A Masterful Grasp of the Obvious

It was late at night, and jet lag was keeping the WBBE, BN awake. After 45 minutes of frantic crying and bug-eyed parents, I took her from her crib and brought her back to our bed to relax.

"I lay down," she said, and did.

"That's right, you laid down."

"I lay down and close eyes," she said, and scrunched her eyelids tight.

"That's right, you closed your eyes."

"Now they open."

Repeat for about ten minutes.

~~~~~

We are in the basement. Erik is playing with Frances, and I am hiding behind a post.

"Hey, Frances," says Erik, "Where is Mummy? Is she hiding?"

Frances gets her curious look--wide, solemn eyes--and begins to peer around obstacles. At short intervals I "peek" out from behind the post so she has a chance to spot me. After a few tries she does and comes tripping over with a huge grin. "I found you!" she says.

~~~~~

"Do you want to sing head and shoulders?"

"Yeah!"

"OK, you have to put your hands on your head. Can you put your hands on your head? Good!" I begin singing, head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes, knees and toes. Frances puts her whole heart into it, flinging her entire body forward with every "toes" and grasping her feet. When I'm done, she looks at me with a smile and said, "I mo dat one."

~~~~~

It is late at night again, and Frances is having a hard time settling down. I go in to help her settle down.

"A runn. y. nose. a run. ny. nose. A. run. ny. nose!" she cries, words broken by sobs.

"Oh, you have a runny nose? OK. We'll get a kleenex. How's that?"

"Runny cheek! Runny cheek!"

"Oh yes, you do have a runny cheek. Let me dry those tears."

She clings to me as I settle us on the rocking chair, sobs softening to sniffles, and says, "snuggle song."

"You want me to sing the snuggle song?"

"Yeah."

"Ok, I'll sing it once, but then you have to go to bed."

"OK."

I sing the main parts of Boynton's snuggle puppy song, while she stares at me and sniffles.

"One more time!"

"No, baby, it's bed time."

[long pause] "I go sleep now."

"That's a good idea."

~~~~~

Today, in the car on the way home from daycare, Frances told me all about clouds, and trees, and cars, and green lights, and red lights, and yellow lights, and schoolbuses, and trucks, and snow, and so on. We talked about feet, and legs, and shoes, and supper. I can't remember which point of this deeply meaningful conversation we were at, but she said, clear as a bell: "I love you!"

"I love you too!"

"I love you too."

"I love YOU too."

"I love you too!"

*sniff*

It's the first time she's ever said "I love you" so clearly, without prompting. My girl. I am so lucky.

Posted by Andrea at November 17, 2005 9:14 PM under Beanie Baby Brags

EMAIL this entry

(comments fields are below this section)