Toddler Tales: LOL

So, I remember hearing and reading about all of the funny things
my friends' and family's toddlers were doing/saying--and I thought
"I can't wait to have a toddler so I can laugh all day long!"


Laugh.Out.Loud.
right?

Clearly, my life is not one big comedy festival...
(insert images of dirty diapers, spit up, afternoon tantrums,
and explosions of *insert anything messy*)

However, now that J is able to express himself and analyze the world around him
with words, phrases, and sentences
--I have to say--
I laugh out loud a LOT more than I used to.


Here are a few of what I've heard/observed just this week:

• J helps me with the laundry--he has been helping me load the washer/dryer for about 5-6 months now and just this week I discovered his talent in sorting the clean stuff into piles. So, I've been encouraging that skill. Tonight, he apparently thought the job was too big for him to do alone, so he enlisted help. In one hand he had a t-shirt and in the other hand he held a 3 inch Big Bird figurine--he held the t-shirt up to Big Bird's hands so he was "helping". In his "toy voice" he said (or rather, Big Bird said...) "helping. you. laundry."
• Tonight I used dinner as motivation to clean up the play room (is that bad??), so J told one of his dinosaurs (who was already at the table ready to eat his quesadilla)--"stay here. clean toys. ok?"
• I asked him what his dinosaur's name was. He said "Jackson". I said "oh, that's your name. What's HIS name?" He nodded patiently, and replied: "Name. Jackson!" With a very 'I told you already, Mama!' look on his face.
• J also helps with changing Baby N's diapers. His job is to get the wipes and diaper for me and then throw it away in the trash can when I'm finished. The other day I left Baby N on the couch for a minute while I finished putting away some dishes in the kitchen. I heard a very familiar sound "scrrrsshhhh"--you know, the sound of a diaper tab being undone--? Almost simultaneously, I heard "help. beebee. diaper." I dropped what I was doing and sure enough, J was getting ready to actually CHANGE Baby N's diaper! What a helper I have! (yikes!)
• I mistakenly left my lip gloss on the kitchen island, thinking it was high enough to stay out of J's reach. Within minutes of sitting down to nurse Baby N, J had acquired the lip gloss, opened the lid, and was applying the stuff...to his CHIN. He said "chin!" as he slathered the glittery stuff on there. This was funny for two reasons--one, he put it on his chin...two, does this mean that I have been putting lip gloss on my chin this whole time??
• J says "Saur" for dinosaur. While I was preparing dinner he said "Saur. Wipe." I asked "does the dinosaur need a wipe?" J responded "yes." I asked "why does he need a wipe?" J explained: "spit up. milk." So I quickly handed him a burp cloth and J attended to the spit up mess with all the love and care of a doting mother.
• One afternoon I was in the recliner and J walks in with his stuffed Winnie the Pooh. He said "Diaper." I said "no, Baby N is fine, we don't need to change his diaper right now." He said it again and finally went to get one himself. He came back in and then I understood--it was Winnie who needed the diaper change. And he did it very well!
• On our walk we pass by a few empty lots with a small weed-containing fence along the side walk. Earlier this week J noticed and remarked that it was broken. He said "broke." I said "yes, it's broken." He continued "fic it" (fix it). I said "well, yes--it is broken, and yes, someone should fix it." He exclaimed: "Daddy! Daddy fic it!! Come.back. Daddy. fic it!" It was awesome to hear his excitement and confidence--he knew that Daddy could do it and for him, in his world--he is the one who fixes things! (I guess I've said more than once, "Daddy will fix it when he gets home")
  
• Most of the time, when I'm nursing Baby N, J has no problem doing his own thing. Sometimes, he decides that he is dying of thirst or hunger JUST as I sit down to feed the babe. The other day his solution was: "beebee! wing!" Translation: "I have an idea! You could put the baby in the swing, that way I can have my Mama back and you can be at my beckoning call again!" He has since said this several times whenever I tell him I can't do something *at that second* because I'm nursing. It makes me laugh every time. Until the 20th insistent request...then I start to get annoyed and wonder why I didn't plan ahead and set out some snacks and a drink BEFORE I sat down to nurse...