball so that he can have fun, too--how amazing it is to see their friendship develop. I'm so, so, so glad that they have each other, and that we didn't wait to give them the gift of this incredible relationship.

Conversations with Ali

Me: I can't go down your little slide, Ali. I think I'm too big for it.

Ali: Well, you should just give it a shot! Maybe you will like it.

-----------------------

Me: Come on, Ali, it's time to go home!

Ali: I will come with you in just one moment, Mommy.

Me: One moment? How old are you??

Ali: I'm just two, Mommy!

-----------------------

(talking to Sam, who was yelling loudly just to hear his own voice)
Me: Sam, that's not necessary.

Ali: I'm necessary, Mommy.


Yes, you are, baby girl. Yes, you are.

Adventures in Potty Training

We are reluctantly entering the realm of potty training. I say "reluctantly" because things are just so much easier with diapers. No waiting on anything, no having to pull over and find a potty. But it is what it is. To help motivate baby girl, we've come up with a sticker chart. She gets a sticker on her chart every time she uses the potty. She has taken to saying she "really, really, REALLY has to GO!" every evening juuuust before bed time. Coincidence or stall tactic? Hmmmm...

Anyway, tonight she was sitting on the potty and she really wanted that sticker. So she started giving her pee a pep talk.

Ali: Come on, pee, LET'S GO!

:::nothing:::

Ali: Come on, PEE, LET'S GO!!

:::nothing:::

Ali: Come ON, PEE, LET'S GO!! TIME TO COME OUT!!

:::nothing:::

Ali (getting frustrated): I want the pee to work, mommy!! I want the pee to work on the potty!!

Me, too, baby girl. Me, too.

Happy Holidays!

Conversations with Ali

Ali: Mommy, what happened to my water? Did it melt?

Me: No, your ice melted into water. You see, ice is verrrrry cold. When it touches warm air, it warms up and turns into water. It melts.

Ali: Oh, okay. And then when I drink my water, it melts into a cup, and then flowers, and then popcorn, and then cheerios.

Me: Um . . .

Ali: And then we get into the car and go to the gym, and then to the store, and then into someone's tummy, and then we're a baby, and then we cry because our water melted.

Me: Oh, really?

Ali: Yeah, but that's okay. We should not cry because our water melted because it's JUST WATER. And then flowers. And then popcorn. And then cheerios.

Me: . . . I agree.

Conversations with Ali

Last night, driving home from a friend's house.

Ali: It's very, very dark outside!

Me: Yes, it is! It's late.

Ali: But not too late? I can still watch a video when I get home?

Alex: No, baby, I don't think we're going to have time.

Ali: We will have time, Daddy! Your clock is wrong! 

Me: Sweetie, I'm sorry, it's too late for a video.

Ali: It's not too late! It's only 8!

***It was actually only 7:17.***

Me: 8 o'clock?? Man, if it were 8 o'clock already, it would be way past your bedtime!

Ali: Oh. It's not 8 o'clock! It's only 7!

Me: Ali . . . you blow my mind every single day.

Ali: Yeah.

Conversations with Ali

Ali: LOOK! THE MOON!

Me: That's right! There's the moon. Wouldn't it be cool if you could throw a rope around it and climb all the way up there?

Ali: Yeah. But not tonight. Maybe Tuesday.