Oh ______!

Joshy is currently experimenting with those sayings you insert when something doesn't go your way. It started out with "Oh Man!". A clear pickup from Swiper the Fox. From a boy at school, he inherited geez. A few days ago, he started using tarnation and tonight, when he missed the balloon I hit at him, he said "blast". He knows that an exclamation of some sort belongs to that scenario and like any good consumer, he seems to be giving a few a test drive before adopting one as his own.

This morning, he came up the stairs to find Benjamin playing with his little alarm clock and took it away (of course, resulting in crying from Ben) because, as he asserted, Ben might break it. John told him that if Ben broke it, he would buy Joshy a new one. Joshy thinks and then says "You will buy me a cooler one?". John, more focused on getting dressed than the conversation, said "Yes". I am in the bathroom working on my hair and after Joshy scurries back to his room, I hear him telling Ben to "throw it down" and then showing him how. I am like, "I can hear you J0shua". The alarm clock destruction goes quiet.

This morning I woke up to find the tiger claw thing on my stomach. You know, the tiger's head on a stick and a trigger at the end that makes him open and close his mouth. The next thing I know, Joshy had jumped into the bed next to me with the dinosaur version and I am spending my first waking moments having an all out war: dinosaur vs. tiger. The endeavor is littered with random questions from Joshua about how something works or how to say chocolate milk in Spanish but his curiosity is refreshing. Excepting, of course, those occasions where his "why"s drill down further than my expertise. We all thought we would never use the "because that's the way it is" but sometimes...well...that is just the way it is.

I still can't believe he's 2

Ben has officially used the toilet...twice! He is getting in the habit of telling us each time he has to (or just went to) the bathroom. Most of the time it is right after, but a few times it has been before and 2 times a success. He sort of just started this on his own, as opposed to us sitting down and deciding to potty train and making the commitment to take him to the toilet every hour or so. It is hard for me to believe that he is at the age to start potty training. I remember Joshy seeming so much older. By 2 1/2 he was potty trained and sleeping in a big boy bed and Ben just still seems too small for any of that. Perhaps I am just clutching tighter because he is my baby. For me personally, the first year feels like FOREVER but after they hit one, it just seems to fly by. You no longer have to choose between them and sleep and are not so mortally tired that it feels like a toss up. They walk. They have a personality. They say "brother hit me" right after they, in fact, hit brother. I love his hugs and how he buries his head in your shoulder. How he'll surprise me by answering a question of Diego's rescue pack that I wouldn't expect him to know. Can Diego use a zip line to get to cloud forest? "Yes." *head turn* How do you know zip line? "Wa wonder pets?" No Ben, mama is sick of Wonder Pets. "Wa wonder pets?" I am going to kill that caterpillar just so I don't have to see them save it. But children's programming aside, I suppose it is happening whether or not I am quite ready for it too. My baby boy is growing up. He is a big boy on the big boy potty and we all know that it's toilet today, Wall Street Journal delivery to his crib tomorrow.

Category: Unexpected Wake Up Calls

You're clue:

Diaper bag.

(do, do, do, do, do, do, do...do, do, do, do, DO, do, do, do, do, do...)

What is the object found in the middle of the street this morning by the cop who rang our doorbell at 5:30 to tell us that our car had been broken in to?

That's right Jane. Tell her what she's won.

Last night a thief, which to his/her credit, managed to break into several cars up and down the street without tripping any alarms, made a run through our neighborhood. Fastforward to the doorbell at 5:30 and John running down the stairs and back up again in search of pants. Joshy is walking out of his room saying "Is it wake-up time?" and I am shoving John my pajama pants so he can answer the door. It wasn't till I had gotten my discombobulated self to the window and saw John and the cop talking near the cars that it hit me what happened. Thankfully they had been able to get in our cars without breaking windows (the same can't be said of the hummer across the street) and we have nothing of value for them to take. The most promising thing was a black diaper bag that was quickly tossed when found to contain...diapers. The pack and play and car seats would have hindered the fast getaway and John's fast food wrappers, well, they chose not to do us the favor of removing those. Still, having a car rustled through, although unnerving, beats having it stolen in its entirety. John's car was stolen when we were on vacation several years ago and by the time we came back, it had been crashed and impounded and because we hadn't filed a report prior to the impounding, they wanted us to pay a several hundred dollar fee to reclaim it. Yeah. Ridiculous. I know. But, through that lens, I'd much prefer the rustled contents. I am sure our sweet neighbor with the window to replace would say the same.