the other night Simon randomly said, "I don't know why but Phoebe is just extra endearing to me right now."
And I had to agree. But!! She's also that crazyhorse age that can drive you insane with all of the monosyllabic demands, grunts, and strong opinions that she can't articulate. Yet somehow despite her Terry Bradshaw hair and her myriad of hourly frustrating moments ... our little 16-month-old spitfire still manages to make a mother laugh. And a father too, of course.
So, I wanted to pen a little post dedicated to all of her current quirks that only a parent would/could care about. I'm sorry. Sort of.
She seems to be over her yellow sweater obsession but she's now hooked on wearing her swimsuit top like a purse all over the house. Or just any bag/purse in general. Or my flip flops on either chubby forearm. She pretends like she's leaving and gives everyone a kiss and then toddles away for a 4 second trip to the other room. Repeat.
and repeat again.
She has a strong attachment to all of her shoes. And mine too and there's a reason I can never ever find two shoes that match ...
Whenever she wants something she skips please and goes straight to "thank you" (ahem -- more of a "duh-doo") in advance because she assumes she'll get it and is already expressing gratitude, I suppose.
Or if she's caught holding something she shouldn't (a fork she thieved from the dishwasher, perhaps) ... she'll hand it back with a hearty, "thank you" ... as if to tell me that I should be expressing gratitude for her generosity.
If you're a rascal and you know it ... throw me a side eye with a side lean on the bed.
For the most part ... she's usually pretty nice to Bosco and whenever she lays eyes on him she tells everyone in the surrounding vicinity to, "shhhhh" which is ironic because he sleeps much better with a lot of noise but it's the thought that counts, Officer Quiet. She still bops him on the head to keep us on our toes every now and again and whenever she does it she immediately puts on her most surprised face .... ever
who, ME?!
yes, you.
not ashamed. Just a quick and spontaneous game of peek-a-boo.
Julia elaborately makes her bed every few days with jewelry on her pillows, shoes on either side of the headboard, dolls galore, and blankets folded just so. Phoebe takes GREAT pleasure in hurricaning through and demolishing the display which sends Julia into a fit of delight ... as you can imagine.
If Phoebe is feeling especially sassy and gets caught doing something she shouldn't (namely figuring out a way to grab my phone or keys or any of the boys' trucks/toys) ... she shoos the parental police away with a flick of her hand and sprints off with her illegal treasures laughing all the way.
We tried putting her in the church nursery over the weekend but got called 30 minutes into Mass that ladybird was not having it. So, back to our pew she came where she fought for her right to tear hymnals into a million little pieces.
She can hold her own with the boys and if they do something she doesn't like, she goes straight for their arms ... with her teeth. Since they both have short hair she can't default to her usual hair pull and opts instead to bite them good. When they cry she just walks away ... unfazed.
When Simon is gone she is a big fan of looking at photos on the fridge and the wall, pointing him out, and talking about, "dada" ... never ever a mention of, "mama" but ... we like to leave a little room for improvement in the Patton household.
She's the only child that doesn't wake up in the worst mood ever and I think she knows I appreciate that ...
... mama didn't raise no fool.
She's pretty much the best. Usually. And if any other Patton kids are reading this ... you're the best too.
;)
And I had to agree. But!! She's also that crazyhorse age that can drive you insane with all of the monosyllabic demands, grunts, and strong opinions that she can't articulate. Yet somehow despite her Terry Bradshaw hair and her myriad of hourly frustrating moments ... our little 16-month-old spitfire still manages to make a mother laugh. And a father too, of course.
So, I wanted to pen a little post dedicated to all of her current quirks that only a parent would/could care about. I'm sorry. Sort of.
She seems to be over her yellow sweater obsession but she's now hooked on wearing her swimsuit top like a purse all over the house. Or just any bag/purse in general. Or my flip flops on either chubby forearm. She pretends like she's leaving and gives everyone a kiss and then toddles away for a 4 second trip to the other room. Repeat.
and repeat again.
She has a strong attachment to all of her shoes. And mine too and there's a reason I can never ever find two shoes that match ...
Whenever she wants something she skips please and goes straight to "thank you" (ahem -- more of a "duh-doo") in advance because she assumes she'll get it and is already expressing gratitude, I suppose.
Or if she's caught holding something she shouldn't (a fork she thieved from the dishwasher, perhaps) ... she'll hand it back with a hearty, "thank you" ... as if to tell me that I should be expressing gratitude for her generosity.
If you're a rascal and you know it ... throw me a side eye with a side lean on the bed.
