Night and day

Y'know, sometimes I look around bewilderedly and wonder where these little dichotomous humans came from.

One second they'll be tearing the pages out of books and throwing their sibling's lovies up on high shelves so they can't reach them and the next will be hugging one another - unbidden - in apology for some insult. They'll be bright and articulate around me but then sit in stunned silence in front of a stranger, unable to recall their own names or say how old they are.
They crash and roar through my house like wee terrible forces of nature but will sit quietly in a shopping cart or walk closeby for a long, slow trip through the Wal Mart, never straying, running, whining or touching things on the shelves. They'll shove their younger siblings out of the way, push them down, but then console and soothe all hurts and tears before I can even get across the room.

Is there some goodness/badness switch on the backs of these things that I'm unaware of?

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Convo overheard from their bedroom at naptime:

Boy: "I want that!"
(pause)
Boy: "Human Crash Test Dummy, may I have that please?"
Human Crash Test Dummy: (murmurs something unintelligible)
Boy: "Thank you!"
HCTD: "You're welcome, Brother." (which she pronounces 'brudder')
(stretch of silence, rustling)
(CRASH!)
(crying. I get up and head toward the room)
Boy:"Are you OK, HCTD? It's OK, HCTD." (loud bump) "Oww!"
HCTD: "I'm sorry, Boy!"
Boy: "It's OK, HCTD. Thank you." (pause) "Here, you be Venom!"
HCTD: "OK!"
(sounds of raucous playing)

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I have a bunch more bloggers to check out today via all the Bloggity Love flying around ( Long Live the Koolaid!) so I'll have plenty to do and will give a shout out to anyone and everyone whom I start reading daily. Gah! I need to update my sidebar list as it is.

If I'm a regular commenter on your blog but you don't appear in my blogroll, I promise I'm working on it. If you'd like to give me a leg up (not to be confused with a leg over, hah!) and send me your URL with a note: "Blue, you spaz, put me on your blogroll" that will be helpful!

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I have new t-shirts in the shop - scroll down to the black tees - and new baby bibs coming soon. If there's something you'd like to see in the way of apparel, don't hesitate to ask!

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On the homefront I'm girding my loins for toilet training number three: Bitty Girl, but I'm not anticipating much of a hassle. It's bloody amazing how confident you get after having 'done' one already. I have seriously waited too long with Bitty - she was ready at 23 months - but her language skills hadn't caught up and I need her to be able to communicate with me. We're sitting on green now, though!

I swear, I'm convinced that I'm going to have forgotten all my small baby mothering skills (sleep training, weaning, toilet training) when the new baby gets here (IF a new baby gets here ... ). Something else to fret and worry about. Jeez.

Speaking of mothering, my last ewe had her babies - two lovely, fuzzy black lambs - yesterday morning. I'll try to get pics up on the Farm Blog later today or tomorrow.

And that's all I have right now. Off to read new blogs! Wait ... what was that crash?