Boo Boo’s

We all have our small obsessions, things that can instantly refocus our attention from whatever we are currently involved in. In adults it can be trivial; iPhone Apps or photos of Pamela Anderson. For Zoe, and I suspect many (if not all) two year olds, it’s boo boo’s (although pee pee and poo poo are equally fascinating and distracting). Zoe is constantly finding pin-head sized marks on her body, or on my body, and instantly declares them boo boo’s, or to be precise, “Uh-oh. Boo boo.” If the spot is any bigger than a pinhead than she will cry and pull away if you even attempt to look at it. She identifies friends by the boo boo’s they have, and will remember their boo boo’s long after the injuries have healed. She had a small sore under her big toe recently, and when she remembered she would limp dramatically and require us to carry her down the stairs. My guess is that because she does not have to worry about the economy or… well anything other than her immediate state of being, injuries on herself, and others, are probably the only things that could set a day apart the next. Here’s hoping that pinhead sized boo boo’s are the worst she will ever have to experience.

Zoe’s has a new verbal idiosyncrasy. If I ask her a question she will respond first with an, “Ahhhh?” or sometimes a more prolonged, “Ummmm. Ahhhh?” and look around as if searching for an answer. Trust me, it’s cute in a two year old.

If you’re wondering how Zoe is adjusting to the new baby, well, so far she is doing great. There are periodically small signs that she is not getting enough attention, such as crying and needing to be picked up after a small incident, like tripping. But overall she seems to like having the

baby around and often mimics our actions. She will unzip her pajamas and nurse her ‘baby doll’, then put it over her shoulder and burp it. If Alison or I am burping the baby, she will often help by patting the baby on the back as well. When Calder cries (and believe me he cries a lot) she doesn’t seem to mind that he is getting the attention and actually seems to zone it out far better than me or Alison. I, of course, am thrilled. I’m not sure how well I could deal with a fussy baby and a jealous toddler (on top of all her two-year-old antics we already contend with). And I’m glad I don’t have to watch out for Zoe bonking the baby on the head with her toys when we are not looking.

Tomorrow I will post the second CalderChronicle.com. As you can imagine, things have been a little hectic around here, and I have not had a lot of time to write. Actually, I’ve had plenty of time, I’ve just been too tired. Anyway, check it out (tomorrow) at calderchronicle.com