Shoulda Seen This One Coming

A few weeks ago I wrote about Phoebe's adorable "Yeah." Nowadays, she's expanded her affirmation repertoire to include "Ess" and "Ummm" accompanied by an emphatic nod of her head, but we still get a cute little "yeah!" a few times a day.

What I should have remembered is that when there is a yeah, "no" cannot be far behind.

Phoebe says "No" very nicely, and quite often, and sometimes when it's obvious she means the opposite, and sometimes when it doesn't even make sense. "Phoebe, should we change your diaper?" "NO!" "Phoebe, do you want juice?" "No!" she says, while gesturing frantically at the orange juice carton. "Phoebe, do you want to read this book?" "No!" she says, while thrusting the book into my hands and trying to climb up into my lap. "Phoebe, what are you doing in there?" I asked in the direction of the dining room this morning, when it had gotten a little too quiet. "No!" she replied.

We had a rough night a few nights ago -- she kept coughing, then her diaper leaked all over the sheets, then she just kept thrashing and flailing and moaning, and finally I -- whose font of patience is mere millimeters deep at 4:30 am anyway -- said, "Phoebe, you are driving me insane. Will you just go to sleep?"

"No!"

I'm not sure why I bothered to ask!

Happy Birthday to my mom today (see Aimee's post for a tribute) and to my mother-in-law tomorrow!

Comments

aimee said…

You have no idea how much I needed a dose of Phoebe tonight! Thanks!

12:24 AM

I ask you

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The Golf Course

There was a miniature golf course in my grandparent’s house. There were, in fact, lots of cool-if-kitschy things in my grandparents’ house. There were swinging saloon doors between the kitchen and the master suite. There was a toilet seat made of transparent plastic, with ticket stubs from horse races embedded therein. There was a globe wine bar (pictured!). There was a mounted goat head (the goat was named Bucky) on whose antlers my granddad hung his golf caps. There was a stuffed pheasant whose chest feathers were smooth as silk. There was a kitchen bar of green marbled formica and swively kitchen chairs of red pleather. There was an automatic ice dispenser on the refrigerator, which was a rare and awe-inspiring thing in the 1970’s. There was a mirrored tray holding bejeweled perfume bottles with atomizers in the guest bathroom. There were two huge oil paintings – one of my aunt, with beautifully frosted hair, holding a Pug, one of my older sister as a toddler sitting on a John De...

Always Remember That

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