Jane-isms

It's pretty much just me and the kids here right now. Never a break. Unless you count the times I go into the bathroom, lock the door, and take a 5 minute breather while Jane pounds on the door screaming and crying.

So what's really on my mind are the things I would really love for Jane to stop saying. Matt thinks they're cute. But that must be because he hears them about 5% as many times as I do. But let's admit, when these days are over I'll miss hearing her say this stuff.

1. "Oh, no! Now I'll NEVER...." This is said in a very pathetic whiney fake-cryey voice EVERY TIME I tell her she can't do something. "Can I go outside?" "Maybe after nap." "Oh, no! Now I'll NEVER go outside!"
2. "Oh, no! You're not my best friend anymore." Said in the same voice as above EVERY TIME she gets in trouble for something. "Don't pour water out of the tub." (pours water) "Do it one more time and you're getting out." (pours water) And when I sound frustrated and at my wits end, "Ok, get out!" Jane says, "Oh, no! You're not my best friend anymore!" But she doesn't mean she doesn't want to be MY best friend. She means, because I am "mad" at her I must not be her best friend. I have tried on many occasions to explain to my little 3 year old that I am her best friend AND her mommy, and mommies get to tell their kids when they're in trouble. I have gotten so tired of hearing her say this particular one that I just started a rule that if she says it she goes on time out.
3. Anything in repeat mode. What is it with kids and repeating stuff? In the car the other day I swear I heard "I want water" no less than a hundred times. It drives me out of my mind!!!!

I've heard that 3 is the most magical age of childhood. Meaning that children pretend play most at the age of three. For Jane it has definitely rung true. In fact, I don't think there's much time in her day where she isn't pretending something. And she certainly is never just quiet.
*While at a visit to the dermatologist for Jack's hemangioma Jane had her dog Valentino. She was talking up a storm with the nurse and doctor, and of course, with Valentino. Valentino needed a shot, you see, but he was scared, but she told him it would only hurt a little bit, and that he would get a band-aid. After acting out the steps of giving him a shot, getting a band-aid, opening the band-aid and putting the band-aid on Valentino the nurse said, "do you want a band-aid for him?" and got a small one out of a drawer. Jane seemed like she wanted to tell the nurse, "Come on lady, didn't you see he already has one?" and said, "No, I already have a PRETEND band-aid." The doctor asked me, "When she finally goes to sleep do your ears just keep ringing?"
*When Jane eats at the table and no one is in there with her she usually talks to one of her stuffed animal friends. One day I came in and saw there were no friends with her. I asked who she was talking to and she told me she was talking to Amy. Other times she'll have her hands talking back and forth or her markers, whatever she can find.
*Sometimes Matt will play "Friends Galore" with Jane in the morning. That means that Jane lines up all of her stuffed animals and Matt talks for them telling Jane what they want. "I need a banana." "I need a bath." "I want candy" etc. It is hilarious to watch her act out each step of the process: opening the cupboard, getting down the candy basket, picking out a candy, opening the candy.
*At times the excessive pretending can really get in the way. Like when I was in a hurry to get her something to eat because Jack was crying, but I just HAD to feed the birdie first! I kept trying to ask Jane what she wanted, but I had to finally give in and ask birdie what he wanted.

Thanks to an awesome little episode of Sid the Science Kid Jane is all about being healthy these days. She likes to run and jump around then feel her heartbeat. When it's beating fast she'll say, "I'm exercising!" And she always asks me if what she's eating is healthy. Today she got a sucker and said, "Oh no! I'm not eating healthy!"

Twice this month Jane has been mistaken for a boy. One time she was wearing a green shirt and had frizzy hair. I'll forgive that one. But what about the time she had on a pink bow and pink Dora boots?

Sometimes when Jane talks about when she was a baby she'll say, "When I was a Jack..."

Jane has started to say "Don't bite me!" when Matt and I get stern with her. And she acts genuinely afraid of that prospect. But we have never bitten her, threatened to bite her, or anything!

Just like her daddy Jane came up with her own pun tonight. While eating edamame she started calling me edamommy and thought she was very clever.

Instead of I don't know she says, "I can't know."

She was doing a worksheet where she circled all the things that she could touch. Chair, ball, moon, cereal, stars, etc. They were all circled. I said, "Hmmm... can you touch the moon and stars?" She said, "When I'm a fairy and can fly I can touch the moon and stars." Touche'

At the beginning of the month she was calling jack-o-lanterns "Jack-o-weens" like a cross between jack-o-lantern and Halloween. It was too cute to correct. Eventually it started to morph into Jack-o-leenard.

After getting a dress-up dress on Jane told me, "I'm a princess because Heavenly Father loves me."

One Sunday afternoon I tried to take a nap with Jane. She kept talking and talking and moving and playing and I kept asking her to stop. Eventually I got fed up and told her to just get out. Well, Matt had earlier told her to stay in the room, so she was really upset. She said, "But, but, but, both big kids will be mad at me! Now I don't have a best friend!"

Don't worry Jane. In just a few years it will be me and dad that are sad we're not YOU'RE best friend anymore!

No real pictures without my blogtographer, but here's a pic of Jane at 4 months. Quite a different head shape than Jack, wouldn't you say?