Marveling

Today is one of those days in the NW when the reason(s) for living here are so very apparent. It is gorgeous. The sun was shining when we woke up, and it has continued to shine all day. Temperatures started out around 50 but climbed to around 80. The sky is an amazing shade of blue. The air is so fresh. And that's probably enough reason for me to be marveling. What has me really marveling is the learning that is taking place in Natalie's little brain on a daily (heck, hourly) basis. I just can't help but marvel at the observations she makes and her ability to communicate what she's thinking. Almost-two is a fun, fun age! (Someone remind me of this when the terrible twos set in.)

A few of Natalie's observations from today ...

• Natalie was hanging out with me in the bathroom as I got ready this morning. While blow-drying my hair, I could tell she was pointing at the handles on the drawers and saying something. I switch off the dryer to hear Natalie say, "White circle." Yep, the drawer pulls are, indeed, white circles.

• After grocery shopping this evening, the fetus was craving a Jamba Juice (RazzMaTaz is my current favorite), and who am I to argue. The Jamba girl poured my juice into an original size cup and then asked if I would like her to pour the extra into a kid's cup ... guess she thought I'd like to share with my offspring. Sure, why not :) As I handed Natalie her mini-cup, she said, "Little." Then she pointed to my cup and said, "Big." Sure enough!

• And, finally, Natalie counts to 14, which is fabulous in-and-of-itself (that's a weird expression btw). While at the park - after the grocery story and the Jamba Juice - three young girls were playing hide-and-seek. The one that was "it" stood nearest us, and Natalie noticed that she was counting. She said, "Girl counting."

Not so sweet and innocent anymore!

Remember this recent post? Well, there's more to the story ... and there's a bit of back-story required.

I was a bit "sheltered" growing up. I think that's the right word. I lacked a certain "education" about the ways of human nature, the birds and the bees, and what-not. Perhaps this had something to do with being a child of the mid-seventies. Perhaps this had something to do with my mornings in Catholic mass and days of Catholic school education. Perhaps this had something to do with my parents not being entirely comfortable talking about "private parts" and the likes. Perhaps I was the one who would die of embarrassment if/when my parents attempted a serious conversation about such matters, therefore my parents gave up trying. I don't know ... which came first the chicken or the egg? It's that kind of predicament, right?

Anyway, here's what I can tell you about my (previously) limited knowledge of all things "sexual." A girl's part was referred to as a pookie bear. A boy's part was called a winkie. That's right, folks, you read me correctly. I don't think I was exposed to the "real" words (slang-excepted because I did go to public middle school) until I was in my high school health class. I took health as a senior, by the way. I was the only senior in the class. Why? Because I thought I could escape that graduation requirement; that's how much I dreaded the thought of learning about the nether-regions. Sadly, my guidance counselor caught that little "oversight" and made sure my schedule allowed for the health class ... my senior year. Delightful! So I learned the proper names of both the male and female anatomy at the tender age of 18 while surrounded by the most immature group of freshman ever to grace my high school.

Still don't believe just how naive I was? Here's another little tale - at my expense - to further demonstrate the vastness of my cluelessness. I remember this so vividly. As a sixteen year old, I was reading magazines in the bedroom of my dear friend, Sarah Lou. She is 5 years older than me, and I counted on her to answer some of my embarrassing questions. On this particular evening, I asked her ... "Is oral sex when two people talk about sex with each other?" She looked at me with a combination of shock, amusement, and pity. Before she could even answer, I quickly added some insight into how I came to this conclusion (all by myself). I said, "Well, in English class we have oral exercises. The teacher calls on us to answer aloud. So it's like we're talking about whatever it is we're learning." Yes, I made a huge leap from oral exercises in English class to oral sex. Impressive, I know! Sarah Lou did her best to explain my error, as tactfully as possible - probably not an easy feat considering she too was a good Catholic girl!

Phew. That's the back-story. Now, onto the story. This story involves - like most things in my current life - Natalie.

If you read the Co-ed Bath & Private Parts post, you know that Natalie has become more aware of her own private parts as well as those of her male counterparts. She clearly sees a difference, and she wants to learn more. Who can blame her right? Upon our return from Denver (and the now blog-worthy bath scene), Natalie continued to point and say, "parts" whenever I changed her diaper or put her in the tub. The word pookie bear rattled around my head. I probably even had it on the tip of my tongue a few times. But when the word finally broke free, I said, "That's Natalie's vagina." Can you believe it?! How scandalous. I used the actual, medical term for that particular body part, just as I had for all the other body parts I've taught her. She gave the word a try in her own little voice and repeated, "Geyena." Yep, that sounded about right to me. I didn't even blush :) After a moment of pause - for a little almost-2 contemplation - Natalie said, "Emmett parts." Oh, geez, was I ready for this one? I took a deep breath and said, "Boys, like Emmett, don't have a vagina. They have a wink ... penis." "Penis," she was almost too quick to repeat.

Speaking of repeat, Natalie did repeat this new bit of knowledge ... in front of her Grammy, the original creator of the terms pookie bear and winkie. Boy, did Grammy blush a few shade of pink ... and give me a look that said, "Where in the world did she learn those words?!"

From her very own sheltered, sweet, innocent, naive momma ... you know, the one who pushed that baby girl out of her vagina? I think that's pretty much how I explained it :)

Here's what I figure. If, down the road, Natalie decides to give her vagina it's own special - less clinical - name (like pookie bear or chottie), then so be it. But for now, I am sticking with the "real" words for all body parts ... until we start getting into more specifics ... I know for a fact that I am not even remotely prepared to say clitoris in front of my daughter ... or anyone else for that matter ... I can't believe I just typed that word!

