Pia and Mommy were watching a movie about a town plagued by a killer shark. Pia likes to ask questions while watching:
Pia: Why are the people running and shouting?
Mommy: Because there's a man eating shark.
Pia: Why does the man like to eat sharks?
* * *
Sammy is now able to balance himself while standing up. We just need to position him in an upright position, and then we can let go. He'll keep himself upright and standing until he gets tired and then he'll plop himself down.
He's still unable to stand up by himself from a sitting position.
He's also now able to take a couple of steps before falling forward. He gets giddy each time we coax him to 'come here'. And we catch him before he falls.
To help him practice walking, initially we used a technique were one person stands behind him, hold each hand of his hands and then ask him to walk. The one behind walks as well. Sammy likes that a lot and he'll walk to every room in the apartment.
We've discovered though that while this technique helps him practice his goose stepping, it does teach to to walk with his upper half well forward of his lower half. He looks like an ambling Tower of Pisa. We don't think he'll progress quickly that way.
So we've switched to just holding him in one hand and walking by his side. He enjoys that even more, as it challenges both his steps and his balancing.
We think he'll soon be walking by himself. Certainly by end of next month.
* * *
Pia picks up expressions from her TV watching. She tries to use them herself. Sometimes she gets the expressions right, sometimes she doesn't.
One day she was playing with toy plates and dishes, pretending to wash them:
Pia: There, after I wash these plates, they will be s<inaudible>ky clean.
Daddy: What's that you said?
Pia: I SAID, THEY WILL BE SPOOKY CLEAN!
* * *
It's Pia's job to set the table for lunch each day. Almost every day she attempts to escape this responsibility.
Mommy: (from the kitchen) Piahhhh...set the table please, we will eat soon.
Pia: Mommy, it's not my job.
Daddy: Pia...come on now, we talked about this. What's you job: To...set...the...
Pia: To set the...
Daddy: Set the what?
Pia: My job is to set the clock!
* * *
After dinner, Pia runs to the living room to play with her doll.
Mommy: (calling out from the kitchen) Pia, brush your teeth.
No response.
Mommy: Pia, brush your teeth
Pia: (playing doctor with her doll) MAAAHMEE...I'm a doctor!
Daddy: (??) Pia, go brush your teeth
Pia: Doctors don't brush their teeth.
Daddy: Yes they do.
Pia: But they don't brush their teeth while there are sick people in the hospital.
* * *
Pia caught a cold from Sammy, who caught it from Dominic, who brought it home from school.
The runny nose bothers Pia, so Mommy told her to drink lots of water so she'll get better.
So she pours water in her tumbler and drank. After drinking:
Pia: Mommy, I already drank lots of water
Mommy: Good.
Pia: But why does my cold still not go away?
* * *
The children weren't accustomed to having their own bedroom when we first moved in to our apartment. They'd ask Mommy to stay with them and read stories to them until they fell asleep. They also want the bedroom door kept open.
Dominic was especially problematic. For the first few months, it was especially bad when he had to get up at the middle of the night to pee. He's scared of getting out of bed in the dark.
First he'd moan. Then he'd groan. Until his moaning and groaning turned so loud that his Daddy or Mommy had to get up and lead him to the toilet.
After months we've had enough and we decided he has to learn to go by himself. So we made up our minds to ignore his midnight howling.
So he'd moan long and hard. Then he'd groan. Then he'd howl like a wolf cub. That'd go on for about 10 minutes. Until finally, when he can no longer hold it in, he'll rush down his bunk bed, run into the toilet, relieve himself, switch the toilet light off, then run as fast as he can back to bed before any 'ghosts' can catch him. All that time he'd be grunting and growling, incensed at his inconsiderate parents who unknown to him, are giggling in the dark.
* * *
We went to the zoo. While watching the snow leopard, Pia started dancing and making funny faces at the leopard:
Pia: (singing loudly) Hello Mr. Leopard, you cannot eat me, nyah-nyah-nyanyanyah. You cannot eat me, wa wa wawawa.
Daddy: (teasing, and pointing to a spot among the plants behind Pia). Pia, the leopard can get out of the cage through here. It's open.
Pia: (sudden flash of white fear, softly) O.....K....I....won't....sing...it...anymore.
* * *
Prior to coming to Australia, we read that the Aussies are crazy about their sports. After a few months living here, it has become clear that not only was that statement true, but also that 'crazy' was a carefully chosen adjective.
