Greetings Little One

New shoes!

Tonight I am grateful for your inexplicable change of heart in regards to the shoes that Mommy bought months ago.

This morning, on the way to school, Mommy told you that your purple sparkly shoes were falling apart and in need of replacement. You responded by removing your shoes, throwing them to the floor and crying all the way to school.

Unlike every woman I have ever met, you have absolutely no interest in new shoes. 

Unaware of these events, I coincidentally cleaned off the top of the bureau this evening, where two new pairs of shoes had been sitting, still in their boxes, for months.  You had rejected them long ago, but we decided to put them in her closet tonight in hopes that you might one day reconsider.

By the time I returned to the bedroom with your toothbrush, you had a new pair of shoes on your feet and were admiring them with a wide grin. you even asked to go to sleep in your new shoes, and we quickly agreed.

Anything to cement the love that you suddenly felt for them, little one.

New shoes at last. We probably have about three months before we’ll need to attempt another changing of the guard.

A welcomed respite in the toddler footwear battles.

 

A future novelist?

When you make your dolls and other little people speak, little one, you use dialogue attribution.

It’s quite strange.

“I want to play with Katie!” said Lily.

“Okay,” said. Katie. “Let’s play.”

I’m sad. I can’t find Baby Sheep,” said Lily.

“I’ll help you find Baby Sheep” said Katie.

All of those words come out of your mouth as you play. Perhaps the addition of dialogue attribution to play is more common than I realize, but to my ears, it sounds as if you’re reading from a book rather than playing with dolls.

Sleeping in a big, big girl’s bed

While I was gone for the weekend, little one, Mommy allowed you to sleep with her in our bed, and to your credit, you did a great job.

You went to sleep when asked, slept through the night without disturbance. only fell out of the bed once in the middle of the night, and most important, when put back into your crib on Sunday night, did not complain for a second.

You did steal Mommy’s pillow on Friday night, but that was Mommy’s fault. If she didn’t want you stealing it, she should’ve taken it out of the bed until she went to sleep.

Well done, little one. It makes it much easier to offer you these special treats when you handle them so well. 

My toddler, the reader

Someday you’ll be able to actually read the words, little one, but until that day arrives, I adore listening to you make up the stories based upon the pictures on the page.

I may like it more than seeing you actually read the words. But that might be the author in me. 

Science and literature intertwined

You’ve stepped it up, little one, combining science and literature into your evening reading habits.

Why has it taken so long for the human race to realize that books should not be read without a magnifying glass?

 

 

Gratitude journal: So lucky

I watch this, little one, and can’t help but think that I am the luckiest man in the world.

Gratitude journal: This

I’m in Newburyport, MA at a literary festival this weekend, little one.

Tonight I am grateful for snippets of video like this, which make the time away from my little girl a teensy bit easier.

Gratitude journal: Cuddling the baby

With about a month to go, there won’t be many more moments like this, little one, so tonight I’m grateful to have recorded one for posterity.

Gratitude journal: Reunion

Tonight is easy, little one.

Though the list of things that I am thankful for tonight is long, one stands out above the rest.

After four days apart, our longest separation, I am grateful that we are together again.  Mommy and I had a wonderful weekend in Vermont, and you had an amazing weekend with your grandparents, but nothing made me happier than to see you this afternoon and give you a big squeeze. 

 

Pebbles

For reasons that I don’t quite understand, little one, you love rocks.

If you see a large rock, you try to pick it up. If you see a small rocks, you pick through them, collecting the ones you like best.

Maybe you are on a path to becoming a geologist, which would be fine. Geologist’s salaries are on the rise, and the job seems fairly secure.

 

The only drawback to this interest in geology is that I find little piles like this in the house from time to time: