Parenthood.28 (Chester)

3 is really hard. So many tears. So much wishes going in opposite directions. So many no's. We are realizing that we have no parenting skillz, and we really need some. 

"If you give me more goldfish, my smile will get wider and wider."

3 and a half

"Coming soon to theaters," Chester occasionally announces, "is what they say at the beginning of movies."

"Hostibal" (hospital) is my favorite and I think it's going away. 

Also, his word for gagging is an invented onomatopoeia: "co-ike"--That made me "co-ike."

He was originally insistent that he didn't want to give up anything for lent. Then, after a homily about giving things up, Chester whispered to me, "I want to give up salmon (his very favorite food) for lent."

Chester: "Let's make a list of what to name the baby: 

Llama llama

Joe [editors note: ?!]

Llama llama's Mommy

Nelly gnu

Mrs. Gnu

Daddy Gnu

Officer flamingo

Flowery (because I like flowers)

Culvery (because I like Culver's [our local fast food chain])

So many mornings of waking up and finding that the kid got into the candy. The other morning he was trying to stack our kitchen chairs to get to the really high candy (he claimed he would use his superpowers to get up there). The morning is so disorienting--he awakens like a fireball sometimes, ready to conquer the world, and I can't quite open my eyes, not to mention take on his shenanigans.

Chester and his dad had such a great Sunday together, while I mostly lay in the bed (Chester had a little cold so we cancelled our plans and laid low). They enjoy this train show about exploring India together, they love this app that lets you design a house, and then the kid was so attached to his father that he insisted on accompanying him to the grocery store--after which he rushed to inform me that they'd had a donut. There is nothing Chester loves more than telling me about the things his father allowed him to do of which I would not approve. 

Chester, in a silly mood as he gets ready for bed, to Francisco: "I love mama and I like mama. I love you and I like you. I love mama cause she has a red sweatshirt and it's soft. I don't know why I love you. Maybe it's because I'm a boy and you're a boy?"

I love our little bugger, but why does everytime he washes his hands, he either smears his hair with daddy's hair gel or with hand soap? I'm so tired of this--he has more skills, and yet more ideas about how to require that I constantly supervise him. 

3.75

I took him to a musical of Peter Pan, performed by kids in town, and he loved it. He sat on my lap in rapt attention the entire time. (We've previously seen The Jungle Book and Francisco took him to see Snoopy.) He's really excited by plays and the idea of acting. 

We were looking at a house and the kid saw a dog cage. He said excitedly, "And we can put the baby in there!" (He was only along because he was sick that day, but he loved looking at houses.)

He is a piece of work--today he used the toilet bowl cleaner to try to push his poop down the toilet because he claimed there was a lot of it. Why can't anything be simple??