#97 Playing Doctor

My nephew, James, was given a little bag from Primary Children's Hospital filled with little things he can play with while his baby brother is receiving care. Most of the items were hospital related--doctor's gloves, doctor's hat, gauze, a hospital tube--but there were also a few play things--a little doll, a toy gun--things of this sort.

I happened to glance at Taylor wearing the doctor's hat and gloves and James laying on the couch playing the role of "patient." I began loading the dishwasher and was listening to, rather than watching them play. I heard this:

"Yep. Okay... Hmmm. Let me check this. Good, good. Let me see here," there was a long pause. "Well, I'm sorry, but it seems you still have a bit of a fever." And here I happened to glance over. Taylor was pointing the gun at James' face. James looked natural and resigned.

I was filled with three emotions: Shock, horror, and an immense feeling of hilarity. I have no idea who introduced Taylor to the philosophy, "If you can't cure 'em, kill em," but we'll be having a little chat.

#96 Words I'll Miss

A few weeks ago Hallie came to me and said, "Mama! Guess what I can say!!! YOgurt." This was simultaneously cute and sad to me. She used to call it "lo-gut."It has given me cause to reflect on some of the words that I don't get to hear any more.

"Biss-team" instead of "Ice cream"

"Biss-mallow" instead of "Marshmallow"

"Biss-oach"instead of "Cockroach" 

(come to think of it, I think her fall back for anything unpronounceable was "biss")

"Monkey" instead of "Brecken"

The predictable "Basghetti" instead of "Spaghetti"

"Planno" instead of "Piano"
"Bomana" instead of "Banana"
"Lellow" instead of "Yellow"

And a personal favorite: When Hallie spins she isn't "dizzy" she is "busy."

Ah, the good old days. But as Hallie learns to say things the right way, Jack is learning just to say things. I can't wait for a whole new slue of mispronounced words. 

#95 My Foot

This one is cute to us--the Harringtons--and probably only us. But upon recalling it (it happened about a year and a half ago) I wanted to jot it down, just to have it always.

Hallie (almost two at the time) was tough to get to bed--sheesh, they all were--but Hallie especially. One night the girls had all gone down for the night (or so we thought) when Russ and I sat on the couch to vege. Sitting on the couch afforded us a clear view of Hallie's door. After about ten minutes of bed-time-silence we noticed a foot protruding out from underneath Hallie's bedroom door. Still silence.

Every minute or so the foot would eek out further and further, but still she kept quiet. Finally, after about the seventh minute, a faint voice from behind the door said, "Uh see my foot?" and then a little more loudly but barely over a whisper, "Uh see my foot?" She repeated the phrase several times until finally Russ was overcome with the cuteness and responded. To this day Russ will occasionally look at me and say, "Uh see my foot?"

#94 UnCute

This is one sentence I never want to hear again:

"Aunt Reni, everyone downstairs decided it would be fun to hold the eggs, and so they did, and some of them dropped, and it got all over the floor, and Jack likes playing with it because he likes to get it on his jammies."

I'm thinking once in a lifetime. Right?

#93 Sandwich

"Hallie, what kind of sandwich do you want for lunch today?"

After a long pause, "Ice cream."

Yeah. That'd be nice, kid.