Toddler Conversations Series #2

My toddlers are growing up in lightning speed.  From mumbling a couple of syllables to echoing new words, now they are able to communicate their needs and wants… and plenty of other things that make us laugh.

May.14.2011
Mama: What do you want for dinner? Do you want chicken, fish or vegetables?
Jade: I want vegetables?
Mama: What vegetable do you want?
Jakei: Uhm…chicken.
Jade: That’s not a vegetable.
Jakei: Uhm..’bout fish.
Jade: That’s not a vegetable again.
Mama: So, what vegetable do you want to eat?
Jade: Uhm, how about fruits?
Wah!!!!
May.06.2011
Mama to Jade: What’s your name?
Jade: Jasmine Adrienne Joson Espino. But you can call me Jade.
Mama to Jakei: How about you? What’s your name?
Jakei:  Ja-mine A-enne Toton E-pino. JAKEI!
April.19.2011
Jakei woke up before his sister did during naptime this afternoon.  In want of a playmate,  he kept on embracing his sister and poking her feet.   Jade wakes up annoyed and exclaims, “Jakei, I’m still sleeping do not wake me up!!! I’m still sleepy!”  She then plops back down on her pillow to resume her nap.  My naughty little boy would not be hindered and instead of leaving his sister to rest, sits by her side and shouts, “Wake up!!!”
April.15.2011
Yesterday, Jakei and I were naming different colors.  He’s only able to correctly identify a few colors but often recites the colors he already knows.   This includes red, yellow, green, and Barney.  ^_^
March.28.2011
It’s now 9:30pm and the little ones have been asleep for almost an hour. Jade, who usually sleeps fitfully, awoke with a start and began shouting,  “I can’t! I can’t! I can’t do it by myself!”.  She sits, turns to me, and says,  “Mama, I need help. I can’t do it.”
I leave the computer table and go to her and ask, “What is it, Jade? What is it that you can’t do?”
Jade then lays her head on her pillow and says, “I can’t go to sleep.  I can’t!”   Handing me her Dora pillow she mutters, “Here, Mama, sleep on Dora.”  Afterwhich she dozes off and goes back to dreamland.

March.27.2011
Jade found a marble inside her cousin’s toy wagon and promptly showed it to her Papa.
Jade: “Papa, what’s this?
Papa: “It’s a marble.”
Jade: “What’s inside the marble?”
Papa: “Hmmm…is that a leaf?”
Jade: “No.”
Papa: “Is it a flower?”
Jade: “No.”
Papa: “What is it?”
Jade: “It’s a chrysalis!”

February.22.2011
Thinking that Jade was ready for a little tongue twister, I tried to teach her Peter Piper during bathtime tonight.
Mama:  “Peter Piper…”
Jade:    “Peter Piper.”
Mama:  “picked a peck…”
Jade:    “picked a peck”
Mama:  “of pickled pepper.”
Jade:    “pickled pepper.”
Mama:  “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper.”
Jade:    “Peter Piper pickled pepper.”
Mama:  “Anak, it goes like this:  Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper.  If Peter  Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper, where is the peck of pickled pepper Peter  Piper picked?”
Jade:    “On the table.”

February.22.2011
During lunch today, we had soy sauce and calamansi for our dipping sauce.  Jade was asking for both so I decided to take it as an opportunity to introduce different tastes.  I gave her a little of both and added sugar as well.  Here’s how the lesson went:
Mama: “This is calamansi. It’s sour. It’s maasim.”
Jade(tastes the calamansi):   “Calmansi.  Sssour.  Hmm..asim!”
Mama:  “This is soy sauce. It’s salty.  And this is sugar; it’s sweet.”
Jade continues to taste each one alternately.  She then asks for some more soy sauce.
Jade:   “Mama, I want more soy sauce please.”
Mama: “Tell me first how soy sauce tastes.”
Jade:   “It’s delicious.”
Mama: “Is it sour, salty, or sweet?”
Jade:   “It’s yummy!”
We definitely need another lesson on tastes. ^_^

February.21.2011
At dinner this evening, Jade asked her Papa if he was a giant.  This triggered a memory of a conversation we had a few weeks ago:
Mama:   “Sleep na, my baby. Close your eyes.”
Jade:     “But I’m not a baby. I’m a little girl!”
Mama:   “Ok. Sleep my little girl.”
Jade:     “Mama, are you a girl?”
Mama:   “Yes, I am. Go to sleep na, Jade.”
Jade:     “I’m a girl. Mama’s a girl.”
“And Jakei’s a boy.”
“And Papa’s a giant.”

