Sweet Surprise

Tonight as we were playing Hide and Seek, I realized with surprise that 21 ½ month old Lily was counting for me. Without me actively teaching her, she learned to count one to ten with surprising accuracy. Though she sometimes needs prompting on a number or two, she can do it, especially confidently proclaiming 9 and 10. The incredible thing about birth order is how much she absorbs by watching and trying to keep up with everyone else in the family. When we play hide and seek, she squeals, hides her head under a pillow, and evidently learns to count from one to ten while she waits. And as she is absorbing new things, Lily continues to be such a ball of energy and sweetness. She climbs up everything as if there isn’t a square inch that she can’t conquer. She runs into the room with a smile and a “hi, mama!” that causes me to grin right back at her. She has started to read small parts of books when I get to a word or short phrase she knows well. She loves to color and sometimes likes to say the names of letters as she draws, pretending she is writing. As is common in the toddler years, her learning is exploding, and it is such fun to watch. She is asserting her independence and wishing for input into her own life. If I offer her the pink bib, she earnestly requests, “blue bib, blue bib.” If I offer the blue bib, she wants the pink one. If I hold both of them up, she beams and reaches for the one she wants. She loves to pick out her diaper and her clothes. While she is growing and changing every day, some things remain constant. She adores Grandma and Papa, as she calls him, and if she knows they’re coming at any point in the day, she will run to the door and say, “Watch! Watch! Grandma and Papa” as she waits for their minivan to pull in the driveway. When they arrive, she squeals and runs around the room. I love her bond with them. Sometimes Lily does get frustrated at the limitations that come with age (or, rather, lack of age.) When she is too rough with big sister’s toys and I redirect her, she is crushed, devastated. She is typically a quick one to recover, though, and though tears may stay planted firmly on her face, she is soon smiling again. She loves to say silly words like “acky!” and burst into laughter. My favorite moments in parenting continue to be those like tonight, when both girls were running around the living room, giggling together and with me about nothing and everything. All in all, Lily has such joy for life, and watching her learn is such joy in mine. I love the sweet surprise of how much someone so little can enjoy life, how much she learns from simply living it, and how brilliantly she brightens the lives of those around her.

Four Days Until Four

For weeks now, Emma has been looking forward to our new morning ritual, removing one link from the paper chain in the kitchen that denotes the number of days until her birthday. She is incredibly excited to turn four, to join some of her preschool classmates in being a really big kid, to celebrate with friends and family with a much-awaited birthday cake. As she looks back at her fourth birthday, I don’t know if she will remember a single detail, but kids are good at living in the moment, and Emma is enjoying every moment of the anticipation of her big day. As I plan for her birthday, I also want to plan for the future…when Emma and I will have a fuzzier recollection of what she was like as an almost four-year-old. So, today, with four days until four, I plan to tell her a little bit about her:

 