For the most part ... she's usually pretty nice to Bosco and whenever she lays eyes on him she tells everyone in the surrounding vicinity to, "shhhhh" which is ironic because he sleeps much better with a lot of noise but it's the thought that counts, Officer Quiet. She still bops him on the head to keep us on our toes every now and again and whenever she does it she immediately puts on her most surprised face .... ever
who, ME?!
yes, you.
not ashamed. Just a quick and spontaneous game of peek-a-boo.
Julia elaborately makes her bed every few days with jewelry on her pillows, shoes on either side of the headboard, dolls galore, and blankets folded just so. Phoebe takes GREAT pleasure in hurricaning through and demolishing the display which sends Julia into a fit of delight ... as you can imagine.
If Phoebe is feeling especially sassy and gets caught doing something she shouldn't (namely figuring out a way to grab my phone or keys or any of the boys' trucks/toys) ... she shoos the parental police away with a flick of her hand and sprints off with her illegal treasures laughing all the way.
We tried putting her in the church nursery over the weekend but got called 30 minutes into Mass that ladybird was not having it. So, back to our pew she came where she fought for her right to tear hymnals into a million little pieces.
She can hold her own with the boys and if they do something she doesn't like, she goes straight for their arms ... with her teeth. Since they both have short hair she can't default to her usual hair pull and opts instead to bite them good. When they cry she just walks away ... unfazed.
When Simon is gone she is a big fan of looking at photos on the fridge and the wall, pointing him out, and talking about, "dada" ... never ever a mention of, "mama" but ... we like to leave a little room for improvement in the Patton household.
She's the only child that doesn't wake up in the worst mood ever and I think she knows I appreciate that ...
... mama didn't raise no fool.
She's pretty much the best. Usually. And if any other Patton kids are reading this ... you're the best too.
;)
I love all your hilarious kids, but Phoebe reminds me so much of my best friend's 17 month old (down to the mischievous face) that I'm just obsessed with her. Not in a creepy way either :)
ReplyDeleteThis is sweet. She's so cute. And Conor is all about dad-eeeee, too. Or anyone who isn't me. He even wanted my friend to push him on the swing instead of me yesterday! Stinker.
ReplyDeleteI miss the yellow sweater. It's probably because she realized that winter will never come to Florida.
ReplyDeleteI love that rather flamboyant pillow on your bed, and would love to know where you acquired it. Please and thank you.
ReplyDeleteShe and my girl look so similar... same Terry Bradshaw hair, anyway.
ReplyDeleteHahaha I have a 17 month old and almost all of this could have been written about him. He also gives a preemptive "da-da" (which is of course, Dad, but also "thank you" - don't get confused, context is key) when giving back something he shouldn't have. They even look like they could be siblings/twins. They would be HILARIOUS together!
ReplyDeleteOh Phoebe! You are too too cute! :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, my 17-month-old says "Tank oo" when he asks for something too!! Hilarious adorable age.
ReplyDeleteSo sweet, love her. You are such a good mamma!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter does the same thing with the "thank you" It always makes me chuckle! Phoebe is just the cutest!
ReplyDelete'Tis Our Life Blog
She is so darn cute and every time you mention "Terry Bradshaw hair" I die laughing! When her hair dries after a bath my 22-month-old gets Kevin Nealon hair so she can relate. :)
ReplyDeleteSassy and independent toddlers are the best and I agree, so endearing! If you haven't read "Knuffle Bunny" by Mo Willems, you should. I have it so that I will always remember the small window of time where there is lots of (mis)communication between toddlers and parents. Although Phoebe's side eye leaves no room for interpretation- you know she's up to something. Adorable!
ReplyDeleteMy one and half year old does that same face when he knows he did something he wasn't supposed to. He makes a big "O" with his mouth, wide eyes and shakes his head. It is so hard to discipline him when I am cracking up at his face. I have a love/hate relationship with this stage. Mostly love, because they are so sweet and learning so much. But, hate that they also start getting naughty and I have to start teaching them to be decent human beings. I thought motherhood was supposed to be easy...
ReplyDeleteI never thought she looked that much like Julia until I saw the sassy side-eye pic... Pretty sure you have some identical ones of J in your archives somewhere.
ReplyDeleteMy 16 month old also enjoys her swimsuit/any other object she can lace onto her arm handbag. It's a fun age. ❤️
ReplyDeleteShe is my favorite Patton Baby! I still think of her as butterball!
ReplyDeleteI adore Phoebe!!
ReplyDeleteOh sweet Phoebe!!! My favorite thing my 2 1/2 yr old, Grace, does is every single time she hands you something (whether you wanted it or not) she says "ou welcome" (skips the y every time)! So, of course there is no shortage of Thank You's going on in our house cause she does this approx. 7,695 times a day!
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness! that side eye with side lean...the best photo ever!
ReplyDelete