Sweetie the Mild

Sweetie is just that. She is so sweet. The past couple of nights the first thing she has said to me on the phone has been:

S- "Mommy, I got hurt."
Me- "You got hurt?"
S- "Yeths." (She has a hint of a lisp. She says it in a pathetic kind of way that makes you want to hug her.) "Hers so mean/mad to me." (It is the ultimate punishment to have someone be mad or mean to her. And everyone is "her")
Me- "Are you ok now?"
S- "Yeths. I got ice cream cone to-day." (it comes off in a cute sing-songy way)
Me- "Oh, was it tasty?"
S-"Yeths. Are you so sick, Mommy?"
Me- "Yes, but I'm getting better so I can come and see you."
S- "You take your med'cine? Get all better?"
Me- "Yes, Sweetie."

Last fast Sunday I bore my testimony (right after Ballerina- which is another post entirely) and I was teary eyed and crying when I came back to the bench. Sweetie sidled up to my knee and put her hand on my leg and just peered knowingly into my face. It was very comforting and it struck me that Sweetie has a real gift for giving comfort. I could easily see her going into health care and being really good at being there with her patients. She exhibited this when I took her with me to my chiropractor appointment and I was lying on the table getting heat packs to my back and she came over and patted my arm and said, "You ok, Mommy." It is wonderful to see Sweetie's God-given gifts unfold.

Sweetie LOVES to sing. She loves when I have music time with her and I let her flip through the Children's Songbook and point to a song for me to sing and play. Handsome Husband says she likes the control of choosing and I agree, but she also loves hearing music. She will pull out a book that she knows has lyrics and just sing and sing. She loves when we sing songs for Family Home Evening on Monday nights. She loves when we sing at bedtime. Her favorite songs are "Twinkle, Twinkle", "I Love to See the Temple", "I am a Child of God" (she calls it "of God"), "Book of Mormon Stories", "I Lived in Heaven", and "Families can be Together Forever." She can sing all of them. She also likes "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "The Wise Man and the Foolish Man" and "Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam." She is quite versed for her young 3 year old age, I feel.

Sweetie is becoming more dramatic in her imaginary play with Ballerina. She was all geared up to hop in the car and chase the garbage truck and kill the garbage man for taking the blue snake the other morning. One game the girls love to play is "Back to Bed." One pretends to sleep in their room and the other one leaves. Then the "sleeper" comes out of the room and the one already out says, "Go back to bed!" and the "sleeper" says, "Oh, man!" and goes back in the room. Sweetie gets very giggly when they play this one.

Most of Sweetie's pretend play starts with "Mother! Mother!" And the mother is always giving comfort and saying, "Ohhhhh." And Sweetie loves to sit in front of the little vanity that Ballerina got for Christmas one year and pretend to get ready for the ball and do her make up. She is very girly. She loves to pretend to brush her hair.

She had the annoying habit of coming and tapping me when she wanted something and I taught to instead just softly rest her hand on my arm or knee. If she forgets and taps, I just look at her and she remembers. She gets very bouncy and hoppy when she is getting something she wants, like juice or "choc-milk." She says, "Mom, I want juice." I have to remind her to ask nice. Then as I am getting it she likes to be right where my feet are supposed to be and I have to remind her to go sit at the table and wait. She is so cute about it.

Sweetie still loves her books and puzzles and so often spends her day flipping through them and putting puzzles together. She has started to read to herself, either coming up with a story to fit the pictures or repeating phrases that she remembers from oft-read books like Fancy Nancy. She is a BIG fan of Fancy Nancy. She likes to say, "I go read books." Or, "Um, I go do puzzles, ok Mommy?"

She IS a three year old and throws her tantrums and has started to be contrary on purpose. She doesn't like to be honest about whether or not she has a poopy diaper (we'll tackle potty training when she's 3 1/2) and Ballerina has been praying for her to tell the truth about that one. But we understand that she is just trying to exhibit control on her environment. It is SO much easier to be a parent to a toddler the 2nd time around! I love my little Sweetie Girl. She brings me so much joy.