Dr. Bean, MD

Bean loves going to the doctor, and she constantly talks about her pediatrician. This comes in handy, kind of like Santa Claus, when we try to convince her to eat her vegetables or brush her teeth. "Dr. B. said big girls need to eat their peas..." Works like a charm. Sometimes.

Anyway, she recently started pretending to be Dr. B. I have a blood blister on my pinky that just won't go away. She has to be sure to "kiss my boo boo to make it feel better" at least twice a day, and yesterday she decided she would fix it once and for all - with her toy Craftsman drill. She also had to use the drill to take my "temp-asure" in my armpit, which of course required a lot of shirt-wrangling and contortion on my part. "You no have a fever, Mum. You don't need medicine." [Surely she was thinking, "More medicine for me!" - will post on that subject shortly.] Finally, the drill doubled as a "telescope" to listen to my heartbeat.

The healing-by-drill was a fun game, but I had to put the brakes on when she said, "You have a tummy ache, Mum. I make you feel better," as she lifted up my shirt and stabbed me in the stomach with a pencil. I did NOT see that one coming. I suggested that she focus her healing attention on her teddy bear. I'm sorry to say that if Boo Boo Bear didn't have a tummy ache before, he surely has one now.

My favorite Dr. Bean moment was when I was feeling blue a few days ago. She said, in her most tender voice, with a little hand on my cheek, "You are sad Mum? You want me to get you a band-aid?"

Bounce-o-rama

We attended an SPCA fund-raising event this past weekend, and, in addition to animal-related exhibits, they had tons of fun stuff for kids - face painting, clowns making balloon animals, and....a BOUNCY HOUSE.



Bean was so excited when she saw it that I said she was 2 (she is ALMOST there) so she could gain entrance... She bounced and laughed and bounced and laughed... I couldn't get her out. Hubby coaxed her out with ice cream bait once, but we made the mistake of letting her go back for another round. It was now well past nap time, and she was fading fast. Despite droopy eyelids and increasing clumsiness, she continued to jump and be tossed about by the other kids' bouncy aftershocks.

"OK, Bean, time to get out, please."

"Nooooo, Mumma! Bounce! Bounce!"

This went on for a while until, finally, the bouncy house attendant told her it was some one else's turn.

We thought we were done with the bouncing, until, over the monitor as she fell asleep, we heard her: "Bounce! Bounce! House! Bye-bye bounce. Bye-bye, bounce!"

And then the next morning, I opened her door and was greated with, "Hi Mumma! Bounce! Bounce!"

I think it's safe to say that we'll be renting a bouncy house for her birthday party this year...

Purple poo

I recently got some new, blueberry-scented shampoo for Bean. The bottle is purple with the picture of a hippo on it, and she's developed a mild obsession with it, crying out several times a day:

Poooo! Purple poo! Pooo! Poooo! Purple poo! Purple poo poo! More poo!

Mommy McVino

Bean and I went to visit my sister and her fiance this weekend. As I came down the stairs into the kitchen, my sister said in a serious voice, "I'm really worried about you."

She turned and pointed to a wine glass she had just removed from the dishwasher. "When Bean saw me take that out, she pointed to it and said, 'Ma-ma!'"

We laughed about it, but I was secretly horrified.

That is, of course, until a few minutes later, when Bean saw Nanny McPhee on the TV and ran over to the screen, pointing and yelling, "Dah-deee! Dah-deee!"

Symphony of toddlerese

Alternate title: What did parents do before baby monitors?

I love my baby monitor. It gives me freedom to move around the house, watch TV - even sit out on the deck - and know that if Bean wakes up, I will be able to hear her.

Most of the time it's just her cute little snore broadcasting over the air waves. Of course there's the occasional late-night cry, but thankfully those are few and far between these days. When she wakes up in the morning, Hubby and I sit down with our coffees and laugh as she performs her A.M. monologue. It usually goes something like this:


Mum-ma! Mum-ma! And when that doesn't bring anyone to the door: Dah-dee! Dah-dee! Didda-didda-dididididida! Mum-ma!

Next she likes to throw her pacifier, which for some reason she has named "Mimi," out of her crib and thus out of her reach.


Uh-oooooh! Mimi! Mimi! Mimimimimmiiiiiii! Mum-ma-mum-ma-mum-ma-Dah-deeeeee! Uh-oh! Uuuuh-ooooooh?

She's not distressed - just chatting along to herself, cracking up laughing every now and then. I know I should go to her, but I'd rather sit and listen!

New words, continued...

More words to add to Bean's Lexicon:


Blah: "Bless you," uttered nonchalantly after someone sneezes
Bah: bath or belly or back
Bahbaaaah: bye bye
Bah bun: belly button
Bub-bub: bubbles
Clicking sound: cookie/cracker
Dan-da: Santa
Daw: dog
Deuce: juice
Doo: door
Doost: toast
Duh: done
Huh: hat
Mahgramma: my grandma
Me: mine
Pee...PEE! (no translation needed)
Tee: teeth
Twos: toes
Wawa (making "w" on her chin with her fingers): Water
Wawa: waffle
Waaaah: walk

"Bah" is for Bean

Bean has been talking up a storm lately. Her first word, of course, was "Dada," followed soon after by "Mum-mum." Then she came out with "up." She stuck with those three words for quite a while. Not too long ago we realized that, though she may not say much yet, she actually understands most of what we say to her.

It's funny - you talk to your baby constantly: "Hi little Bean.....let's go get dressed...time to change your diaper....here's your breakfast....say hi to Daddy!" And most of the time it's a one way conversation. But then there comes a day when you say, "OK, lay down so Mommy can put on your jammies!" and she lays down. Or you say, "Do you want to go play outside?" and she gets very excited and high-tails it to the back door. It's also funny that she has selective hearing: she hears "Want to have a snack?" loud and clear, but somehow "Don't climb the stairs!" doesn't resonate.

Anyway, lately she's also been adding a lot of words to her vocabulary; this week I think she added a new word every day. Here's her current lexicon:

Bah-bah: bottle / sippy cup
Bah: ball / bowl / bath / bye / belly, depending on the context
Bah-na: banana
Bab: bib
Beh-beeee: baby

Cuh: car
Coo: school

Dah: duck
DuhDuh, daaaah: Daddy
Duh.....pah: diaper

Grrrrrr: truck (I guess that's the sound a truck makes? LOL)

Hi!

Ma: MooMoo (the dog) / more
Mum-mum: Mommy

Nack: snack
Nuh-nuh: Dinner

Puh: pig

Yeah, yeah!

Oh, and she LOVES to talk on the phone (unless of course there's actually someone on the other end, in which case she's struck mute).