This Reminds Me

Last Thursday, Julia tried to tell me something, then began crying in the bath tub.  Water too hot?  Too cold?  Nope.  Drying her off – still crying.  Cut or scratch?  Abrasian?  Nope.  Tears running down her face.  We’d been swimming.  Water in her ears?  Tummy hurt?  Head hurt?  Nope.

Plowing through my Russian cheat sheets, asking her about every body part I can name.  “Nyet, nyet, nyet.”  Tears running down her face.  Now sobbing.

In desperation, I called our Buckner case worker, who is Russian-born.  She spoke to Julia for a moment.  I got back on the line.

“Becky.  She wants bubble gum.”

(sigh)

So now I know.  “Zhi-vah-ilk-mul-nuk” – or something close to that – means “bubble gum.”

She’s been perfecting her blowing skills this week, wheedling Sugarless Bubble Yum pieces out of Rachel every chance she gets.  When she thinks she might be told “no,” she looks at Rachel out of the corner of her eye, lifts her eyebrows and offers Rachel a huge smile.  As Rachel says, “Mom, how can I say ‘no’ to that face?”

Sugarless Bubble Yum – “Vow!”

When Julia pops a good one, we hear a resounding “Vow!”   Really big bubbles – she runs from family member to family member for admiration.  I was cleaning out the pantry today (shudder) and had to stop numerous times to peer down the green bean cans and exclaim over a whopper.  Rachel and Hannah will often join her in a car trip chomp; alas, Lois is in braces.

She has her first loose tooth – bottom front.  I suspect this chewing action may speed the wiggliness..

Maybe the Tooth Fairy will bring her a pack of her own.