What They Say at Almost-Three

My kids are talking like it's nobody's business these days. They ask me why and what kind of, all day, every day. They'll call my mother and tell her about their day. "And then....Lilly cwieded, and then...I hugged her, and then...we played the witch game...and and and."

They're at the point where they're honest, which is great. "Who did this?" Both of them answer: "Lilly!" At least I always know who did it. Or they'll tell their dad, "We watched the video!" And he'll say, "Oh really? What was mommy doing then?" And they'll say, "Vacuuming!"  Score, because that's the truth, plus then he knows to admire the sparkling carpets.

Unecessary emotions and desires do not exist. Everything is absolute. In this way, I don't know changes to I can't know. "Where's the toy?" "I can't know." "What else do we need at the grocery store?" "Ummmm, I can't know."  This means the babies also never want anything. No. They need everything. "I need chocolate milk." "I need video."

Their sense of amount is a beautiful thing to watch unfold. Right now, the biggest number they can fathom is five. Even though they can count to 14, five is the largest number in the world to them. It's like baby infinity. So if they want something to last longer, or they want a lot of something, they'll say "No little bit, five ones."

On the opposite side of the coin, they've moved on from saying "last time" because they know that implies they only get one more shot. They now prefer the term "just a little bit" since little bit is usually determined by them, and usually means at least "five ones." If I say no to "a little bit," Dulce will ask me, "please, mama? Just a tiiiiiiiiiiny bit?"

They're lumping everything into two categories, fast and slow. If you're being loud, it's a fast one. If you're being quiet, they'll ask "why slow talk?" If they're being gentle, it's a slow one. If they want to hit or yank something? Fast one.

Natalina will say "I love you, too," even if she's saying I love you, first. Of course, the other day she said "leave me alone" for the first time. A sign of things to come? Probably.


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