P.S. As long as we're talking about vaginas ... please keep my good friend Laurie in your thoughts. Perhaps you remember that she recently gave birth to her second 9+ pound baby. Well, as a result, on Friday she has her first physical therapy session ... for her vagina. I cannot wait to find out what is involved in physical therapy for one's vagina. (Sorry, L, I couldn't resist ... )

What'd you say?

Natalie has been cracking me up lately. That's really not breaking news, but I just have to share a few of the funny things she's said ...

"Pink or Green"

We were at the park the other evening, and we stayed a little longer than we should've. It was getting close to bedtime, which makes dealing with things like a little boo-boo a whole lot harder for an almost two year old. On our way to the car, she stumbled and fell ... but it wasn't major. I scooped her right up to soothe her, and through her tears she said, "Binky. Binky. Peenk o Geen. Peenk o Geen."

I wasn't surprised by the binky request. Natalie definitely resorts to the comfort of a binky when she's tired. Add to that her little fall, and she was ready for something to suck on. When we are out of the house (and it's not nap or bedtime), I usually tell Natalie that I only have a pink binky with me because she'll only take it if she really needs it. What cracked me up and touched my heart is the fact that she was willing to settle for the much harder (and much less loved) pink binky. It didn't matter ... pink or green.

"Sun. Sun. La, La, La"

Today we were in the car ... on the way to the post office to mail packages to our friends in Chi-town, and Natalie kept saying, "Sun. Sun."

And I replied, "Yes, baby girl, it is a nice sunny day. We haven't seen the sun in a few days, huh?"

Again, she said, "Sun. Sun."

Still thinking I had the right translation, I said, "I know, I am really enjoying all this sunshine today, too."

Natalie was quiet for a few seconds, and I was reveling in my success of a) figuring out what she was saying and b) holding up my end of such a stimulating conversation.

Then, I hear this determined voice from the backseat say, "Sun. Sun. La, la, la, la, ..."

That's when I realized I hadn't turned on the radio! Our new favorite SONG ... Upside Down by Jack Johnson from the Curious George soundtrack. Natalie calls it the "George Sun."

Hike Self?

Daddy took NHV for a hike today. He's such an outdoorsman, and I think it's great that Natalie gets exposed to what he loves. She rides in the backpack (made by Sherpani), and they sing songs and spot animal characters from the books we read.

On this particular hike, after taking a mid-hike break, during which this photo was taken, Natalie was hesitant to get back in the backpack.

She kept saying, "Hike self. Hike self. Hike self."

When Chad retold this story, he admitted that it took him a minute to figure out she was asking to hike all by herself. She wanted to walk rather than ride.

Chad complied, held her hand, and hiked another 1/10 of the trail. She did great! Most exciting of all, my baby girl is developing her sense of SELF!

Binky Dilemma and What Are You?

Ugh! I am beginning to truly dread the binky separation that is imminent. NHV has always l-o-v-e-d her binky. She still sucks an infant Soothie, like the one she was given at the hospital. Soothie makes a version for older babies - older than three months, I think. But NHV doesn't like this firmer, different-colored version. And so, my 22+ month old continues to suck an infant Soothie. Oh, the angst of it! What am I going to do?

For a long time now, we've only allowed her to have it while in her crib - for naps and bedtime. In fact, you can ask her, "When do you get your binky?" And she'll reply, "Naps. Nigh-nigh." I feel good about that ... despite that if you calculate the amount of time that wonderful child sleeps, you'll find that her sucking potential is around 14-15 hours a day ... if said binky stays plugged in her mouth the entire time. I know her adorable little smile and our orthodontia bills will suffer some day!

Recently, we've been broaching the subject of ditching the binky. Explaining that "babies have binkies" and NHV doesn't need a binky anymore because she's not a baby. I feel a little guilty about putting this kind of pressure on her, but desperate times ...

Sitting around the table after dinner, we started having this same conversation. I think she brought if up by saying something like, "Baby. Binky." And I replied, "That's right. Babies have binkies, and you're not a baby, right, N?" CPV chimed in with another question, "Natalie, what are you?"

Following a brief pause, N happily and clearly answered ... exactly what Chad expected and what sounded to me like "Cowgirl." A cute answer, for sure, but I was a little confused. I looked to Chad for confirmation only to be surprised to learn what Natalie was actually saying ... "Toddler."

Unbeknownest to me, she and Chad had a semi-related conversation earlier today, and he taught her a new word, "toddler." And she remembered that conversation from about 10 hours earlier.

I am not sure we are any closer to getting rid of that darn binky, but I am impressed with Natalie's growing vocabulary and her ability to remember ... everything ... a trait that is sure to get us in trouble in the near future!

Add Eeee-Paca to the List

We love our local zoo. Our family membership has proven to be one of the best entertainment investments we've made to date. After our long weekend in Denver and two days spent in the classroom, I desperately needed to run some errands and restock our fridge. But ... it was a beautiful day, and Natalie looked at me - with those big, beautiful eyes - and said, "Animals. Please." She even signed "please" in the adorable way that she does. How, in the world, could I refuse or resist? All the way there, she kept asking "Animals?" like she couldn't believe we were really going. And I reassured her - over and over again - that we were, in fact, heading for the zoo. She was excited beyond belief. She listed the animals she was looking forward to seeing: tigers, cougar, and birds.

This turned out to be an especially exciting trip to the zoo because Natalie realized that there are, in deed, a few other animals at the zoo. We always walk past their cages, but she shows little interest ... unless it's the tigers, cougar, or birds. Today, we stepped up to the alpaca pens, and Natalie called out with much enthusiasm, "Eeeeee-Paca." The small crowd around us cracked up, and I must admit that I beamed. How cute is that? Eeeeee-Paca! She then proceeded to "beep" his nose and crack up herself.

Yes, our zoo list has expanded: tigers, cougars, birds, eeeeee-paca!