General kid cuteness
Last night Ben found our hardcover copy of David Wiesner's Tuesday (the froggie-flying book--if you've not seen it, you really REALLY should take a look; it's incredible). He was really upset at it being the "wrong" book (we've been reading the softcover one with the kids) and at the fact that the book had a dustcover (which I always dislike as well). He was looking for the "normal" book and couldn't find it. I pointed it out to Husband, who pulled it down and put it next to Ben's breakfast cereal. Twenty minutes or so later, Ben suddenly was like, "I found it!!!" *snicker* It had only been two inches from his hand that whole time. He then went over and careful tucked the softcover version into the front of the hardcover version's dustcover. So funny.
Ben has a very cute system of figuring out what you're pointing at when he can't track it entirely. He'll come over, take the pointing finger in his hand and hold it for orientation, looking in the direction he can now feel you're pointing. *awwww*
We hit a McD's playland yesterday since, with us being sick, the kids hadn't had much RunFree time. There was an 11-month-old ADORABLE baby there with lots of cousins and grandparents. She was the first girl baby in years and all the cousins were taking turns with her and fawning over her. SO cute. Baby's mom put her in one of the playland cubes and Husband warned both kids to be careful of the baby. He also took the time (WISELY) to ask Elf if that was her baby, if she KNEW that baby, and thus if she should be picking up and carrying that baby around. After a while, we hadn't seen our daughter, and Husband went looking.
Baby was still in the same playland cube...surrounded by like EIGHT other kids including our daughter. They were clapping for and with her; she was like a miniature queen holding court. It was BEYOND adorable.
When it was time to go and Elf came back to the table to put on her shoes, she saw the toy she'd gotten--a lame little bobble-head kitty. She took one look at it, said, "I already have that," and swatted it off the table petulantly. I told her that was NOT okay, then picked it up and offered it to the first of the female cousins who walked past. Elf then sobbed for the next ten minutes, "I want my kitty back," and I pointed out that she wasn't going to get to have it if she behaved that way and to remember this next time she decided to be rude. Husband was impressed, calling the tactic (which I'd extrapolated from his discipline tactics) as "Brutal but effective" and once I told him about the swatting of the toy (which he'd not seen) he was totally with me. We are SO lucky that we almost entirely agree on behavioral expectations, discipline tactics, etc.
The kids are doing really well with answering the questions about whose turn it is and what rules are and whether something is acceptable. I'm really proud of how much they can work out of what they should do and how they should do it just from us coaching them with questions.
We are SO lucky and have SUCH good kids.
Ben has a very cute system of figuring out what you're pointing at when he can't track it entirely. He'll come over, take the pointing finger in his hand and hold it for orientation, looking in the direction he can now feel you're pointing. *awwww*
We hit a McD's playland yesterday since, with us being sick, the kids hadn't had much RunFree time. There was an 11-month-old ADORABLE baby there with lots of cousins and grandparents. She was the first girl baby in years and all the cousins were taking turns with her and fawning over her. SO cute. Baby's mom put her in one of the playland cubes and Husband warned both kids to be careful of the baby. He also took the time (WISELY) to ask Elf if that was her baby, if she KNEW that baby, and thus if she should be picking up and carrying that baby around. After a while, we hadn't seen our daughter, and Husband went looking.
Baby was still in the same playland cube...surrounded by like EIGHT other kids including our daughter. They were clapping for and with her; she was like a miniature queen holding court. It was BEYOND adorable.
When it was time to go and Elf came back to the table to put on her shoes, she saw the toy she'd gotten--a lame little bobble-head kitty. She took one look at it, said, "I already have that," and swatted it off the table petulantly. I told her that was NOT okay, then picked it up and offered it to the first of the female cousins who walked past. Elf then sobbed for the next ten minutes, "I want my kitty back," and I pointed out that she wasn't going to get to have it if she behaved that way and to remember this next time she decided to be rude. Husband was impressed, calling the tactic (which I'd extrapolated from his discipline tactics) as "Brutal but effective" and once I told him about the swatting of the toy (which he'd not seen) he was totally with me. We are SO lucky that we almost entirely agree on behavioral expectations, discipline tactics, etc.
The kids are doing really well with answering the questions about whose turn it is and what rules are and whether something is acceptable. I'm really proud of how much they can work out of what they should do and how they should do it just from us coaching them with questions.
We are SO lucky and have SUCH good kids.