When I grow up, I want to be...

Paige had her first "when I grow up, I want to be..." moment yesterday! I'm sure she'll have many more career changes, but her first declared profession is: dentist!

We went to visit our friend Susanna and her new baby, Brock, yesterday. On the way home, we had this conversation:
Me: Next time, we'll visit when Val [dad] and Chaz [3 y.o. big brother] are there, so we can see the whole family.
Paige: And Chaz will be there and Val will be there.
Me: Right, today Chaz is at school and Val is at work.
Paige: And Val is working.
Me: Right, today he is working. Val is a dentist. He fixes people's teeth.
Paige: Paige wants to fix the people's teeth! When I will grow up, then I will fix the people's teeth!
Me: Do you want to be a dentist like Val?
Paige: Paige will be a dentist! Then Paige will grow up and Paige and Val will be dentistes!

Explaining the Resurrection to a Two Year Old

Paige: Remember we went to Hannah's special program at church?
Me: Yes. Do you remember it too? We had a good time. [We went to see Paige's babysitter Hannah dance in a program at the Loyola U chapel, just Paige & mom. Special mother-daughter bonding.]
Paige: Yes. The girls were dancing in the church. And pictures in the church.
Me: Yes, there were paintings of Jesus in the church. [Stations of the cross paintings around the top of the chapel, which we discussed in depth while we were there.]
Paige: Want mama to tell you about Jesus.
Me: Jesus was a man who helped people. He healed them and gave them food when they were hungry. In the pictures, Jesus had to go see the King. The King thought Jesus was bad, so he told Jesus that he had to die. Some soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross with nails in his hands and feet.
Paige: That hurt Jesus
Me: Yes, that hurt Jesus. But he was not afraid to die. After he died, then he came back to see his friends as a spirit. A spirit is like a ghost. [We have read stories w/ ghosts]
Paige: Then Jesus was a scary ghost.
Me: Well, he wasn't a scary ghost. His friends were glad to see him when he came back after he died. His friends were not scared.
Paige: Then that was the end of Jesus.
Me: Not really. Jesus still visits his friends to help them and remind them to help other people.
Paige [with emphasis]: But that was the end of Jesus, mama!

New Barrettes

A few days ago, Paige picked out some new barrettes with little shapes/animals on them. So far, she really likes the ones with birds, rabbits, and poodle dogs. When we brought them home the first day, she wanted two on each side of her head. I put them in, then set her up on the changing table to look at herself in the mirror hanging there. She smiled at herself, then had this conversation with herself, while trying to touch her own head in the mirror:

"Hi me! You have pretty hair me! Mommy, see Paige's new barrettes! It's hard to touch me hair. Me hair is in the mirror. Hi me!"

It was definitely one of those moments when you want to double over laughing, but she was so serious!

Hint of Spring

Yesterday the temp broke above 40* and we took full advantage! We hit the library first, where more books about Curious George and Thomas the Tank Engine found their way home with us. Paige handed the checker my library card, and the lady handed it back with a sticker that said "I used my library card today!" Paige proudly wore the sticker till about half-way through music class, when she transferred it to my shirt instead.

After music class, we came home for a nap and lunch, then off to the Lincoln Park Zoo! We were disappointed that the carousel was closed for the day, but the gorillas and chimpanzees provided lots of entertainment. We also really enjoyed watching the playful seals. From the underwater viewing area, Paige said "I wish I can hold this big seal!" She loved watching them swim right up to the glass, then whoosh away again. We hit the zoo at just the right time: it was not crowded at all, and we got a parking spot very close to the entrance, which made the trip much easier on mom. When we got home, dad (AKA gourmet Steve) had a delicious dinner of chicken parmesan and noodles waiting for us. YUM!

I noticed that I forgot to post Adam's stats after his last check-up. He weighed 15 lbs 3 oz and was 27 inches long. His weight is in the 50th percentile for his age, but his height is off the chart. He is the height of the average 7-month old boy! The Dr even measured twice because she thought the first measurement must be wrong. Overall, he is very healthy!

Adam still hasn't rolled over yet. Yesterday I really thought he would make it that last 25%, since he rolls from his back to his side, then tilts his upper body so his face is planted on the floor. He just needs to kick his legs over, and he'll be mastering this new skill. Any moment now! In the meantime, he has mastered the flirty smile, which he loves to flash when we're out shopping. He also "talks" a lot, most likely trying to keep up with Paige. He "eats" bananas or rice cereal about once/day, although not much of it stays down. He's still nursing on average seven times/day, and based on his growth rate, I'm sure he's getting enough!

The new nanny took both kids to the park this morning, with temps pushing 50* today. We are all so glad that spring is right around the corner!

Bananas

Adam ate his first solid food today: bananas! He seemed to like them OK while eating them, but about 10 minutes later, most of it came back up. Oh well. We will try again tomorrow. Hard to believe he is four months old already. He has a check up on Wed. so I'll post his stats after our visit to the pediatrician.

As for Paige, well, she & the new nanny made all kinds of animals out of play-doh today. They made a whole family of turtles (daddy turtle, Paige turtle, and mommy turtle). Paige insisted that each turtle needed to have a belly button! Paige also wanted to "help" with the dishes tonight. Currently, this involves puring water from one cup into another and spilling most of it on the counter. I am hopeful that someday soon, it will mean actual HELP with the dishes, which never seem to stop piling up.