Alaythia’s Trader Joe’s List

As we prepared for a family New Year’s Eve TJ’s trip, Alaythia announced what she had on her “list” for us to get:

–chocolate

 –chocolate chips

–chocolate sugar

–marshmallows

–sprinkle cheese from the green container

Good thing she also likes broccoli…

Flattered or Old?

The other day, Alaythia was playing so sweetly with her dolls (her sudden new fascination).  She was talking sweetly to them about how they needed to rest, and how she’d wrap them in blankets and get their diapers changed.  I told her, “Alaythia, you’re such a good mommy to your babies!”

She looked at me with those big blue eyes, and said back, oh so sweetly and with a smile, “Mommy, you’re such a good grandma to my babies!”

I was flattered, maybe? I haven’t felt that old… ever.

Charlie and Alaythia’s Ballet Recital

A not-to-be-missed post, courtesy of Keren Marzinke. Click here to read and see the fun!

More Alaythia Humor

Alaythia: Mommy, did you know the Earth is round?

me: I did, and I’m so impressed you know that!

Alaythia: Well, we don’t live on a round thing so we don’t live on the Earth.

***

me, as we’re swimming and playing in the pool: Alaythia, I think little tiny baby likes swimming too!  She’s kicking around happily in my belly right now.

Alaythia, thinking hard: Well, I hope she remembered her swimsuit.

Humor of the Afternoon

It seems 3-year-olds oscillate at high frequency between being hysterically funny and unbelievably frustrating.

Thankfully, today was more the former for the first day in a while, so it seemed worth memorializing just a few of the many humorous moments of the afternoon.

***

Alaythia, yelling as she runs through the house: Charlie, where are you?  Charlie??  Mommy, where is my friend Charlie?

me: Charlie’s not here honey, he’s at his house.

Alaythia: But MOMMY!  I need to find him so I can get married with him!!  Maybe I can talk to Mama Keren.

me: trying not to laugh

Kabyn: You guys can just be friends for a while. It’s more fun to be friends than to be married when you’re little.

Alaythia, looks sulky and unhappy about this verdict

***

Alaythia, out of nowhere over dinner: Mommy, Christmas trees are like people. They have bellies and peepees and buns.

me: ummmmm… this might be beyond my knowledge of science

me, foolishly continuing anyhow in an explanation of plant biology that culminated in: So trees sort of have buns and peepees all over their needles.

Alaythia: laughing hysterically

Kabyn, also laughing: Alaythia, if you decide to say anything about this at preschool when you are learning about trees, please make sure to say “My mommy told me…”

***

me: Alaythia, your last day of school for the year is tomorrow

Alaythia: Daddy, I’m done with school now!

me: I said for the YEAR.

Alaythia: I’m done with school!  Me and Daddy are done with school!

me: sorry… no one is done with school just yet…

***

Alaythia, as she tries to remove a sticker from the bottom of Kabyn’s sock: I think I need help getting this sticker off.  I need someone big, and strong, and in a blue shirt, who’s a boy. Yes, that’s who I need.

Kabyn, fitting description perfectly, laughs.

 

Economics 3

As in, “Economics for 3-year-olds.”

Given the descent of things coming from various Santas for little miss Alaythia, we have been trying to implement a few means of teaching her about generosity, sharing resources, and a little budgeting.

The latest goal: realizing she’s not the only person in the world to get presents, and to practice budgeting and sharing her money.  The means: she buys Christmas presents for others with her much-loved stack of 20 one-dollar bills, a birthday gift she got when she turned 3.

So today, we set out with only one mission: doing her Christmas shopping.  After two hours in Target, we had selected 4 things, as she clutched onto her stack of bills and rode around in the cart.  At the checkout line, she nervously handed the checker (who was the sweetest woman ever, and helped me out as I explained what Alaythia was up to) her stack of “monies”.  The total came to $17.68, and so the checker explained the numbers, and handed her back her change.  She looked less happy when her very small stack came back.  Both the checker and I enthusiastically congratulated her on spending just the right amount and doing such a good job shopping.

Back at the car, she was excited about her bag of presents.  But then she got sulky and said, “Mommy, I’m MAD.  I’m FRUSTRATED.  I don’t want 2 monies.  I want my big stack of monies.”

So… we had a little conversation on how the world works, followed by a conversation about how people get more money by working. 

Let’s just say Alaythia is newly intrigued by the idea of cleaning up her toys, helping with dishes and laundry, and emptying some of the dishwasher…

 

It’s Christmas Time in the City

This poem isn’t mine, it’s from my lovely and excellent-with-words friend and former college roommate, Dee Ann.  A few nights ago, we watched the Nativity movie with a group of St. Louis high school kids, which made the Christmas story hit home a little more.

nd there were living nearby

 

gang leaders

keeping watch

over their hookers by night,

 

shooting up

those last doses of heroin

into their hungry veins–

 

when a red blinking light

shone around them,

and they were sore afraid.

 

then the trooper

cuffed their wrists

and led them off

 

past a white-bearded man

in a jolly red suit

 

and an oblivious group

of well-dressed suburbanites

singing carols about peace on earth.

 

but there is no peace

in the hood,

 

where addiction lingers

and violence thrives

 

and where gonorrhea spreads

more quickly

than gifts and good cheer.

 

maybe this broken city of angels

needs a homeless man

to move in

 

and to take every bullet

upon his own tired flesh–

 

to die

 

for the bloods

and the crips

 

and the schizophrenic man

hearing voices

in the alleyway

 

and the poor unwed mother

about to sacrifice

the growing child in her womb.

 

city sidewalks

busy sidewalks

 

dressed in the blood

of the last hundred years

 

and the burning tears

of its many lost sons.

 

tonight

in the city of

a shepherd-king

 

there is born a savior

 

who will

give sight to the blind

and strength to the crippled.

 

and hope

for the hood.

 

glory to God

in the highest

 

and on earth

peace–

 

let us go

and see this thing

which has

been made known

to us.

Saturday Night Football, 3 year old girl style

So it’s becoming more and more of a pregnant-Alyssa tradition these days that I crash in bed around 8.30pm on the weekends, and Alaythia and Kabyn stay up and watch either Saturday or Sunday night football together.  Alaythia is becoming a bit more of a Daddy’s girl for the first time in 3+ years, I think largely because of these dad-daughter football evenings.  They cuddle up, eat greasy snacks, and cheer for their favorite team of the night.  Alaythia tends to have strong opinions on who she cheers for (usually based on uniform color), which explains her early game commentary below:

Meet Tiny Vikesland

Recently we headed in for the big 20-week ultrasound of Tiny Vikesland.

Here’s a pre-ultrasound interview with a very excited big sister:

And some actual ultrasound footage for you.  The resolution and filming isn’t Hollywood quality, but if you keep an eye out, you’ll see–in this order–a hand, foot, and the heart beating.

And if you haven’t yet heard–it’s another girl!  Alaythia was thrilled, but reminded us, “I KNEW it was a girl, Mommy and Daddy.”  Here’s a little mid-ultrasound interview with Alaythia where she reveals her top name choice for a girl.

Ballerina Christmas Party

Today I took Alaythia to a Snowflake Ballerina Christmas party.  You can see the dance they learned for yourself: