New words and the big challenge

Claire has started saying "uh-ohhhhhh". It's darling. I didn't teach it to her, she just started using the phrase one day. And yesterday, she started using it in the right context. For the last week, I kept hearing uh-ohs around the house, and would turn in expectation of a spill or break or injury... but no, just a blankie or a baby or a toy. But she got it yesterday! We were outside, and I was feeding them cookies as they ran around playing. I accidentally dropped one on the pavement, and got a huge and exhuberant UH-OHHHHHH from Claire. Then she picked up the dirty cookie and ate it. Uh oh.

Aubrey mimics, saying sweet little oh-ohs, but more because I think she likes the sound it makes. Her latest mastered word/concept is "bye!". She says it in such a cute way, too. We'll be discussing leaving or going somewhere, and all of the sudden she'll lift up her little hand and wave it Miss America style and lilt "bye!"! Claire isn't far behind on this one, although she usually says bye in more of a question.

We finally, finally got some sunny weather, and so we took the girls our to my folks' house to play on vast and wide expanses of grass. We also bought them a little 3-ring wading pool, which we set in the sun, filled with a few inches of warm water, and let the girls attack with gusto (after slathering them with SPF 50; you can never be too careful). They LOVED it! Giggling, splashing, jumping in, jumping out, pouring water on each other, and giggling some more. Oh, how I love summer weather! And those two little monkeys got TAN. Even with the SPF 50. I think Aubrey will be hispanic by the end of summer. I got one spot of sunburn on my shoulder. I may have enough color to NOT clear the beaches of southern California by the time we go next month. Maybe.

And finally, the big challenge. Well, two of them. First is discipline. We have to very, very different little girls that we've been entrusted to train up. This past week, little Aubrey has really started to show her independence and test our limits. She has no fear of anything, and is almost completely devoid of that common toddler instinct that drives Claire to hang on my pantleg anywhere we go outside of the condo. Instead, Miss Independent will run as far and as fast as possible, and when I call her to stop, she'll give me a little impish look. What are you going to do about it, mama? Can't catch me! And she'll run again.

Suffice it to say, we've begun to employ spankings for direct and willful disobedience, especially in the area of not coming when she's called. I have terrible visions of this type of disobedience on the street or on the top of our cement staircase, and even though I hate to administer the swats on her bare thigh, it's working.

Claire, on the other hand, merely has to be looked at crossly and she bursts into tears. (Well, sometimes she's more testy than that, but not usually). I'm glad both my girls aren't limit testers, but it is hard for me to treat them differently. But I must. And I must continue to look for ways of communicating to each of them in ways they understand, both in discipline and instruction, as what works for Aubrey won't work for Claire and visa versa. I feel like I am making progress, and then bam- a new defiance or challege or ability and they have me running again.

And the other big challenge is actually a small one. Our condo. I am so thankful for the choice that Ryan and I have made for me to stay home with the girls. I wouldn't change it for any size of house or any manner of posession. But as the girls grow and are active, our little two-bedroom upper floor condo is seeming to get smaller and smaller. Our complex doesn't have large grassy areas for the girls to play on, nor is there a park that we can walk to. And that makes me feel really caged in. The market is upside-down, and so we can't sell the condo without taking a significant loss, which we can't afford. And so I feel a bit stuck. I realize that the girls will take their cues from Ryan and I, and so I am determined to make this the most fun and special place to live while we're here. But if any of you, dear readers, have ideas on how to make a small space feel larger, I'd love your input. We will continue to pray that God will open up an opportunity for us to move, whether it be to sell the condo or maybe even care for a house in lieu of rent. I have no idea. God knows our needs, and if we're in this home right now, it must be because we don't need more room today. I need to be creative, energetic, and grateful.