Time sure has flown this year. I'm sad to have missed documenting some moments, particularly our children's fascinating articulated thoughts. Here's a sample:
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Eden: Alexa, buy fairies.
Alexa: I found bendable fairies 1 dozen sold by costume point for six dollars and seventy-nine cents. Would you like to buy it?
Eden: Yes.
Alexa: Okay. Order placed.
.... a few days later...
Me: These are the fairies you ordered from Alexa.
Eden (incredulous): But how did they get here?
Me: You told Alexa to buy them.
Eden: And they just came here?
Me: Yes.
Eden: Oh my gosh. I didn't know it would do that.
Me: Yes. You're not supposed to do that. It's not good to do that.
Eden: I'm so sorry, Daddy!
Michael: OK, Eden. Thanks for saying sorry.
Me: Don't do it again.
Eden (laughing): I wouldn't! I would never do that again!
(Pause)
Eden: Except maybe one day I'll forget and then I will do it again.
(Note: This is an excerpt - she asked questions about how they arrived at the house, who physically put them there, and how they got into her Halloween bucket where I put them for her to find. She also apologized multiple times to Michael... I'm not sure why the apology was issued specifically to him - is this gender stereotyping that he controls the finances? Or just her memory that she actually ordered the fairies in front of me so presumably I had the opportunity to put a stop to it?)
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Me: Which pajamas do you want?
Emet: NO!!!!!!!!!!
Me: Do you want to pick some?
Emet: I want ba-ba!
Me: I don't think we have any drum pajamas. Want to check? Nope - what about Thomas?
Emet: NO!!!!!!!!!!
Me: (presents Emet with every single pair of pajamas in his drawer, which he rejects in turn, and then I lay them on the floor. The sight of seven pajama pairs on the ground interests him.)
Emet: I want dinosaur.
Me: Good choice! (picks it up)
Emet: NO! I DON'T LIKE IT! Put it down.
Me: Ok.
Emet: I want doggie.
Me: OK! (picks it up)
Emet: NO!!!! I want other doggie!
Me: OK - the other doggie is actually pants...
Emet: NO!!!! Put it down.
Me: Do you want to pick one from your drawer?
Emet: Yeah. Up! Up!
Me (picks him up, he goes through the handful of items left in the drawer)
Emet: (picks up some pink pajamas that he has worn before): No, that's Eden's. (picks up socks) No, that's some socks. (picks up underwear) What's that?
Me: underpants.
Emet: Oh. (picks up the last pajama shirt in the drawer)
Me: You want that one?
Emet: Yeah. Put it down. (meaning on the floor).
Me: Great, can we put it on?
Emet: NO!!!!! I want dinosaur!
Me: OK! Let's put it on!
Emet: No! I don't want that one. Put it down.
Me: ....
Emet: UP! UP! (note: we are sitting on the ground and he is naked, just out of bath. I pick him up and take him to the other side of the room, relieved that he is marginally calm now that his entire pajama drawer is spread onto the ground.)
Me: Which one do you want?
Emet: I want doggie.
Me: Is that your final decision?
Emet: Yeah.
Me: Okay. I'm going to get it, and even if you change your mind and say no, I'm going to put it on you. Okay?
Emet: O-tay.
Me: Final decision? Doggie?
Emet: Yeah.
Me (gets doggie shirt and puts it on his head, and somehow he doesn't wrestle and scream, just a whimper): GOOD JOB!!!! Would you like to pick out a diaper now?
Emet: Yeah. (walks over and picks a diaper, and lets me put it on him without incident. I am trying to contain my utter shock so as not to upset the balance)
Me: Great job Emet! What about pants?
Emet: Elmo pants!
Me (grabs the red pants that go with the Elmo pajamas and puts it on him before he notices there is no actual Elmo on it)
Emet: No, I want that one!
Me: that's a shirt. You already have a shirt on.
Emet: I want Elmo! (slight inkling of forthcoming tantrum)
Me: OK, You want to wear two shirts?
Emet: Yeah.
So ... he's wearing two shirts.
Getting him dressed in the morning is even more difficult, so.... wish me luck.
