toddler moments

I am in constant amazement at how smart my two-year old niece, Isabel, is.

One weekend, we were watching an interactive cartoon show on Disney Junior Channel. One of the animal characters, a lady bug, was stuck in a leaf and in a state of panic as it floated rapidly downstream. The other animal characters ashore thought of blowing leaves and stems afloat to block the stream channel. As they started blowing, the cat (lead animal character) looked in on the camera and asked the kids watching (including me) to help blow the leaves and twigs along. So I told Isabel, “Come on, Isabel, let’s help blow the leaves.”

Isabel started blowing on the TV screen. She puffed once “Wheeew!” Twice, “Wheeew!”. Then stopped.

“Come on Isabel, let’s blow,” I urged, trying to show her how to blow.

“Ninang, can’t blow. Glass,” she said, tapping the TV screen to prove her point. “See? Glass. Can’t blow.”

Oo nga naman!

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Isabel turns on and shuts down her Ipad all by herself. ‘nuff said! I don’t even know where the power button is.

One time, her Ipad was left unattended beside her while she watched TV. I sneaked up behind her and “stole” her Ipad. I touched the screen and the Angry Birds game came on. As I aimed high and let go of the stretched slingshot, the wingless bird was launched in the direction of the target pigs. I had to swipe and scroll to the next screens to see if I had hit the target. I did this move several times as I played the game.

Isabel watched intently as I played. In what seemed to be frustration, she took the Ipad from me, placed her fingers in the middle of the Ipad and dragged in her fingers which “zoomed in” the screen. “Tadaaaaa!” I could see and watch and play the game in one screen without scrolling to the next. So that’s how it’s done!

Another time, Isabel and I were drawing with Doodlebuddy on her Ipad. She drew ocean waves and boats and animals and houses… and an alien cartoon character. As she finished her alien character, I excitedly took the Ipad from her in an attempt to “save” the drawing….only to realize I didn’t know how to “save” the picture. So I asked Isabel if she knew how to “save”.

Without a word, she took the Ipad, touched some screen buttons and icons and the next thing I knew, the screen displayed, “You have saved the…”

Wow!

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Isabel is every bit as funny as she is smart.

One night before going to bed, she asked her mom for milk. As her mom gave her her baby bottle, she said to her mommv, ”Thank you, Boss! “much like how her mom thanks food servers at restos.

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Miles bought new clothes hampers for their new house. As Isabel saw a new hamper brought in to their room, she excitedly ran to it.

“Whooo-hooo!” she excitedly hooted as she climbed in the hamper.

Up and down she jumped as she played while I kept close watch in case she got off balance or “something”.

And “something” did happen – she accidentally sat on the edge of the hamper, tipping it backward, bringing her along with it. I tried to hold on to the hamper to break her fall but fall she did anyway.

We looked at her with concern and waited for her to wail in pain or, at the very least, in embarrassment. A second or two after the initial shock wore off, all she said was, “So much fun! Whooo-hooo!”

Funny girl!