The new rule is that if he is “acting like a superhero” (being kind, cooperative, not whining, etc.) that he is allowed to wear the costume (since he would sleep in it if we let him). But if he is not acting like a superhero (no explanation required), then the costume comes off. It’s actually proving to be quite effective.
Yeah….I would keep an eye on that one too, Lily.
Classic Josiah: Pants too big; mismatched socks.
See? I really am taller. We are not twins. Just to clear that up, since there has been some confusion!
When walking to the tailor:
Grace: Mommy, why are all the kids saying ‘mzungu?’ Is that another way of saying Hi?
Mommy: No, it means ‘white person.’ They are saying that because I am white.
Grace: Oh. We don’t mind that you are white, Mommy.
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Grace: When my baby sister grows up, I hope she doesn’t speak Italian. Because then we wouldn’t be able to understand her.
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Mommy: What was that thumping I heard in your room a little while ago?
Grace: (with great emotion) Just the beating of my heart. Because I hurt my chin this morning.
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Josiah to Grace: You are spitting at me!
Grace: No, I am laughing.
Josiah: But you are spitting!
Grace: (indignantly) Laughing makes the spitting come out!
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Mommy to Maggie about college life: You might want to request a women’s only floor. Would you really want to live with guys?
Grace: Yeah, that would be stinky.
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Grace was doing a princess puzzle.
Josiah: I like Belle.
Grace: But she doesn’t have any superpowers.
Josiah: I know; I like her face.
Mommy: Why do you like her face?
Josiah: Because she is awesome.
Talking about where babies come from is tricky when your kids are adopted. Grace, I’m convinced, thinks that all babies come from orphanages. She’ll probably walk up to her kindergarten friends next year and ask them, “So what orphanage are you from?”
Josiah, on the other hand, is just really confused. We’ve been talking about “his baby sister” for months and months (and months) now. But his mama doesn’t have a big belly we can point to and tell him his baby sister is inside. And we have no due date. We just keep talking about it and nothing happens, as far as he’s concerned.
Last week we had friends over for dinner who have a newborn. I was holding the baby, and Josiah carefully examined him. Then he whispered to me, “Is that my baby sister?”
Ummm…no.
Then yesterday, he came into the room with a ball under his shirt. “Look!” he giggled. “It’s my baby sister! And she is coming out!” He grandly pulled the ball out. Then he kicked it across the room. “She can bounce!” He exclaimed. “I can kick her!”
Ummm….uh oh.
Poor kid. He just doesn’t get it. And now I’ve been trying to tell him that actually, his baby sister is not a baby. She’s two years old. She can walk and talk and steal his toys. Of course, this makes absolutely no sense to him.
It will help when we can show Grace and Josiah her picture. We haven’t yet, not until we know the paperwork has been sent to Dar–because then that will mean that it’s pretty much guaranteed we will get her. (After we tell the kids, we’ll tell you–I promise!) And it probably doesn’t help that their Dad and I still can’t agree on a name! But I am really looking forward to taking both kids to the orphanage with us when we go to pick her up, because I think it will help them understand their own adoptions a lot better.
In the meantime, poor Josiah will keep thinking that his baby sister–who is not a baby–will pop out of his tummy someday–or arrive at our house with another family–or brought by a stork, maybe. When you’re three, who knows?
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