Tory-isms

Tory Girl says the darndest things and leaves Andi and I in stitches daily. When Tory, Aden and I traveled back to Nebraska this past week, several family members commented how they couldn't wait to "hear Tory's little voice." I think it's because she's such a tiny girl who says the biggest, grown-up phrases. Everyone gets a kick out of listening to what she'll say next. Here's some recent Tory-ism's:

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(Reading books to Tory at nap time, with my face close to hers)

Tory: "Mom, you have dragon breath."

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Me: "Tory, are you done with your breakfast?"

Tory: "I totally full of toast."

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(In the locker room before swimming class, dancing around wearing a hooded towel like a cape)

Me: "Hocus pocus! Can you cast a magic spell?"

Tory: "Mom! I don't have my magic wand!'

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(This spring, a batch of sugar ants were coming into the house by the front door. Tory was beside herself about ants being indoors.)

Tory: (in a sheer panic) "Mom! How did marching ants get in here?"

(I bought a few ant bait traps and our little ant problem was solved. A few days later, Tory left a half-eaten cookie on the floor of her room.)

Me: "Tory! This is why you can't walk around with food. Now there's ants in your room."

Tory: (astonished) "There's marching ants in my room. I can't believe it."

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(This is a common phrase for Tory, but one instance lately was when I accidentally pinched Tory's leg with the buckle of her car seat)

Tory: "Ow! You have to watch out for people!"

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(Throwing small toys into the air)

Tory: "I can easily juggle."

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(First thing out of Tory's mouth every morning)

Tory: "I have energy!"

(or, alternatively before nap time)

Tory: "I need to charge my batteries."

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(Offering to share a bite of food)

Me: "No, thanks."

Tory: "Okay, tell me you want one."

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(Nana Candy asked Tory if she needed a diaper change)

Tory: "I don't know, check if I have a blue line."

(and a few days prior when Grandma Janie asked Tory if she pooped)

Tory: "I don't know, smell my butt."

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Me: "Phew, I'm pooped." (from exhaustion)

Tory: (with jaw-dropped) "You pooped?!"

Tory-isms

One of my favorite things about Age 2 1/2 is language development. Tory cracks me up on a daily basis. Sometimes, it's not even the phrase she said that's so funny, but the fact that such a little person is saying such a grown up thing.

Here's some classic Tory-isms lately:

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Me: Ah, man! I can't believe it's snowing again.

Tory: (shrugs shoulders in an off-handed way) We have a lot. Sorry.

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Me: (coughs)

Tory: Sounds like you need go to doctor.

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Tory: What you doing?

Me: I have to put this medicine on Aden's rash.

Tory: (sounding exasperated) I sure hope this works.

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Tory: Mom, can we go on abenture today?

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Tory: Do you want some?

Me: No thanks.

Tory: Okay, tell me you want one.

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(unexpectedly finding a toy in the bathtub)

Tory: Molly? That's weird.

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(during a dinner conversation between Andi and I)

Tory: Hmm. Uh huh.

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(attempting to comfort Aden crying from his swing)

Tory: Mom, I try my best.

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(whining before nap time)

Tory: I want my mom!

Me: I am your mom.

Tory: I want my dad!

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(stalling before nap time)

Me: Tory, put down the toy phone.

Tory: I just texting.

Tory-isms

Tory's been talking more and more these days and the things she says leave Andi and I in stitches. She very quickly went from saying one word phrases for quite some time to two and three word sentences and now basically repeats anything we say.

Here are a few "Tory-isms" lately:

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(When something drops on the floor or doesn't go her way)
Tory: "Oh, man!"

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Andi: "Tory, why did you do that?"
Tory: "'Cuz."

*... and the back-talk begins.

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(Laying upside down)
Tory: "Up down!"

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(Pretending to change her Minnie Mouse doll's diaper)
Tory [with much authority]: "Stop it, Minnie!"

*Minnie must have been wiggling around. Guess it's time to start watching what I say!

