it's like a 8 story elevator ride...only longer

Today as we were riding the elevator, Elie was asking a billion questions. If I lived in a country where English was the predominant language, public elevator rides would probably terrify me. I never know what is going to come out of her mouth. Luckily, most people can't understand her, not just because they might not understand English...really it's hard to understand Eliot if you speak English, hey, it's hard to understand her if you're her parents. Just ask Rocky, who spent 30 minutes trying to figure out she was asking for him to get her the show, "Speedy Gonzales." It sounded a lot more like, "me go a las." Said real slowly it becomes almost decipherable, but only if there is some heavy pantomime going on.

She's often impossible to understand if English is not your first language. Today in the elevator, every other word was, "Why?" "Why they push that button?" "Why me not at Abe's house?" "Why those people in the elevator too?" "Why he dressed like that?" Since I'm so sure no one can understand her, sometimes if it's a really strange question, I just make up a random answer, like when she asks "Mom, what your favorite potty word?" I say, "Because today is Wednesday and we're going swimming."

Today as she was machine gun firing her "why?"s away, another lady in the elevator started laughing and told me she has a toddler who does that also, but it's a lot funnier when it's another child and you only have to hear them for a short time.

It made me realize how much more I need to appreciate this time in her life. Sure, she does things that drive me crazy, like climbing into my bed in the middle of the night and peeing on my down comforter, but she also does adorable things, like walking around for three days singing "Happy birthday to Amy!" (I also think it's adorable that she woke Rocky up at 2 am, because she just couldn't wait to show him her new dinosaur drawings, but I'm not sure he feels the same way...) I need to enjoy this time with her, because it is going to go fast, not as fast as an elevator ride down eight floors, but I'm sure someday it will seem like it went faster than that.

So back by popular demand (okay, maybe just my brother, Fenton's, demand) here are some more quotes:

"Mom, come here now! Look me pooped a little snowman! And me pooped him a friend."

Rocky: Does your dad have big muscles?
E: No, you have cute muscles.
Awkward silence.
Rocky: Is it your nap time?
(We had a discussion today about who likes to be told they are cute and who doesn't, a little too late for the seven year old boy in the elevator who was told his angry birds shirt was "way cute.")

In Thailand seat belt laws are really lax, basically only the driver is required by law to wear a seat belt. We do try to put the kids in their booster seats, but we also usually drive under 5 kilometers and it takes us 20-30 minutes--that's how slow we're going--so they don't always get buckled. One day when Maberham (what we call Abe and Mary at our house) where buckled and Elie wasn't, the 'magic beat belt' was born (beat belt=seat belt, s sounds at the beginning of words are her kryptonite).

A few days later she unbuckled herself,
Me: Elie get your seat belt on!
E: Me 'ready have my magic beat belt on. My magic beat belt keep me safe.

Luckily, a few days later after leaving a friends house,
E:Aw man! Me left my magic beat belt at Anna's house."

While doing some baking,
E: Mom, how you make applesauce?
Me:You know, when I was a girl like you, my mom and I made applesauce together.
E: When me a little girl like you, my mom let me make applesauce by myself.
Me (sarcastically) Wow. Your mom must be really nice.
E: (sigh) Yeah, she was. Her name was Princessesia.
Me: Hey! I'm your mom!
E: She my mom before you. Her way nice.

And apparently impossible to live up to.
 
E: Mom, Biolet saying potty words.
Me: Oh really. What she saying?
E: She saying 'poo' and 'pee,'  Me not say potty words.
Me: Hmmm.
E: Biolet say they her favorite potty words.

And a little Violet, who has learned that smiling at you, makes you smile back. She's impossible not to smile back at, even during middle of the night feedings. 

 

And yes, her hair always looks like this.

In rereading I see that there is a lot of talk of poop and pee, I apologize, but that's kind of what our house is like right now.