Library

Renewing my library card seriously was the best thing I’ve done in a long time. Vince and I went a few weeks ago (remember the super-poo incident?), but didn’t get a chance to actually take out any books until last Monday.

Vince had so much fun looking at books and movies. We picked up a ‘Mouse’ movie and a ‘Dinosaur’ movie. I chose a few books (that Vince has since decided that he hates and throws a fit when I try to read them to him). Such a picky child. Not at all like his mother.

And surprisingly, I managed to get 2 books for myself. Vince and I did a march through the stacks. And actual march. Holding hands and high-stepping. It was the only way I was able to look at adult books. Randomly I ran across 2 I wanted to read. Hallelujah!

This is what I have been reading. Do you care? Of course you do! I read everything. How I find time to fit it in with a two year old? No idea, but damn it, I always will.

1) The whole entire Hunger Game series by Suzanne Collins. This is addicting at its best. Extremely hard to put down. Edward actually bribed the librarian at his school into getting the 3rd installment and I had to read it extra fast. Which was what I was doing anyways. It was hard to ignore the whip that he was cracking over my shoulders while he chanted ‘read read read’, but I did finish it in one day…

2) The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil. My mother-in-law lent this to me, not a library find, but I did run across the sequel to it while Vince and I were marching (Needles and Pearls). British novels about knitting! I mean honestly, she might as well have just emailed me and asked me what I want her to write about. Deliciously engaging and will completely make you want to knit.

3) An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Can you say guilty pleasure? Time traveling, hot Scottish lords and, well, so many unbelievable things happening at once that you routinely think “what on earth?” while you keep reading. And then pick up the next book. And the one after that. Haven’t read it yet. It’s waiting for me.

4) Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner. I adore this woman’s writing style. It’s extremely refreshing, very heartfelt, witty and charming. *Love* This one is also waiting for me, it might be my latest ‘read in V room while he falls asleep’ book.

Vince is not reading books by Doreen Cronin. They are currently not being read in his room and have been not read for about 2 weeks now. I imagine they will continue to not be read this week and then I’ll return them to get some more books he will also not read. Perhaps ones that he’ll scream things like “Vincent no like. No like this one!!!!!!!” at and throw on the floor.

Oh the trials and tribulations of a reading family…

xoxo a.m.

Beebee

Day by day, Little Man’s vocab is on the rise and it is truly an interesting thing to hear and help grow.

We are a big book family. I have these memories of going to the Library with my Mum when I was little  and taking out heaps and heaps of books. And then losing them around the house. And then swearing that I returned them. And then (when I was little) finding them at the bottom of the pile of papers for the fireplace (whew! Close call!).

And more embarrassing memories of being older, having Mum raid my room and taking actual laundry baskets full of books back to our local branch.

Oh god. How embarrassing that was. I might have cried all the way there in the car, ignoring the baskets in the back seat.

M used to read voraciously in bed. Whenever he didn’t know a word, he would shout it down the hall to his parents like so…

“Mom!!!!!”

(faintly) “What?”

“What’s a jockstrap??”

Loud laughter, some snorting and possible tears and no answer.

“Mom?! What’s so funny!! I don’t get it!!”

See? We are big nerds.

Anyways, I repeat words as often as possible, hoping that they will take.  Maybe 40 % of the time he repeats what I say and those little words are the sweetest things I have ever heard.

2 nights ago I coaxed him into saying ‘Night Night!” Although it sounded more like “Naa Naat!”

Dogs say either “Ffffffffft” or “Whoooooooo”.

Cats have just started saying “Meemeemmeeeee”

A baby bird says “Beebeebee”.

Lions say “AHHHHHHHHHRR!!”

And Chewie the chihuahua is now called “Zheeeeeweeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!”. He responds. That’s all that matters.

Books are his favorite things to play with right now and I think that is amazing. Awesome. Wonderful.

Each of these little words took a lot of careful and gentle repeating from Mummy.

Our big breakthrough was Saturday. While shopping at Target and walking throught the TV department, V was totally smitten with a cat he saw in a commercial. He pointed and asked, repeatedly, “Issat?! Issat!!!”.

“It’s a cat, honey. A cat says “MeowMeow”. And so we walked and I meowed and we did this all through the store. Mostly absent-mindedly on my part. Although these days, I absent-mindedly make a lot of very random noises while I am shopping with the Little Man.

“Meeemmeemeeemeemeee”, says the cat.

xoxo a.m.

Library

This afternoon, after M left for work I felt bored.

What on earth do you do with a 13 month old in Florida when it is a million degrees outside?! A MILLION. It is too damn hot mid-day to do anything outside without sweating your face off. I also do not want to go to a mall and walk around by myself. V has reached the ‘grabby’ stage, so anything that passes him on a rack, he grabs at and throws to the floor if he gets his hands on it. Like the toothpaste at Walgreens and the bread at Publix. And I still can’t go swimming as I have that fresh tattoo.

My best friend had mentioned to me earlier this week that she took her girls to the library. She was pregnant with me, so V and her little one are the same age. And she has a five year old. Apparently it was a fun-filled scream-a-thon (with the 1 year-old). So today, when I was thinking of things to do, I thought of her. And the Library.

And that was that. Off we went.

I naively thought that I might be able to find the last Twilight novel in stock. Ha!!

Instead, I chased V back and forth between bookcases, small girls that screamed “Baby” when they saw him, small stools (which equal danger) plus rescued many a bookshelf  from denuding. Many a book met the floor in a sudden and abrupt manner this afternoon.

Each book that he tossed to the floor, I added to the pile of ‘things to take home’….. as if he was choosing them himself. Which I am sure he was…

Saturdays big pick was “Bad Baby”. Well, really it was my big pick. The cover was very engaging. And the illustrations, as I flipped through it, were very appealing to, well, my husband. The style was comic-book-aficionado-like. And quite funny too.

Since I liked it (as I imagined M did…. without reading it), I am sure that V will like it too.

Random babypick is a good thing. AND there was limited screaming. Only screaming as I stopped him from crawling all over the library, chasing after those naughty girls that kept calling out to him from all areas of the library…

“Hey Baby! Baby! Baaaaaaaaaybeeeeeeeeeee! Baybeeeeee!!!!! Hey Baaaaaybeeee!! Baybe!”

At least 4 little girls, just about 3 years old, chased him all over the library with me trailing in quick succession to rescue him from the whole thing.

“Hey…. is that your baby?!”

“Yes, that is my baby”.

“Does your baby like girls?”

“Ummm”

“Your baby likes that girl.”

“What???”

“Does your baby like babies??”

“Yes”

“That girl likes your baby…..”

Right. I will try not to do that…… Great. Just a peek at things to come. Damn M and his sexy EyeTalian features. Plus a huge dollop of Canadian wholesomeness…..

Womanhood, you are so screwed in about 15 years….