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(Throwing a tantrum at the park because she wanted Mommy, not Daddy, to carry her)
Andi [trying to distract her from screaming]: "Tory, should we go home and eat dinner? Do you want a quesadilla?"
Tory [abruptly stops mid-scream]: "Dip, too?"

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(Chloe the Dog, barking at the front door.)
Tory [running through the house crazily]: "Oh, no! Chloe get me!"

*everything is "get me" lately ... bugs, Daddy, Chloe

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Tory [making a fake crying sound] "Tory crying!"

*no longer feels the need to actually cry; instead, fake cries and tells you she's doing so.

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Tory [wrapping a dish towel around her back]: "Super!"

*When visiting my parents in Nebraska this past month, one day my dad put a dish towel around Tory's back and called her "super Tory." She hasn't forgot it.

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Tory: "High five? BOOM."

*Andi taught her how to high five and to do "knucks" by bumping fists together. Now Tory always wants to do both, always followed by a "BOOM."

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Tory: "Cheers!"

*"Cheers-ing" our cups together started at meal times, but has quickly escalated to include other objects ... silverware, toast, toys, etc.

Never Forget These Days

Yesterday was one of those great, great days. Those truly magical days that only happen once in a while and make you stop in your tracks and realize just how lucky you are to be parenting this child. 

Magical yesterday: I needed you so badly.

Last week was one of the crappiest stretches in time I've had in a while. I missed Andi terribly (the world KNOWS by now I don't do well when he travels for long periods of time) and Tory's general behavior was purely exhausting. I tend to write my feelings here when I haven't talked to Andi for days and I need to vent frustration, so that's what last week's Peaks and Valleys post was about for me. Getting those heavy feelings off my chest.

The weekend was better because Andi was back home and the grandparents offered to babysit Saturday which helped my husband and I reconnect again. Time alone to be grown-ups is always good for the soul. Tory was still being quite ornery for me, but thankfully agreed to let Andi do all the daily chores of feeding, dressing, etc. It felt very strange NOT to be the preferred parent for once. I started to realize I was Tory's trigger in tantrum episodes -- for whatever reason, she was purposely fighting against anything I asked her to do (or tried to do for her, like changing her diaper, OMG, the horror) but would happily let Andi do any of those same things. Fine by me, I guess, since there was actually someone else here to help with those things. That's where solo parenting becomes such a tiring process for both of us, I think. There's almost too much together time for Tory and I during those long weeks in time. In the future, I think I need to build in more babysitter time when Andi travels for long stints because Tory was clearly sick of me and I was near tears by the end of last week. Not a good place for either of us to be.

On Sunday, I hosted a baby shower for a girlfriend and Andi spent the day with Tory. I was a tad relieved to hear he'd had an exhausting day with Tory as well - that it wasn't just me she was acting out against. He had a particularly terrible story to share about their trip to Target earlier in the day and how he now believes me when I say shopping with her is an impossible task. I laughed inside when he told me how she dumped two containers of blueberries on the ground and was pulling things off the shelves at the store. WOW. Just, wow. No further comment. Ha.

An email popped up in my inbox yesterday re: Tory's 20 month update. It would appear the Terrible Two's have knocked on our door a little early, as the article described her recent behavior in a nutshell. There were some tips on how to deal with TT's and now that I can see those behaviors a little more clearly, at least I know that's what I'm dealing with here.

But! Yesterday was fantastic. Tory woke up happy, we played nicely together and she listened to important commands like "stop" when we were outside in the yard. I made an extra special point to be in the moment with her (it's OK that I don't wash the dishes the second we finish breakfast, even though it killed me inside to put it off) and I felt like she was redeeming herself with random, unsolicited hugs and signs of affection. I was consciously aware not to "over play" her outside because I think that was part of the problem last Monday and I built in plenty of mental breaks into our day for snacks and quiet time with books, etc.

Parenting has its good days and bad days and of course, there's going to be some bumps along the road as we experience this journey together. Those wonderfully magical days like yesterday go a long way, though. I'll hang onto those euphoria feelings for as far as they'll take me.