My Sweet Emma Grace, 

 • You have a very active imagination. Each morning, you like to declare the character you will be today. If it is Plum Pudding from Strawberry Shortcake, you will dress in purple, color in purple, eat from a purple bowl, and generally stick to your theme with a dedication that would make Hasbro (the maker of Strawberry Shortcake) proud. If you are Strawberry Shortcake, you pretend to set up your own Berry Café in your room, request strawberries for snack, and incorporate the theme in a way that would make any elementary school teacher admire the thematic unit that you have created for yourself. Today, you are Rapunzel. You sing her songs, dress in a fancy dress, and comment again and again about how your hair is growing longer like hers. I love your creativity, your conviction, and the twinkle in your eye as you know that your pretending is a magical world that you are composing for yourself. • You have a sensitive heart. Even though I broke my toe over two months ago, you still ask how it’s feeling almost daily, inquiring if it is all better yet. If Daddy is working late and I’m trying to get dinner ready, you help clean up the family room and tell me not to worry. The other day, I was busy, and Lily was crying hard. You started singing her a song about her name, and it made me feel so happy to see you encourage your sister. • You also cry often from hurt feelings and bumps and bruises. Your sensitivity is something that gives us plenty of smiles, but it is also tough to see you cry and have a hard time so many times each day. We talk a lot about using your words, and when you do, you are very articulate. You will say something like, "Lily is destroying my beautiful Berry Cafe. She is wreaking havoc, Mommy." Lately, you have had a difficult time whenever you need to be apart from me…mostly when you first have to separate at church or sometimes preschool drop off or even at home if I am working on something and you are supposed to stay with Daddy and Lily. You say, “I just love you so much, Mommy.” You definitely have a strong bond with me, and I am so grateful for that, but I also want to encourage you to be brave in the world so that you might find the joys that happen when you are away from me. • Preschool continues to be a really positive place for you. You tell me about what the other kids do, what you have for snack, and sometimes what your teachers say. You are proud to have a life of your own there, and I am proud of how you are growing. • You are opinionated and not afraid to tell the people that are closest to you what you think. We are working on you consistently doing this in a polite way. Often you do, but it is something we will continue to practice as you become a “really big kid.” • You are so happy when you accomplish something that is tough, saying, “I did it…all by myself!,” but you also get frustrated pretty quickly when something is hard. I am sure it is difficult sometimes to be a preschool aged kid with so many new things to accomplish all of the time. • You love to play Hide and Seek and will play for as long as Daddy, Lily, and I will hide and look for you. You are cute about telling us where you are soon after you hide or sometimes hiding right in front of us before we have even closed our eyes. You squeal and giggle when you are found. • About a month ago, you started dressing yourself in the morning. Though, like most preschoolers, this makes for some interesting outfit combinations, you are proud of your newfound independence, and I love how you are able to help us get out the door in the morning. • You are a creature of habit and conscious of our family rules, requesting fruit for your afternoon snack, as you know this is our routine. You remind Grandma that you only get one treat a day, even when she hopes to spoil you with a little more. • You still love to read and enjoy your books very much. You also like to color and recently drew a fantastic self-portrait. Up until now, it’s been a bit tougher for you to draw and you often didn’t want to try to draw anything in particular, but on Valentine’s, day, you drew your face so well.

 

 

You are also getting better and better at writing your name. You still color quickly and prefer not to have to worry about staying in the lines, but you color with joy. • We play a Goldfish Game to strengthen your eye muscles, and you absolutely love it. You can’t wait to have us say, “Look at the Goldfish.” • You love to play with Lily sometimes and giggle and run with her. Other times, it’s tough to have a little sister who knocks over your things when she’s trying to play with you. Still, if you are away from Lily, you say you miss her. She gets excited to pick you up at school after she’s been away from you three mornings a week. • You like to make people laugh and will make silly faces, say the opposite of what you mean, and in general try to get other people to giggle. • You are good at your letters and can tell what almost any word starts with when you hear it. You like to count forward and backward. You count by 10s to 100 and count by 1s to a different number depending upon the day…sometimes it is 60. • Your favorite characters right now are Strawberry Shortcake and friends, princesses, and fairies. You like to play with tiny toys with many pieces, and you keep track of them well. You also like your Barbie-sized dolls. • Each afternoon, you have quiet time in your room for about 45 minutes. You look forward to watching a half an hour movie after your quiet time. • You often request snacks and enjoy food very much. Nothing gets as big of a smile as when you hear that you are going to get to eat something that you consider extra yummy. You are not especially picky and eat healthily, though you do not like zucchini or tofu. You say that your favorite food is crackers. • You really look forward to your Mommy / Daughter and Daddy / Daughter dates. We take turns taking you out once a month, and we love this time as much as you do. This month is my month, and I plan to take you out to eat…I can already see your smiles. • You talk quite a bit. Our house is almost never silent unless you are sleeping, and I am grateful for your curious questions and cheerful chatter. • Like many kids your age, I do have to remind you not to whine pretty regularly. Sometimes you tell me, “I’m having a grumpy day.” Other times, you say, ‘I was just hungry” or “I’m tired.” You think about the reasons you’re having a hard time. • You also think more about your friends now that you’re getting bigger and mention other kids more. It’s fun to see you become more socially aware. • You have an incredible memory. You have known our address since last summer, but yesterday when I picked you up from preschool, I sang you our phone number a few times for the first time. Later that afternoon, you correctly recited it without having heard it again for hours. You remember songs, too, and can sing your favorite songs word for word, with incredibly correct intonation and feeling. • You are uniquely you, and I’ve never met another kid like you. You are such a precious part of our family. • You are my Emma Grace, and four years ago you were still nestled snugly inside of me. No matter how big you get, you will still fit snugly inside of your mommy’s heart. I love you, birthday girl. Happy Fourth Birthday!!!!