Among their sports, it seems Footy is one of the kings.
Footy is their football, a game which has little resemblance to soccer. To this untrained eye, it looks like American football on planet Mad Max (we don't use helmets and shoulder guards -- they tend to splinter and crack open during play)
Walking around the neighbourhood one day we came upon three boys, aged 8, 5, and 2 playing with a footy 'ball'. The 2 year old looked like he just learned to walk this morning, and was already raring to play footy with a ball half his size.
"Dominic!" yelled out the 8-year old.
Daddy: (surprised, to Dominic) Do you know him?
Dominic: No.
Daddy: How come he knows your name?
Dominic: He's in my school.
Boy: Dominic, what's your footy team?
It's just taken for granted that everyone, including 6 year olds, has a footy team.
* * *
After the children finish their daily assignments (usually math equations), we go through their answers, marking each with an X or a check. Pia goes ballistic each time an X is made in any of her answers, as she gets teased by her elder brother and is thus under pressure to always get her answers right. (Not that Dominic always get his answers right the first time)
One day, Pia finishes her assignment and submits it to Mommy:
Mommy: (checking each answer). This is right...this is right... this is wrong...
Pia: (Groan). Mommy! NO MISTAKES ALLOWED!
* * *
At Mass, during collection. Pia has the coins in her hand, and is waiting for the collector to pass by. Pia recalls previous admonitions to drop her donation discreetly.
In hushed, almost conspiratorial tones:
Pia: I will not show them what I put in the bag.
Daddy: Good, that's how to do it.
Pia: Why must I not show people what I put in?
Daddy: Because that's how it's done.
Pia: What will the people do if they see what I put in?
* * *
Dominic had just come home from school and still in his uniform, positioned himself in front of the TV. Showing was some kind of non-famous superhero cartoons.
One at a time, the characters in the show introduced themselves as a superhero: "I am X, master of stone" (something like that)
Mommy: Dominic, change your clothes now!
Dominic starts changing while still in front of the TV. He takes his pants off...
Pia: (pointing to Dominic) And here's the superhero with smelly panty!
* * *
Dominic likes to explain how things work. Which is fine, except that he tends to teach you things you already know, so his lectures can be a bit tedious. The telltale sign of a new lecture is his opening remark, "Look...'
One hectic day, Dominic approaches Daddy...
Dominic: Daddy, look...
Daddy: (groan, here's another lecture) I'm busy right now...
Dominic: (picks up the optical mouse and points to the red light underneath, where the ball is on older models) Look at this red light.
Daddy: (sigh) Yes, what about it?
Dominic: Look, if I point it at my hand, you can see the red light.
Daddy: (Duh) Yes, it's called reflection.
Dominic: But when I point it to here (the computer's LCD screen), you can't see the red light.
Daddy: (Astonished) You're right. That's pretty amazing.
And it was amazingly. And the reluctant student spent several minutes more playing with the mouse's light, impressed at what the professor discovered. Somehow the LCD screen absorbs the red light and doesn't reflect it back.
* * *
Pia likes to walk on the floor with only her socks on. She keeps misplacing her slippers though, and it's driving Mommy crazy.
Time to eat but Pia can't enter the kitchen without slippers:
Mommy: Where's your slippers again?
Pia: I don't know where they are...
Mommy: It's because you don't always wear your slippers, that's why you always lose them. You must always wear your slippers!
Pia: But Mommy...how can we sleep with our slippers on?
* * *
Re-runs of The Simpsons is on TV every day at 6pm. Both Pia and Dominic love the show and watch it as often as they can. But we have dinner at 5:30 so if they don't eat fast enough, they won't be able to watch.
Most of the time they miss much of the show because of their own dawdling at dinner. Pia, especially, can take up to two hours to finish her food.
One day while starting to sit down for dinner Pia comes ups with a plan:
Pia: (shouting, to catch everyone's attention) Here's how not to miss the Simpsons! Step one! Eat your food quickly and do not play while eating.
Daddy: Good. What's step two?
Pia: Step two, watch the Simpsons!
Duh.
* * *
This post rated P21 : 21 years old and above
"I have a clean fok", said Dominic after washing his fork which had fallen off the dining table.
We had been letting his mispronunciations pass, but this sounded too funny. (We even blogged about his missing 'r' almost exactly one year ago: here)
Daddy: It's forrrrrk. Say fork.
