Lounging

 

Mommy: "Em, how old are you?"

Em: "Almost (almosht) two."

Mommy: "Whose birthday is next?"

Em: "Emmy!"

 

Daddy: "Emersen, what do you want to be for Halloween?"

Em: "Pumpkin."

 

Daddy: "What are you going to ask Santa for for Christmas?"

Em: "Halloween."

Daddy: "It doesn't work that way."

Em: "Toys."

Daddy: "That's good! What kind?"

Em: "Choo choos. House. Halloween."

Daddy: "No, remember, not Halloween."

Em: "Just toys."

 

Em is learning the words to all her favorite songs. I never imagined a 2 year old could remember the words to stories she read or songs she sings. She'll start singing, and try to sing the whole song, on her own for:

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Jesus Loves Me

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

ABC's

Happy Birthday

Clean Up, Clean Up

 

Her shows are:

Caillou (she LOVES this show!)

Thomas the Train

Boo! (Though we haven't watched this as much)

Wheel of Fortune (letter show, she asks for)

 

Her favorite activities:

draw/color

play dough (makes babies, school bus, taxi, truck, food)

reading books (over and over)

build house or build church (blocks)

 

What she loves to pretend:

eating - herself and feeding her babies

change your diaper - her babies

sleeping/night night - her, her babies, mommy/daddy

basketball

take a picture with her play cell phone -she holds it up and says "smile" and "cheese"

 

Books she loves to read:

an old hand-me-down book that is old and is about letters - calls it her "i" book

halloween books - can complete each sentence herself

lift the flap letter book

Thomas gets stuck - Thomas the train

chicka chicka boom boom

 

Favorite phrase: "Mommy, hold you."

I wish I could say I love this. I knew when she was younger that though I wished for a cuddlier baby/toddler, I knew it was better that she was miss independent. And I was right. She wants me to hold her if something happens she doesn't like, if she is told no, or gets in trouble, or is bored or is breathing.

 

While we're pretty used to the whole stay at home mom thing now, with a toddler, phases and preferences change on a regular basis. So, learning how to handle the "mommy hold you" has been an adjustment for me because Emersen has always been able to entertain herself and play by herself. And she still does for the most part, but she does need more to entertain her. And she can ask for it now. She is still getting stuck on certain things - like waiting for lunch or for someone to come over - and she repeats it over and over again, even though she knows the answer.

 

Having an impressionable kiddo around all the time, especially one that talks and can repeat everything we say, if she so chooses, has challenged me to examine my own words. Are there things that really would be better left unsaid? Could I use my words better? More positively? Words that aren't really "bad" words for adults sound worse coming from a babe - could I choose more carefully? Scripture commands not to let any unwholesome thing come out of your mouth. Am I really holding myself to that standard? Now that I have a "mirror" to reflect my words back to me, its something worth considering.

As are most things once you're evaluating them against God's word and whether you want to pass them on to your kid.