We all know Catherine is smart, but still she constantly says and does things that surprise us. And, par for the course for a toddler, at least half of the super smart stuff that she does is also really annoying. Take for instance her read on the phone situation. Catherine learned very quickly that whenever we are on the phone, we have a diminished ability and/or desire to effect prompt and consistent discipline. So, the instant Michael picks up the phone she runs into his office, climbs on his chair, and starts typing on his keyboard; the instant I pick up the phone she runs to my desk, climbs on my chair, and starts typing on my keyboard. If both of us are on the phone, it's just a free-for-all of sketchy activities. Smart? Yes. Annoying? Equally.
Catherine has also shown us that she has absolutely no excuse for not saying "please" when making a request because she has a complete and thorough understanding of the required protocol. Mary has suddenly become extremely interested in holding and chewing on toys, but given that she has the dexterity of a 4-month-old, she drops them constantly. Catherine has taken it upon herself to be Mary's personal toy-picker-upper, with stipulations. Catherine will run over and pick up the toy Mary dropped, then hold it in one hand and point at Mary with the other hand saying "Mary, ask 'please'" over and over before delivering the toy back to Mary. We have tried to explain to Catherine that Mary can't use words yet, but that just caused her to broaden her command: "Mary, use words. Ask 'please.'" Mary does not become annoyed at much, but she becomes annoyed at this. Oh, and to get the correct effect in your head as you read this you should know that Catherine now pronounces Mary's name with two syllables (instead of saying "Me"), but she has also added a "d", so it sounds like "Mare-dy".
Much to Catherine's surprise (even though I had been telling her all day) Grandpa arrived yesterday evening for a quick 2-day visit. Of course he brought all kinds of goodies, including a snowman washcloth that was the star of bathtime, and "Catherine's special cup" - a little cup with handles and snowflakes and sparklies all over it that she hasn't put down since it was delivered into her hands. And then of course there's Grandpa himself, who is currently entertaining Catherine in the basement. It's a good thing Catherine is in a friendly phase, because Mary may have turned a corner in the other direction. Monday when we had a bunch of people over was the first day Mary voiced a preference for me over anyone else in the room, and she was none too pleased about walking around with Grandpa last night while I gave Catherine a bath. She seems fine still if she is already in a good mood (which is still more often than not) but if she isn't feeling tip-top then no one else will do. We'll just have to hope that if it is a phase it is shorter than Catherine's 10-month-long "if you're not Mama don't even think about it" phase.
This is what Mary's doing right now:
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