1-Second Neck Exercise

Elliott has very little interest in doing a "cobra", or even picking up his head, during tummy time.  It seems lying and sucking his thumb has become a comfortable place to be.  I finally found a trick, which is to lay him looking to the right.  He picks up his head, turns to the left, and lies back down where his thumb of choice is readily accessible.  End of exercise.  This is a little troublesome, since friends and cousins born around the same time have been doing a cobra for over a month now.  All in his own time... and who can blame him with a noggin measuring in the 99th percentile?

Thumb Sucking Extraordinaire!

Elliott has mastered the art of sucking his thumb - always the left thumb.  And unlike the fist, which can be upsetting when it doesn't produce milk, Elliott is perfectly content to suck away, sometimes even while sleeping!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkk!

Things that will make Jonah shriek:

• A piece of hair touching him in the bathtub
• An ant crawling on the floor

The piercing nature of the wail may lead one to expect some catastrophic event has transpired.  Nope.

Happy Easter!

I may have failed as a Catholic parent this Easter.  I never want Easter to be just bunnies, eggs and candy.  But how do you explain to a toddler what the celebration is about?  Does he understand death?  Is it silly that death is so taboo in our culture, or a good idea to avoid the topic with a sensitive little mind?  I offhandedly gave Jonah a couple soundbites about God, Heaven and Jesus but it certainly wasn't a theological conversation intended to foster deep understanding.  But you never know... sometimes a little phrase can stick with him.  Last weekend, Grandmama asked Jonah if he would come to her house to help find the eggs the Easter Bunny hid.  All week we've been hearing Jonah excitedly explain, "I go Mema's house, she need help finding eggs.  I help Mema find the eggs!"

Easter was a lovely day of Mass (we arrived just in time to get seats in the vestibule, right behind Jonah's friends.  They were all a little more rowdy than usual... maybe from the candy???), egg hunts (which included a full boisterous and theatrical narrative worthy of a Tony Award) and family.

How embarrassing!

[Bedtime]
Jonah:  I need George.
Mommy:  Here you go. [Hands Curious George to Jonah]
Jonah:  Oh no!
Mommy: What's wrong?
Jonah:  There's poopy coming out his bum!  He need a diaper change!
Mommy: I'll get him a diaper.
Jonah:  He need monkey diaper!
[Mommy diapers Curious George]