What's in a name?

Dear Colin,

I love your toddler speech.  You work so hard and pick up new words fairly quickly but pronunciation isn't the clearest.  You say, "bup" instead of cup.  "nurn" instead of turn. "Tar" instead of car.  "Pain" instead of plane or airplane.  And "buck" instead of truck.  There are many others but you use these words frequently.  Oh, you also say, "mooch" instead of smooch or kiss.  Of course you can say "No" loud and clear.  :)

Names are fun too!  Your sisters are "De-da" and "Ba-ple pie" or "Minnie" or "Pel-pee".  You are either "co-co" or "Nolin".  I love it when you say "Nolin" because it sounds like you're saying N'aw-lins (minus the /s/), like a local from New Orleans.

I know your language will continue to develop and soon these mispronunciations will be replaced with others.  I'll miss hearing you say, "nurn" when you want a turn at something.  But maybe "Apple Pie" will stick as a nickname for your sister?  Time will tell.  

XOXO

With all my love,

Mommy

  

Tramatized

Dear Colin,

Sweet Colin.  You are an animal lover.  You love dogs, cats, horses, bearded dragons... the list is endless I'm sure.  That's why it should be no surprise that you traumatized me the other day when you brought me your newest find - a dead rat.  Let that sink in for a minute.  While I was washing lunch dishes, you brought me a dead rat from the backyard.  A dead rat! A DEAD RAT!!!!!

Naturally, I started jumping up and down screaming and yelling with dish water dripping from my hands.  "Ahhhhh!  Put it down!  Drop it! Let go!  Ahhhhh!"  Obviously sensing my fear, you started crying and further clutched onto the rat.  Hearing and seeing both of us screaming and crying made Penelope worry and start crying.  I'm sure all the flies on the wall were bowled over laughing at the spectacle we were making.

After what felt like hours, you dropped the rat and blood splattered on the floor.  Once the rat was no longer in your hands I scooped you up and ran to the bathroom to scrub you from head to toe.

After you were cleaned and I was able to calm everyone down, I tackled the rat disposal and clean up.  While wearing an Ove glove I put my hand in two plastic trash bags and picked up the rat.  I told the dead rat (yeah, yeah, I was talking to a dead rat) that he better not twitch then continued to chant, "I don't want to do this, I don't want to do this..."  Now the rat is in two trash bags, in the outside garbage can waiting for trash pick up to deliver him to his final resting place.

::shudder::

Please, please, please don't bring me any more "treasures" from the backyard!

With all my love,

Mommy