Schwartz Family: July 2006

Kids do the craziest things (Joe)

Bob and Barbara best described Joe when they called him a tank. He crawls over anything in his path to get to what he wants. We call him "Joezilla". At one time, Aunt Cathy suggested calling him "Jodo" (short for Joseph Douglas). Although, lately, when Joe is pestering his sister or getting into something he shouldn't, we've called him "NoJoe". Whatever Wendy is playing with, Joe will think it is the most fascinating thing in the universe and wants to be part of the action. Barely nine months and already starting the sibling rivalry.

Joe is babbling more and more. He is saying something that sounds a lot like "Momma". One of the funniest things Joe says is "Eeeeeeeeee!" It's not that he says, "Eeeeeee!" that makes it so funny. It's that he holds up his hands and says it. Sometimes, he holds up a toy and proclaims, "Eeeeeeeee!" (translation: "Behold! I hold aloft this Weeble!"). Other times its empty handed and at nothing in particular (possible translation: "What is my sister doing? That is the most fascinating thing I've ever seen!")

Kids do the craziest things (Wendy)

Wendy has turned three, which means the Schwartz Silly Gene is more apparent. One of her favorite games to play with daddy is "Eat the Kangaroo". It's a game that daddy accidentally invented while being silly in the car one day. Wendy brings her kangaroo toy, one of her favorite stuffed animals, to daddy. Daddy then "eats" the kangaroo, and "burps" it out over her head. No kangaroos, real or stuffed, are harmed in this game.

Wendy and Joe will soon be taking swim lessons. This will be Wendy's third year of swim lessons. She's very excited about getting the chance to wear her new "baby soup" (bathing suit).

Wendy recently started a new bedtime ritual that is driving both mommy and daddy crazy. About 10-15 minutes after telling Wendy good night and shutting her bedroom door, she starts crying. One of us will go in to check on her to make sure she's okay, which, most of the time*, she is okay. Only... The sheets are all rolled down to the bottom of the bed. And, there's Wendy sitting in the middle of her bed, sans-bedsheets, crying that she wants to be (re)tucked in. Sometimes we tuck her in. Other times we tell her to tuck herself in. And still other times, we ask her how the sheets got rolled down the bed. Was it the Cookie Monster? Was it hippos? She will honestly tell us, "No. Wendy did it."

* Sometimes she's not okay while rolling down the sheets, because she sometimes slips over the end of the bed.