Heard Recently Around Our House

Bridget, when she hears the microwave beep: “Mommy! Poppy ready!” (your coffee is ready!) “Oh, what that ‘mell?  'Mell like poppy. ‘Mell good!” (What’s that smell?  It smells like coffee. It smells good!)

Bridget, after seeing butterflies on the potty seat: “Butterflies fly...sky ” (flapping arms, looking upward) “Angels fly!”

Me: “I don’t want to see anyone naked in our family room. And I am especially talking to anyone who is three or four!” (The three and four year olds must not have been listening.)

Bridget (heard often): 

“Not cool!” 

“No way!”

“Stop it!”

“Oh, you’re right!”

“Oh, that is soooo silly!”

“Oh, ache you!” (Oh, thank you!)

"No Happy"

Me: "Bridget, would you like something to eat?"  

Bridget: "Oh! Ache you, mommy! Yes, a piece a cake!!"



Me:  "Bridget, what are you doing?" (after I saw that Little Bear had ended and she was still glued to the t.v.).  

Bridget:  “I watchin’ Pungebobs!" (Spongebob). "I wike it!"

(Bridget and Alina don't watch Spongebob.  But obviously, Bridget knows who that is!) 

Alina - October

Alina is three and a half years old.  And though most people are shocked to hear it, Bridget is bigger than Alina, who looks much more "sturdy" than her older sister.  (Alina is 36 inches and 30 pounds.)   

She adores Bridget (who she now calls Bruh). She truly looks up to her.  It is too cute.  Whatever Bridget is doing, we will usually find Alina nearby doing the same thing or sitting and smiling while watching Bridget. 

She also "tells on" Bridget by pointing while saying Bruh! (look at Bridget!) to let me know that Bridget is getting into something or doing something she is not supposed to be doing.  As innocent as Bridget looks, this happens more often than you might think ;).

Alina loves to eat!  She's not picky.  At all.  She is game to try (and will finish) whatever we offer her.

Alina wants so much to talk, and is really trying.  She is making progress, though at this point we are hearing more sounds than clear words.  Her speech therapist at school is working on sound production while also offering her a variety of other creative methods to communicate (picture options as well as devices with switches and buttons that she can manipulate to show what she wants and what she understands).

Alina is downright dangerous with the t.v. remote. Every time she gets a hold of it, she's making something purposeful happen (and not just changing the channel or turning it off).  She's been caught trying to order Hot Tub Time Machine more than once, and recently, she somehow recorded 13 days worth of infomercials. 

Alina loves to tickle other people's feet (Emmy says it is one of Alina's talents...she really tickles).

Our two youngest girls are buddies...and complete opposites. 
The laughing that goes on at our house (and there's a lot of it) is a perfect example of the difference in our two little girls.  Bridget is a hee hee hee kind of a girl, while Alina is definitely the huh huh huh type.

While Bridget hugs, Alina waves.  She is the perpetual mayor, greeter and beauty queen, quick with a hearty Hi!, a wave and a smile.  

Bridget is a girly-girl.  Alina is a mixture, a tomboy-girl--she is rough and tumble, but loves (and I mean loves) playing dress-up.  No matter what she is wearing, she is also always in a tutu, or play shoes! 

And while Bridget is cautious, Alina is our risk taker (and has the bumps and bruises to prove it).  She approaches life, in general, with vigor.  She's quick to jump in and participate.  

To give a little more insight into our youngest daughter, here are some observations from her therapists at school:

"Alina has acquired her sister's love of giving orders!  We can't go more than 5 feet without her telling me to TOP!  (stop) :)"

"Alina is so friendly to the students we meet in and around the school!"

 "At snack today, Alina requested ah. puh. mo. (more apple) with prompting.  She signed it, too :)."

"Alina is doing super!  She seems to be getting into chairs safely--though she did try some acrobatics once in a chair :)."

Alina has added so much to our lives.  She's active and curious and adventurous, and she keeps us busy.  She also has a wonderful disposition and sweet spirit.

She is her own person...a beautiful and amazing person we are happy to know and love!

My Name is...

Jibby!

That is what Bridget is calling herself...Jibby. Or Jibit. I can't even type it without giggling. (Jibby is Bridgey. Jibit is Bridget.)

Her speech is much better than we once thought it might be, and she can say lots of names clearly. Why, oh why, couldn't we have selected a name she would be able to pronounce ;)?

Funny Girl, Part II

Bridget keeps us smiling. There are so many things I wanted to add to that last post--things that make life with Bridget interesting and fun. And none of them have much to do with the extra chromosome :). So here they are, some other things I love about life with her:

-She always notices if I hit a pot hole, speed bump or curb. Oopsie, she says quietly from the back seat. She also shouts Whoa! when we turn corners.

-She knows what she wants (and doesn't want) and is always thinking about how best to get her point across. At dinner one night recently, she was trying to get out of eating brussels sprouts. The conversation went: Bridget: Mommy, hot. Me: No, Bridget, they are not hot. Bridget: Mommy, Eewww.

-Bridget surprises people (us included). Whenever we go through a drive through, Bridget sits silently while I am ordering. She must be listening intently, because she waits until the order-taker gives the total, and then she shouts O-K!! BYE!! The people at the window are always laughing when we pull up.

-She is persistent and polite at the same time :). If she wants a cup, for example, everyone should be prepared to hear her requests for that cup over and over until said cup is retrieved. She almost always adds a very sweet Please to the request, but her eye is on the prize. Anyone who answers her calls for help is rewarded with a hearty "Que" (Thank You) or a Job! (Good Job).

-Bridget takes great care of her baby dolls and stuffed animals (and a 12-inch Spiderman action figure). She likes to get them comfy with pillows and blankets and books. She feeds them, rocks them, kisses them and takes them for walks. It is not uncommon to look in our family room and see a doll lovingly tucked into the doll pack & play, or to see Bridget come around the corner pushing Spiderman in the doll stroller.

What things do you love about life with your kids?

Hot Dogs for Breakfast

...That sounds like it should be a book title :).

This morning, Bridget climbed up in the chair next to Emmy. She was just waking up, and her hair was half-covering her sleepy little face. On auto pilot, I got a cup of yogurt out of the fridge and poured her some milk. I happily set the yogurt, a spoon, and the cup of milk in front of her. She usually claps. This morning, she did not move.

Aren't you hungry?, I asked.

She gently (but clearly) pushed the yogurt aside. She pointed to the fridge. Hot. Dog.

You want a hot dog? I asked.

In her sweetest little voice, she answered, Yes.

"Hot Dog" and "Yes" as clear as can be. She's saying "Yes" (not "Do" or "Yep") all the time now. Her emerging speech is so exciting.

So hot dogs for breakfast, it was, and yogurt for lunch!