Dominic : Fok
Daddy: No, "Fork"
Dominic :Fohk (a hint of r coming out)
Daddy: Forrrrrrk;
Dominic: Fohhhhhhk.
We weally need to pwactice him.
* * *
Mommy's back is painful, and asks Dominic and Pia to help her with Sammy:
Mommy: Dominic, Pia, can you look after Sammy?
Pia: My pleasure, Mommy!
That's a new expression for her, almost certainly picked up from watching TV, and is a welcome contrast to her other replies, like 'I got too much work' or 'No thanks'
* * *
A few weeks ago we introduced Dominic to what 'antonyms', 'synonyms', and 'homonyms' are, and he's fascinated by the concept.
Since then, every time he discovers a new pair of antonyms, or synonyms, or homonyms, he'd walk up to us and say something like, 'Daddy I know a homonym -- three like the number 3, and tree the plant'.
One day:
Dominic: Daddy, what's the opposite of house?
Daddy: (No clue) What?
Dominic: (joking) An upside down house, or an un-house.
* * *
Pia's birthday is coming up, and she's getting both excited and anxious.
Pia: Mommy, will you give me a gift on my birthday?
Mommy: Of course!
Pia: Yoohoo! Praise the mother!
(She's been using that expression quite a bit after watching
The Ant Bully
* * *
Pia: (in a muffled voice, from inside the toilet) Sammy looks like an owl.
Daddy: (in the kitchen, didn't quite hear clearly) What did you say?
Pia: Sammy looks like an owl
Daddy: (to Mommy) ??
Mommy: Like an owl
Daddy: (to Pia) Why is Sammy like an owl?
Pia: (something indistinct) !
Daddy: (going over to Pia) Why is Sammy like an owl?
Pia: Stop it!
Daddy: ??? Why is Sammy like an owl?
Pia: Dahdee...Sammy is not like an owl. He's a baby.
Daddy: But you said he's like an owl
Pia: I didn't say Sammy is like an owl
Daddy: What did you say?
Pia: (pointing to the window, outside of which are birds cawing) I said "That sounds like an owl"
* * *
Dominic wants to play knock knock jokes with Pia. Pia hasn't a clue how the game goes.
Take 1:
Dominic: Pia, knock knock
Pia: (gestures opening the door) Come in
Dominic: No, Pia, you say 'who's there'
Take 2:
Dominic: Knock knock
Pia: I already opened the door
Dominic: No, You should say 'who's there
Take 3:
Dominic: Knock knock
Pia: Who is it?
Dominic: You should say 'who's there'
Pia: Who's there?
Dominic: Atch
Pia: Welcome, come in.
Dominic: No
Take 4:
Dominic: Knock knock
Pia: Who's there?
Dominic: Atch
Pia: What is atch?
Dominic: No, you should say 'Atch who?'
Take 5:
Dominic: Knock knock
Pia: Who's there?
Dominic: Atch
Pia: Who is atch?
Dominic: No! It's 'Atch who'
Take 6:
Dominic: Knock knock
Pia: Who's out there?
Dominic: Atch
Pia: What's that?
Dominic wisely gives up and plays something else.
* * *
An overexcited Dominic was telling an imaginary story. Speaking rapidly, he would collapse now and then, giggling at (one surmises) funny turns in the story. Unfortunately no one could follow what he was saying, and the story is progressing to...nowhere:
Pia: (leaning close to Daddy's ear) Look Daddy, Dominic is being silly.
Daddy: Should we bring him to a doctor?
Pia: Yes
Daddy: Yeah, I think he's gone crazy
Pia: I think he's running out of gas
* * *
Dominic learns about the 'knock knock' routine in school. He tries it out while on the way home:
Dominic: Knock knock!
Daddy: Who's there?
Dominic: Smash
Daddy: Smash who?
Dominic: I will smash you!
(First attempt at knock knocks. A long way to go)
* * *
"Is this the fastest car of ever?", asked Dominic.
He has this peculiar expression: "of ever", which he uses to mean "ever". "This is the biggest house of ever!"
Daddy: You don't need to say "of". Just say "ever"
Dominic: (tries out the new phrasing) The fastest car...ever.
Doesn't like it.
Dominic: (glum) But I like 'of'. Don't tell me I cannot say 'of'.
Daddy: Ok.
* * *
