I've been busy playing transformers

It amazes me that a child who watches nothing but Treehouse and Pixar movies can develop an obsession with guns and transformers.  That's what I get for letting him navigate youtube from the age of 2.

Other than requests for snacks and computer time, William's number one request is "Can you please play Transformers with me?"

This game can take two forms:

1.  We are the Transformers.  We make guns out of megabloks and fire them at each other.  Pshew! Pshew! If, at any time, William perceives my gun to be cooler than his, then he says "How about I be that gun and you be this gun?"  Sometimes Jadzia gets in on the action.  My 19-month old knows that duplo bricks make a "pshew" sound, although she tends to hold the guns backwards.   "Transforming" usually involves lying face down on the floor with your lego gun on your head and saying something like "I'm transformed into a tank!"  I've given up discouraging gun use and now just join in and enjoy his rather creative and complicated gun building.  He often has two or three gun turrets and a lazer (a red brick) and often uses the tread tracks from his excavator to make a tank.

2. The Hotwheels are the Transformers.  Who needs a complicated transforming toy when you can just stand any toy car up on its rear bumper to have it "transform" into robot mode?  Due to a life-long car obsession, my 3-and-a-half-year old's Hotwheels collection is very extensive.  They can be found in every room in our house (including the bathroom and inside the car).  When we play Transformers we usually stand the cars up and have them shoot at each other, then transform to car mode and race around the train table (a surface that's only rarely used for trains).  I'm usually allowed to pick my own car for this game, but again, if I happen to pick one that looks cooler than the one William has chosen, he'll take it from me and give me a boring minivan or something.

Now, if you'll excuse me, my son has just handed me a lego gun and informed me "We are playing transformers so we are going to need guns."

Exciting news!

I must take a break from my regular schedule of not bothering to blog in order share with you an exciting development:  Jadzia just went pee in the toilet!

I've sat her down on the toilet a few times recently.  Mostly she's been excited to be part of the club.  She knows that her brother uses the toilet and is always perplexed when he gets to do something that she doesn't.  Unfortunately, she showed no signs that she knew what the strange throne was actually used for.

Yesterday, while at the park, she watched me urinate in a public toilet.  I've taken her with me to the washroom before, but never has she been so enthralled with the process.  I had to hold her back from sticking her head in the bowl to get a closer look.  This, I believe, was her moment of revelation.

Today she came to me, saying what could have been either "Booby" or "Poopy."  Since I'm vaguely trying to ween this child, I assumed the latter and checked her diaper.  Nothing.  I asked if she wanted to go potty.  "Potty," she cheerfully replied and off we went.

I put the kid's seat on the toilet, stripped my daughter of her diaper, and plunked her down.  She peed almost immediately, grinning from ear to ear.  I clapped and cheered.  We are both so proud.

Tomorrow is Adam's birthday pool party that we have every year (if you haven't gotten an invite, and you know us well enough to know where our house is, come on by anyway!).  Today, our house needs cleaning.  One of my good friends is having a fun party today and we can't go because we'll be sifting through our clutter, in a desperate final attempt to make our house presentable. Right now, I'm blogging, and Adam's looking through photos of our California trip.  Two activities that are sure to produce a spotless streak-free shine.

Since it's a pool party barbecue, people will mostly be in the back yard.  It is tempting to wrap our house in caution tape to deter anyone from going inside, but I suspect at least some of our guests will want to use the washroom and change into their bathing suits. 

Adam just went outside to work on the yard, and as a result William is having a complete melt down so, if you'll excuse me, it seems my procratination must come to an end.

Jadzia's voice

Jadzia has grown up a lot in the last little while.  My baby has suddenly morphed into a child, with her own voice.  Her words are becoming more clear, and she's realized that she can use them to get what she wants.

This morning, for example, she asked me for a banana for breakfast.  She pointed to the shelf and very clearly said "Nana." When she wants to brush her teeth, she points to the washroom and says "Teeth."  Last night, she chose her stories by saying them by name "Choo Choo" (Thomas the Tank Engine) and "Baby" (Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes).  Just now, William grabbed a toy from her and she protested "Mine!"

One of her favourite games is identifying parts of the face, her favourite being the nose ("No"), and with eyes ("Ah-ee") in second place.  She'll point to her nose, then mine, then giggle when I join in, labling her mouth, ears and cheeks.  She plays this game with humans, as well as dogs and goats.

She's also developed an interest in putting on clothes and shoes, a skill we're still working on with William.  Note, I didn't say putting on her own clothes.  At the hotel in California, she amused herself by putting on a pair of mine, Adam's, or William's underwear and dancing around with it around her waist.  Her favourite shoes to wear are William's.  She often shuffles in the room wearing big, blue, spiderman sandals and chanting "Shoes.  Shoes."