Milestone update

Pequita is into her puzzles with a vengeance. She usually gets a puzzle off the shelf, carries it to the dining room table [above her little brother's line of sight] breaks it up and then puts it back together before calling for my attention to admire it, "Mommy, puyyal [puzzle] all by shelf [self]!" She is able to overcome her desire to have all things to herself if we channel her into a help-your-brother mode. She spends a lot of time teaching him how to do complex activities that he wouldn't do on his own yet. The latest was moving furniture together in order to be able to swing her legs back and forth like a jungle gym. She worked out how to do this, then put all the furniture back and dragged him over to it and showed him, step by step, how to do it himself. "Hands heyah, Bubba", "No, foot dere", until he is swinging too. He loves all this. She has learned that if I don't answer to Mommy! after a while, if she hollers out my first name I crack to attention. It is really funny, mispronounced and all, but she is so proud. She is also happily mangling her brother's name when she diverts from her preferred 'Bubba'.

Monito really loves grabbing whatever his sister is coveting/playing with/ asking for and taking off. He runs everywhere, tucking his head and darting off. This has resulted in his first through third spankings, as parking lots and crosswalks are NOT the place for darting. This from me, the 'I won't spank ever' pacifist. Apparently I have a line that CAN be crossed. He is speaking in sentences like "Pequita wake up, Mommy!" or "NO! My toon [turn] now peese [please]". He is always the first one awake, and nurses *me* awake usually. He is in a phase in which he dotes on his Mama. The only time he refuses her and prefers me is if he wakes up in the middle of the night; the rest of the time he is keen to have Mama time. This is quite a delight for both of us. I get a rest, she gets his snuggly best. We regularly get the query, "Um, how old is he exactly?" from parents whose kids are 3.5 and smaller than him and not scaling the spiderweb rope jungle gym at the park. He wants to do everything his older more agile sister does, and thankfully is mostly willing to accept my help. Her I spot, him I hold and help along. I still believe we'll be on a first name basis with the E.R. staff before his young childhood is over.

When they come to me for help, I divert them to their sibling for assistance as much as possible. Much of the time this gets them cooperating, and is usually good for a laugh as well. They each have their strengths, and get a lot of satisfaction in being the one to be in charge.

Spring has arrived here at the Homestead, and being without a car most days we've been working to fill our days in the neighborhood. I bought a tow-behind bike pod for the kids on sale last fall and we just went and bought helmets for the kids. Thank goodness we didn't do it last fall, as Monito does not fit a toddler size, and *just* fits in a youth helmet. The sales woman's head fits in the same model he has. Sheesh, but he got the Homestead Mom family skull with a vengeance, poor boy. They each got to select their own color, and Pequita selected a nice neutral yellow one. The sales women asked if she should just show Monito the manly ones, and I said no, he can pick from all the available options knowing full well which one he would select. Pink it is. Since Pequita will grow into it next year, alls the better, eh?

We've gone for a few rides around our flattest block, which is about 4 miles. Towing 7O lbs behind my bike is surprisingly hard given my lack of fitness, especially up hills. The kids really like the whole process, particularly their cup holders in the pod. I make sure to select a route with cows, sheep and horses to ogle, and we sing the whole way. This is, actually, exactly my vision of parenting toddlers when I fantasized about it pre-child. Nice to have ONE fantasy come true.