Sonora Speaks

Tonight, she got frustrated with me, and sat in the recliner and yelled, "Dadgummit! Dadgummit! DADGUMMITTTTTTTT!"

Later, she came into the living room wearing a hooded towel, and told me, "Now I'll be Supergirl and you be the Trouble."

Xavier loves a blanket. Unfortunately, I can't figure out which way he wants it arranged so that he can go to sleep. He cries pitifully for the bleh-blet, and grabs it when I put it over him, but then kicks his legs out or rolls over or pulls it off, and then cries for it again. Surely there is some trick to this??? Surely it's not just a psychological experiment he is performing on me?

Xavier is also saying, "No fofa!" = Sonora is on the back or side of the sofa, which she is not supposed to be doing. Self-righteous indignation, accompanied by finger-pointing.

Tonight I left them alone in the living room for approximately 7 minutes while I vacuumed the bedroom (it really needed it, and Xavier woke up coughing several times last night). I noticed nobody was crying and trying to open the locked bedroom door. That couldn't be good. When I opened up the door, Sonora proudly informed me with sparkling eyes that they had been playing a game called, "Jump From the Sofa into the Nest." That will teach me to try to do any housework, don't you think?

He sez, She sez

What Xavier is also saying:

Wha are you doing, Mommy?
Nee'Dat! [Followed by finger pointing at object of desire]
Wan'Dat! [Followed by finger pointing at object of desire]

What Sonora is saying:
In reference to going to kindergarten (SOMEDAY): "That just makes me nervous. Because I will miss my Mom."

In her superhero cape, hands on hips, legs akimbo, "What seems to be the
problem here?" I have no idea where she learned that one, but it was hysterical.

LeXicon

What Xavier is saying:

Yuppy, yuppy, yuppy - If he enthusiastically agrees with whatever you have just said/asked.
Doopy, doopy, doopy - he says this as he is going about his day, sort of a filler or song.
Vavy - Xavier
Wha' Hoppy? = What happened? I always think of A Mighty Wind when he says this.
Why, Mama? - He doesn't know what it means, but he knows he is supposed to repeat it 12,000 times.
Onda Bed! = Means he wants to play on the bed, with company.
Pleep = Sleep. It's a ploy. He wants me to put his blanket over him so he can pretend to sleep for 2 seconds, then pop back up and repeat.
I Cry = [Pathetically] he is crying.
Lawler = stroller
Lawley= glasses
Bombone - 76 Trombones. Sing it. Now.
Kite = Let's go Fly a Kite. Sing it. Now.

I had a humourous conversation with Shannan the other day about parenting... I told her that my philosophy was... just lower the bar. Feeling stress about your to-do list? Lower the bar, feel good that you accomplished 1 thing. And so forth. Of course I was making it up on the spot as we went along. The whole Lower the Bar philosophy would come completely unhinged if it was premeditated in any way. However, I did think of something else to add to the equation. Chocolate. And failing that, vodka.

Actually, there's no set order, you can mix the elements up in any order you like. That's the beauty of it.

There are still too many boxes. But we seem to have settled into a routine, of sorts. I have learned my way around a little bit, and slowly keep expanding my horizons. Although I haven't really been anywhere other than Target/Publix/IGA/Walgreens/JD's office at the University. And back to Tampa a time or two. But I am getting there.

We played with some flattened out boxes on the stoop today, they made a great slide. Sonora invented a game called Dirt Ball. In which she scoops up dirt into the dump truck. Then ladles a handful of dirt onto a ball. And then rolls the ball to shake the dirt off. Dirt Ball. Simple. Entertaining. Fun for the whole family.

Sonora and Xavier are having a great time, he is a receptive and responsive audience and she is a tireless performer. Tonight she must have sung Row, row, row your boat 40 times, with extemporaneous lyrics on "Life is but a ... [bowl of spaghetti, Mommy, Daddy, Sonora, Xavier, Bootie....etc.] And each time he would howl with laughter and cry,"Row, row!" to get her to sing it AGAIN. They didn't need me to be entertained for a good half hour!!!!

She is often quite compassionate with him. Today when he was getting antsy while I read a book to her, she offered him a toy to distract him. And it worked. Now, a few hours later she was screaming when he touched her with his toes at bedtime. But still.