Funny Little Habits

For months now I've been meaning to write about some of Anna and James' quirky habits for fear of forgetting about them when they inevitably grow out of them.  So here goes, the kids Top 5 Funny Little Habits:

#5 - The Hair Tug - Often when James is particularly tired he'll begin to play and tug at his hair. I think this might actually be a pretty common little habit for sleepy toddlers, but in my eyes its just so darn cute, especially because Chris has a tendency to do the same thing and it just cracks me up that the old 'like father like son' phrase rings so true.

#4 - The Belly Button Tug - When Anna was born she didn't really have much of an 'outtie', oh how things have changed.  It definitely seems to be a 'soothing' habit, albeit an odd one, however when Anna is drinking from a sippy cup she also likes to play with her belly button.  It doesn't matter what she's wearing (if its a dress she'll hitch the whole thing up), as long as she has access to her belly button she's a happy camper...and from years of this odd little habit, she also now sports an outtie.

#3 - Shoes, Shoes, Shoes - Our little man seems to have a fetish.  He just loves shoes, and also has quite the opinion on which pair he wants to wear on any given day.  He's happy trying on all manner of shoes, from his own to Anna's sparkly ballerina flats, to Mummy's heels.  If there's shoes, James will find them and will do his darndest to walk in them.

#2 - "Bike" - no, its not what you think.  James actually refers to his blankie as "bike".  It took me a while to cotton on to what he was actually asking for, but now that I've figured it out I don't think he's motivated to actually learn how to say the word "blankie", since he can just ask for his "bike" and know he'll get what he wants.  As some of you may recall from our Australia posts, James became quite attached to blankies while we were out in Perth.  This has only been exacerbated since we returned and scored a super soft and cuddly blanket in a Christmas exchange with our neighbors.  James has officially declared the blanket his and doesn't like to be far from his 'bike' at any time.

#1 - Belly-to-Belly - Yes, there is a belly fascination pattern with Anna. Perhaps the oddest little habit exhibited by our monkey's is Anna's frequent request for "belly-to-belly", which is exactly as it sounds.  She likes to sit on your lap with bellies facing each other, and then pulls up her shirt and the person she's sitting on so bellies can touch.  I think it stems from when I was pregnant with James and Anna just loved to touch my belly (and baby), but is still quite odd.  It was particularly funny when Anna clearly felt comfortable enough with our gorgeous girlfriend Suzi (in Perth) and asked her for "belly-to-belly".  The look on Suzi's face was priceless.