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In the Wagner house, age 2.5 to 3.5 has been an intense, in the trenches, parenting experience. We have endured a lot of tantrums and underwear washing (... if you know what I mean ... I'll spare you the details!). There have been days when I wasn't sure I could take another feet kicking, teradactyl-like screeching fit. Surely a child this cute could not do such a thing, you say. I can assure you it is entirely possible! But, amidst all of the screaming and flailing, were some funny, precious, and shinning moments that I just have to share.
Bennett told Aunt Erin and Uncle Brian that he might be a nurse someday when he grows up, like Brian. Then he said, “Or maybe a tiger. I already have the outfit for that.” (He was a tiger for Halloween.)
When I was pregnant with Nolen, Bennett was convinced that he had a baby in his tummy too. He could not be persuaded otherwise, so I just went with it. It turned out to be a good tactic to get him to eat. He would say, "Yum! The baby really likes _____." One day he told me, "My baby is kicking it's feet and talking to your baby. He's saying, 'I want to get out of here!'"
Nolen was crying in his car seat and I overheard
Bennett say, “Don’t
worry, Nolen—I’m here with you. God is
with you too, so don’t worry!”
One day Bennett said to me, "I've got the hiccups. Who passed them to me?" Then he looked straight at me and said, "I remember you had them."
One day when I was putting Bennett down for a nap, I said, "Would you like me to turn down your bed?" Then he asked, "Do you have a remote?"
My mom told Bennett that his cousin Weston was waking up a lot at night because he would lose his
monkey paci. Sometimes he had thrown it
out of his crib. He got a very serious
look on his face and said, “I’d better go down there and rescue him!”
My parents had some Canadian geese that were hanging around the pond. Bennett knew they didn’t want them in the yard
b/c they were messy and mean. Every time
they would come into the yard, Bennett would call for my dad —“Come get them, Poppa! They’re back.” On one of his trips into the house he turned
to my mom and Nana and said, “I’m the goose officer!” with a very serious
look on his face.
My mom had seen a segment on the news that it was important that
very small children know their parents’ real names in case of emergency, rather
than “mommy” or “daddy.” She asked
Bennett, “What’s your mommy’s real name?”
He answered, “Samanta.”
She said "That’s right, Samantha Wagner.”
“What’s your daddy’s real name?” “Honey!” “Well, that’s probably what you hear mommy
call him, but what’s his real name?” “Honey.” “No, it’s James. James Wagner.” Bennett responded, “I need to tell Mommy about that!” He did know that Nolen’s name was Nolen
William and that his name was Bennett Owen Wagner.
After he sneezes, he says, "I bless you'd!"
One day Bennett randomly told me, "I know how to go to sleep when you're scared. (Counting off on his fingers.) "Think about the good things, God is with you. The first thing is: don't be scared. The next thing is: your mommy and daddy are here." He remembered all of James' coaching from when he's scared at night.
Aunt Erin had given us a small watermelon. One day, at lunch, I asked Bennett if he wanted me to cut it up for him. "Yes." Then in an very excited voice he said, "I have an idea in my big mind ... We can eat it on the front porch! Is that a good idea?"
He loves to make plans and gets excited about them. After he tells me about them he usually says, "Is that a good idea?" or "Will that be fun?" in a very enthusiastic voice.
