Little Hands

This morning Cole went potty and washed his hands all by himself. I was in the kitchen waiting for the usual "Mommy, I need you," but it never came. Instead I heard him singing on the potty, then heard the water running in the sink.

At first I was thrilled because it is a real pain to take him everytime. And, since Jay always follows along, handwashing turns into a big ordeal with fights over the stool, space at the sink, etc, etc.

But this afternoon when all three of us trudged to the bathroom and I washed their hands, I realized that I will miss this little routine. It's about the only time I get to hold Cole's hands anymore. While rubbing on the soap, I noticed how long and slender his fingers have become and how he's losing the soft ring of baby fat around his wrists. And I wondered how many more times I'll be allowed to help him like this.

My days of washing Jay's hands may be numbered also since he is determined to do everything Cole does. So this time I held onto his soft, slippery hands a little longer and felt his pudgy palms and fingers before he squirmed away. Then I realized that I probably will have lots more hand washing times with Jay because he will be the boy who claims to have washed his hands while they are still caked with dirt!

Sippy cup...check
Book...check
Toothbrush for right hand...check
Toothbrush for left hand...check

Jay is ready for bed!

Building the Perfect Sandwich

Cole decided to make a turkey and cheese sandwich one afternoon. I got out the ingredients and stood back to watch. It was a very detailed process. He had to rip the square of cheese into sections because otherwise the sides hung over the bread. Then it took a long time (and a lot of sighing) to get the pieces of cheese exactly right. The turkey went on easier because I had already ripped it into pieces. Then, when the top piece of bread was on, the crusts needed to be cut off. After all that hard work, he took about two bites then left the rest on the table. I guess saying "I want to make a turkey sandwich" is NOT the same as "I want to eat a turkey sandwich."

Why use one fork when you can use two (or four)?

Baby No More

This picture made me realize calling Jay "Baby Jay" isn't really appropriate anymore (of course, I will still call him that. I probably will even when he is 13 years old and taller than me). Take away the drool, and you can see a glimpse of the little boy he is becoming.

Another Conversation with Cole: Mom Gets Outsmarted by a Three-Year-Old

Cole was using the potty before bedtime last night and laughing about pee. Then as I was putting on his night-time diaper he exclaimed, "I pee in your mouth!"

Me: Cole that is not a very nice thing to say. You shouldn't talk to people like that.

(slight pause)

Cole: But Mommy, I was talking about the pea you eat!

A Conversation with Cole

(completely out of the blue one afternoon)

Cole: Do you remember when I was in your belly last time.

Me: Yes, I do.

Cole: I didn't like it in there.

Me: No? Do you like being outside better?

Cole: Yes. I can play.

Me: That's true. All you did in my belly was sleep and lie down.

Cole: Yeah. And there was no bed in there.