Crocodiles!!!!

Things have been a bit overwhelming lately, as anyone with a new baby can testify. Most days it's all I can do to get a shower and dinner on the table between feedings. Poor Lida is getting a bit stir crazy being locked in the house all day with her semi-insane mother. She has invented a couple of new plays which we get to reenact every time Alvin is ready to eat.

Her favorite game is to look warily around the room and then shout CROCODILES!!! at the top of her voice and run for the couch (or chair, or bed, or whatever is handy). My part in this play is to throw my hands up and exclaim - "Crocodiles!? Oh no! Whatever shall we do???" At which point she squints her eyes and puts her thumb and forefinger together like she is squishing a bug and says "Pshhhhhhhhhhhh! I spray them. All dead." She then climbs down and we start all over again. I tried varying the game one day by suggesting that we needn't worry about the crocodiles because the elephants would chase them away for us. But she just looked around and said - "No elephants. They're eating." Well she should know...

Lida is also very fond of playing school bus. Generally speaking, when I feed Alvin I sit an overstuffed chair in the Library. The chair is big enough that Lida and I can just barely squeeze in it together if it is just the two of us, with Alvin added to the mix it is MOST uncomfortable. So, I'm sitting in the chair feeding Alvin. Lida climbs up on my unoccupied knee bringing along her blankie, stuffed dog, baby doll, a book, her shoes (in her hand, NOT on her feet) and her purse. After arranging herself so that she is comfortable she proceeds to buckle us all into our seats and we start "driving." In no time at all her baby has fallen out of the bus (this is by design not by accident).

Lida: Oh no! My baby fell out of the school bus!

Mom: Oh no! You'd better catch her quick!

Lida: I catched her. Oh! She bonked her head.

Mom: Poor baby! You better kiss her better.

She kissed the baby and buckles her back in, but somehow the baby falls out seconds later and we get to start all over again.

Lida loves to help with her baby brother - getting clean diapers, wipes and burp rags and looking for the pacifier. If I should dare to ask anyone else to do any of these errands we have out and out rebellion on our hands. She has also been fussing over her own babies a lot more recently (no surprise there). We've been working on potty training the past several days and she has so far managed to stay dry all day today (cross your fingers!). Katherine recently introduced Lida to the joys of watercolors (I could strangle Katherine) and we have dozens of soggy pictures around the house at any given time. Under normal circumstances I would restrict her to two pieces of paper a day, but for the time being I'm willing to let her do anything (within reason) that keeps her happy. Besides, if I decide she has painted long enough all I have to do is shout "CROCODILES!!!!" and she's off on another adventure.