February.20.2011

I just handed Jade a cupcake, and here’s what my little girl said:     “Wow! This is going to be great! It’s strawberry! It’s delicious!”

Toddlers are so easily pleased! With the way she reacted, you’d think she won the lottery.

February.20.2011
“once upon a time…
there was jade and jakei…
it was a sunny day…
then they were walking…
on the green grass…
…then they were taking a nap.”

Ok, so there’s really nothing special about this story – except that it was a bedtime story told by my 2-year-old daughter last night. And for this mom, it is the best story ever!

January.27.2011
(They say kids grow up too fast…I had no idea it’d be this fast.)
Jade suddenly embraces Mama and says
Jade:  “I love you, Mama!”
Mama: “Ohhh…I love my baby…”
Jade squiggles out of my embrace and exclaims
Jade: “But I’m not a baby anymore. I’m a little girl!  And Jakei’s a little boy.”

Toddler Conversations Series #1

 

******

Waking up from naptime one afternoon and seeing Jakei sleeping on Mama’s tummy,  Jade pats her brother on the back and exclaims, “Jakei is sleeping.”  But then continues patting her brother’s back oblivious to my reprimand.  Naturally, Jakei wakes up and sits drowsily.  Jade cups his sleepy face in her hands, places her face an inch away from his, and exclaims, “Jakei are you awake?!  Are you awake Jakei? YES!  You’re awake Jakei.”

 ******


At breakfast one weekday morning, Jade watches Mama prepare her choco drink.

Jade:  Mama, what’s that?

Mama: It’s Milo.  It’s Mama’s hot chocolate.  (hands an empty sachet of Milo to Jade)

Jade: (after scrutinizing the sachet for a few seconds)  Mama, look it’s Milo!  Can you say that – Milo?  MIIII – LO!


******

One Tuesday afternoon, after a long weekend bonding with Papa, Jakei wakes from his nap and realizes that Papa is not in the room.

Jakei:  Papa…Papa…Papa…

Jade:  Papa’s in the office.

Jakei:  Papa…Papa…

Jade:  Papa’s not here.

Jakei:  Papa…Papa…(on the verge of tears)

Jade:  Jakei, don’t cry.  Papa’s in the office.  He’ll be home later.


******

As Mama was scrubbing the ink stains from Jade’s hands during bathtime:

Mama:  Your hands are so dirty, anak.  Look at that.  What ‘re on your hands?

Jade:  Colors.

Mama: Hay, they’re so DIRty.

Jade:  But I’m just working, Mama.

(Note to Mama:  Painting, drawing, scribbling, and all other fun messy activities are part of a toddlers’ day.  So, credit dirty hands to work-related accidents.)


 ***05.19.2010 ***

At bedtime tonight, Jade, who was still trying her very best NOT to fall asleep, took a peek inside Jakei’s playpen. When she saw Jakei sleeping, she turned to me and said, “Jakei sleeping”. Then she promptly turned around again and yelled at Jakei, “Jakei! Wake Up! Wake Up! Wake Up, Jakei!”


  ***04.11.2010***

Jade watched the Good Friday procession from or second floor window. She kept saying “Jesus” throughout the procession. Two days after, she would still ask to be carried so she could look at Jesus outside the window. I finally told her, “Jade, Jesus is not outside. Jesus is in your heart.” Upon hearing this, Jade sat on the floor, lifted her shirt, frantically looking for Jesus, while saying, “Jesus, Jesus, heart. lubdup, lubdup. Jesus

No More Mr. Butiki

March.21.2011

Jade woke up from naptime earlier in a good mood.   I know she was able to sleep well and was in a good mood mainly because she was chattering nonstop right from the very moment she opened her eyes.  There was no gradual transition from asleep to drowsy to awake then to alert.  Like a spring, she bounced off her bed and walked to where I was and said “Hi, Mama!  I’m awake now.  It’s a sunny day!”   She rattled off story after story, question after question, but one topic stuck to my mind.

Jade looked up the ceiling and said, “Mama, there’s Mr. Butiki.  I’m not afraid of Mr. Butiki anymore.”  She then pointed to herself and continued, “I’m not afraid because I’m brave. I’m brave, Mama, I’m brave!”

To say that I’m proud of how my two-year-old has conquered her fear of Mr. Butiki is an understatement.  Just days before, she was so hysterical when a lizard crawled on our ceiling right above her bed.  She was crying and screaming, totally terrified of it.  I’m glad she was able to overcome one of her many fears.  Now, our next goal is to overcome her fear of ants, dogs, cats, and pretty much any other animal.  Hopefully, she’ll be brave enough also to conquer them.