When I grow up I want to be: "BIG!"

So if you're a Pinterest devotee like mee, you may have seen the "Birthday Interview" pins sprinkled aboot. Being the little joiner that I am, I compiled a list of questions for TJ and conducted his three-year-old interview a couple days after his bday.

We even got through 2/3 of my 50 questions - not counting follow-ups. I mean, what kind of interviewer would I be if I wasn't prepared with questions, and thinking on my feet for those hard-hitting follow-ups? I have cred to maintain.

So, without further adieu...

Ladies and Gentlemen - THIERRY JAMES PAAARRRRR, 3 years old! (My comments are the words in italics.)

What is your name: "TJ."
How old are you: "Free!" We don't quite have that "th" sound down yet :)
What is your favorite color: "Black."
What is your favorite toy: "Dump trucks."
What is your favorite fruit: "Apples."

Doing good so far...

What is your favorite lunch: "Lasagna!"  

We've never had lasagna for lunch. Not once. But I digress.

What is your favorite game: "Fishy's!"
What is your favorite animal: "Horses!"
 - Me: "Any horse in particular?" 
 - TJ: "BENNY!" (Shout out Aunt Allie-Poo)
What is your favorite song: "Horses."  

<Smile> Nope, not a duplicate answer, that's our kick-off anthem for bedtime songs

What is your favorite outfit: ...<Wide eyes>..."I don't know."
 - Me: "Soccer jersey?" 
 - TJ: "Ummm...yeah."
What is your favorite thing to do: "Push buttons." (Hides giggle)
What is your favorite toy: "You just said that!"
 - Me: "No I didn't"...<looks at list>..."oh, right, yes I did."

Gah! Stop being smarter than me! When does this STOP?!

What do you want to be when you grow up: "BIG!"  

So profound. So hilarious.

What is your favorite cereal: "Cheerios"
What is your favorite food: "I just said lasagna!" 

Note to self: learn the difference between lunch and general food. THAT is important life stuff.

Who is your favorite person to spend time with: "YOU! And dadda!"
What is your favorite thing to do outside: "Go in that truck that talks!" That's never happened. "And go high in the air...And hit golf balls with the 7-iron."

Yes. Except for the talking truck. I have no idea what that even is.

What is your favorite drink: "Lemonade!"
What is your favorite holiday: "Christmas. And birthday party."
What do you take to bed every night: "Nightnight and nook."
What is your favorite sport: "Soccer."
What is your favorite show: "Thomas!...I need to go potty."

<Intermission>

And we're back!

What is your favorite sports team: "GIANTS!"
 - Me: <confused...and not pleased> "...Excuse me?..."
 - TJ: "Giants, mama!"

<Deep sigh, shakes head> I mean...what?

And WHO DID THIS?!

WHO?!

Not gonna lie. I needed a minute to compose myself before I continued the interview.

And then this...

What is your favorite birthday dinner: "LA-SAGN-NA, mama. LASAGNA...And candy."
Who is your best friend: "Dadda!" Saw that one coming.
Where do you live: "Rochester."
 - Me: "Where else?" (I was looking for "40!" or "Pink house!")
 - TJ: "Chicago." (Hmm..alright.)
 - Me: "Ok...where else?"
 - TJ: "Next to Mr. Tom. And Dennis."

I give up.
 
What do you do really well: "Poop." 

<Stifles an LOL> Now we're back on track.

What makes you laugh: "Jokes." Again with the profound!
What is your favorite book: "Itsy bitsy spider."
What is your favorite thing to do with your family: "...Am I done?..."

Yes. And you're 3.

<Big sigh>

So there ya go. 

Nostalgia. 

Eat it up.

We'll do this again next year. And hopefully 365 days is enough time to get good at something other than pooping.

Much love from next door to Mr. Tom and Dennis,
CP

Lola is 1! We Made It!

365 days? The days have gone by slowly, but the year has flown - know what I mean?

365 days ago we went from this:

...to this:

...in a matter of 3 hours!

The "Babies for Dummies" websites say not be be offended if your child doesn't smile at you the first few months of her/his life, but Ms. Lolo was having none of that...

...and she has been smiling ever since.

She's pretty much gotten the hang of handling her rambunctious very-soon-to-be 3-year-old brother too. She's learning more everyday when to smile and laugh, when to scream for help, and when to fight back against his antics. I think these two will be the best of friends someday.

And TJ is a fan of anyone who will let him make fart noises on their arm, so Lola is A-ok in his book.

Lola is not quite walking yet, but does pull herself up on anything and everything - including people, dogs and curtains. She's also become quite the adept cruiser along the living room furniture - any day now she will be toddling around the house and life will change just a little bit more.

She still enjoys her bottles (onto whole cow's milk now, and doing great), her baby food (she loves the vegetables!), and oatmeal in the morning and before bed - but with a mouth full of chompers (including 4 molars!), she eats food from our plates at mealtimes and has been downing Cheerios and other kid-diet-staple cereals for months now.

What's that? How's she sleeping? Well...in my humble opinion - like a champion! 10-12 hours a night straight through since she was 8 months old, and she's still taking 4-6 hours of naps everyday. I seriously won the sleepy kid lottery! Maybe that's why she's so happy all the time - she's well rested!

Happy Happy First Birthday to the most cheerful sweetheart of a baby in the universe, we made it a whole year!