Really soon.
Gulp.
That's right, we are theoretically (not confirmed yet, gulp!) set to close on March 9th. Andrew is, of course, celebrating by immediately going on a family ski vacation that was scheduled long before we made this offer. And then we do want to take some time to strategize the move before just leaping into it. I imagine that is all good in theory but will culminate in yet another round of panicked "throw everything into a box and dump it in the basement" finality. Moving always ends up that way.
It is going to be very strange, living in a new house in a new town. Far more for Chaya than for me in many ways. Her entire world is oriented according to this house. If she sees a picture of her Gramma Pam or Grandpa Ian, she says "door" and points towards our front door (from any room of the house). If she sees a duck, she says "quaaaa quaaaa" and points up to the ceiling of the nursery where a mobile of ducks hangs. When she says car, she points to the area of the garage. When she wakes up from a nap, she waits by the door, but then points back to the green toddler ok-to-wake clock. If I say "baby," she finds a poster of babies that has been pasted on top of our downstairs changing station. And she understands her routine so well. The places we go, the walks we take, the sights we see out of the window. The people who come by and when they come by.
Of course we've traveled with her before, so this isn't totally uncharted territory. Though, also of course, that was when she was younger. And she slept like CRAP during the travel, so that doesn't give me the hugest hope about my future sleep, but hey with a toddler there's always something. .
I'm glad we're moving while she's this young. I think for a while it would just become more and more emotionally difficult. For now, her world will be a little shaken, but there should be enough familiarity to put her back at ease in time.
In the meantime, Miss Baby plunges ever further down the path of rip-roaring personhood. She's checking off almost all those little boxes on our pediatrician's milestone checklist. And then some. She's got major toddlertude. Serious confidence. Serious relish of the learning and mastery that she experiences every day. And - to show she's truly becoming a little kid and not a baby - she finds PEE and POOP very funny.
And she's talking. It's amazing. It's miraculous. It's possibly the source of more frustration than when she couldn't communicate at all. I am baffled at people who suggest teaching their children signing is the cure for those late infancy crying spells and impatience. Chaya knows just enough words to confuse the heck out of both of us. Just enough to frustrate her expectations repeatedly. And just enough to yell things like MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE over and over and over again.
I love it, though. It is fascinating to watch how the human brain processes language and sorts categories.
For instance, I'm mama and Andrew is dadda. This is very distinct because she lilts them with a certain tonal element. However, she doesn't have enough words to identify certain objects, so she also uses "dadda" and "mamma" to identify those objects that she associates with us. Andrew's chair, Andrew's cup, Andrew's pillow, Andrew's hat... they are all Dadda. Even words she does know, she find there is more specificity in calling them Dadda.
This sort of shortcut of using speech she can use for words she doesn't have yet is also clear in her more general categories. She recognizes the difference between a shoes, a boot, a sock and a slipper and will find the right one if you ask her to. But she calls them all Shuuubeeeee. Any four-legged animal that isn't otherwise identifiable is a DAH, but she makes clear distinctions between them. I think an elephant is usually a dog, although she favors them. Sometimes they are GURAAAAAH (giraffes), although that is usually reserved for either (1) animals with that sort of dappled pattern on their skin and (2) a general statement that she would like to sit in her Inglesina chair and watch YouTube videos of baby animals or the infectious Spanish language songs I've been inflicting on both of us.
NAH is clearly banana, but sometimes if she doesn't have another word for a berry or orange, she'll call them nah as well.
Oh toddler speech and the tricky matter of homophones. Pee, for instance, could mean one of several things. It could mean "pee" (as in urine). It could be pea, as in the vegetable. It could mean the letter "P" which she recognizes in her Curious George Alphabet Book. Or any number of round green things she also calls pea (edamame, lima beans). It could mean the snap pea crisps that she likes to snack on. Or any vegetable where she just can't think of the word for it. It could mean Rice KrisPEES (which are either Krisipies or Corn Flakes). Or maybe I misheard her trying to say zucKEEnee. Or misheard B(uuun)nEEE.
So... if Chaya starts yelling PEE, it may mean any number of things including (1) Chaya has wet her diaper and does or does not want to do something about it (2) Chaya wants mommy to go to the bathroom so Chaya can watch her use the BAAAH while she dances around chanting PEEE and TUIIIII and TOOOOOOOWWWWW (toilet and towel, which is her word for paper towel, toilet paper, and all other towels), (3) Chaya sees a floppy eared animal that she thinks is a rabbit and/or wants her bunny, (4) Chaya wants any variety of snacks that are not the slightest bit interchangeable
Though I will note that she now will respond to questions about whether she has peed in her diaper, by pointing at her diaper. And when she's ready, I can ask if she would like to change her diaper and sometimes she will lead me to the changing area and consent to a diaper change.
I know what you're thinking... while we're doing that whole moving thing, let's also throw on potty training yeah??? That won't cause any disturbances at all!!
No really. Not rushing that. But she has her toy toilet now. She's tried to climb into it several times and enjoys the flushing noise it makes when you flush the toilet. I keep staring at it thinking "oh god how do you clean something like this" and being glad we still have plenty of diapers left.
And boxes specially labeled as such for the movers when it's relevant. Because boy is her room going to be set up long before any of our stuff. For real. I have a checklist. It will be meaningless by moving time, but it's my version of a security blanket.
And in the interim, we'll muddle about thinking about THE FUTURE with new eyes and new ears and all the sense of opportunities a toddle-waddle faces every single day. Good to be in it together.
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