Monkey & (Wo)Man

Monkey

Sometimes I wonder how a child ever grows up to be an adult. A creature whose life policy is to identify items by eating them first would seem to have little chance of surviving. In the last week, Rain has:

1. Eaten petroleum jelly

2. Chewed 6 cents in change, a screw, and plastic wiring (she did, however, turn down vanilla yogurt)

3. Climbed a large roll of bubble wrap, a free-standing utility shelf, and a stack of bricks

I have a rock collection on the kitchen counter from all the contraband I've confiscated from Rain's cheeks and hands. Thank goodness she doesn't have pockets.

(Wo)Man

Just when I think, "Wow, my kid has absolutely no life skills," Rain will work some magic. In the last two weeks, she has:

1. Done some Moonwalking. She smiled at me, and on her first try, walked smoothly backwards halfway across the room like, "Who knew this thing went in reverse??"

2. Tried to sing. The other night we were at church, and loud enough for everyone to hear, she started to kinda sing. She held out some notes throughout an entire verse of a song and was so proud of herself. While I'm on the subject of music, let me just say this: Rain will have so much more rhythm than her parents. When I turn on the radio, she doesn't dance or bob her head until the right song comes on. And when she does bob her head, it's not toddler-like (awkward jerking or whatnot). She does it too cool like, "Yeah, man, keep that beat going. Why don't you lay that track over some Veggie Tales and make me a remix?" The first time I saw her jam like that I laughed and laughed because she looked like a teenager. Then I remembered that some day she'd actually be a teenager. Party over.

3. Shown a little love. I've been painting/cleaning our new house all week. Sometimes I want to pass out on the floor from the work (and the fumes). I was taping down a door the other day, when Rain walked up to me. After observing a minute, she picked up a piece of tape and stuck it gently on the window. She looked at me to verify that this was a good place and, well, it was a little sweet. When I cleaned the windows later, guess who had a paper towel to help Mommy? If only Tim was so enthusiastic ...

4. Fine-tuned her lunch etiquette. I handed Rain her lunch yesterday, and I got a precious, "Tank Yoo." Today she tried to poor her own drink. It was a disaster but a decent try.

I guess what I'm saying is, in the battle of Baby vs. Beast, Baby is in the lead overall.

For now.