Bunny Girl

Sofia

Yesterday you ran away from the Easter Bunny, panic and terror on your face. This morning you chose to have your face painted as a bunny. Maybe you have already dealt with your phobia. Maybe a man dressed up in a big white fluffy costume handing out lollies to kids doesn't strike you as something to be trusted or embraced...quite frankly I'm with you.

Splinter and Bum Bum

Sofia

 

Every evening when I come home from work I like to take a shower. It's a break between the outside world of work and public transport and the inside world of home and domesticity with you. This evening you decided to join me quickly bringing to my attention that you had a sore foot. We soaped you up but every time I touched the spot under your foot the tears welled up.

 

Under the spotlight of the torch it appeared to be a splinter. As you sat naked on the chair, Daddy decided to remove it with tweezers (not my first instinct after years of suffering at the hands of my mother with a sterilised needle). It's a long time since I've seen you cry so desperately. Big wet tears rolled down your flushed cheeks. You kept pulling your leg away, saying "No, no, no" as Daddy worked the splinter out. I wanted to join you, crying and telling him to stop. I felt overwhelmed by the need to protect you - from the pain, the process and the problem. This was your first experience of a splinter and I was surprised at how such a little thing, and your highly emotional reaction, made my heart feel like it was breaking a little.

 

With the splinter out, we mopped up your tears, encouraging you to practice the deep breathing we have taught you to calm you down. It is such a simple thing but it works. You draw in deep shuddering breathes, repeating it at each spoken request. We breath together and I too feel slightly better now that the worst is over and you have regained some composure.

 

You ask for a Wiggles Band-Aid and then spend the rest of the night telling me that you want to keep it on. For some reason you seem to think that a Band-Aid goes on and then comes off again soon after. As the rest of the night unfolds I reassure you repeatedly that the Band-Aid can go to bed and you can sleep with it on your foot.

 

Chocolate and hazelnut ice cream after dinner and a story about 'Hippo Has a Hat' once you climb into bed makes the splinter a distant memory. I have now read 'Hippo Has a Hat' at least thirty times, so tonight, to get a giggle out of you I highlight the frog's bare bottom and the big bum on the hippopotamus.

 

You find bottoms - bum bums - undeniably hilarious and the smallest mention of them sees you explode into a round of giggles. Your infamous 'bum bum dance' is my favourite thing at the moment. "Look at me, look at me" you cry. "I do the bum bum dance", swaying your delightfully rounded hips from side to side. Morning, noon, or night. Pyjamas, street clothes or naked it doesn't seem to matter. You stand in front of the long mirror my grandmother gave me as a wedding gift and waggle your bottom, looking over your shoulder to catch a glimpse of yourself.

 

Splinters and bum bums. The roller coaster of being your mother, the mother of Sofia the three year old, fills me with joy, even when it makes my heart hurt a bit.

Minnie

Sofia

 

Instead of putting your pyjamas on tonight you put your Minnie Mouse undies on your head. You are delicious when you streak down the hall in your natural glory.

Cat and Flamingo

Sofia

 

Sometimes I want to remember I particular piece of clothing that you wear and love. Much like the Tweety bird t-shirt with my name emblazoned across the front I had as a girl - a gift from Uncle Russell during the mid 1970's.

 

You wore these cat shoes and flamingo t-shirt on a recent trip to the city. You chose the shoes at the shop. I bought you the t-shirt but it's one you often select to put on when we are going out. I think they are both worth a remembrance photo.

 

Nude princess

Sofia

Yesterday afternoon you took your underpants and shorts off after a visit to the toilet. You refused to put them back on, walking around with a naked bottom half, going about the business of a toddler. Then you found the princess crown we started making the day before.

It was then time for me to make your bed, something you always love to help with. Daddy took some photos of you making the bed in you purple T-shirt, naked bottom and cardboard princess crown. The epitome of cute. I just wish I could publish the photos....

Beach bum

Sofia

After many weekends of rainy weather we took advantage of the sunshine and warm weather today and headed to Caloundra for a day at the beach. Golden Beach. Unlike most of the beaches along the Sunshine Coast it is protected from the surf and the calm, clear water is perfect for children. It's also perfect for parents who are more interested in encouraging their kids to swim with confidence instead of coxing them into pounding waves and then yelling at them to jump over the swell or dive under it to avoid being dunked. Daddy likes Golden Beach too. I think it reminds him of the Mediterranean Sea where he grew up.

 

I bought you a new swim suit at the start of the summer. You've used it regularly, swimming at friend's pools, the occasional trip to the beach and weekly swimming lessons with Daddy. Today it seemed to give up trying to hold itself in the form of a swimming suit - the elastic in the fabric swam out to sea and didn't return leaving you in a stretched out pink floral thing that sank down to your ankles instead of your knees. Every time you came up out of the water your little buttocks were eagerly cupped by the clingy fabric. As the swimming, castle building, beach snacking and sunscreen slapping progressed your swim suit continued to deteriorate.

 

With the complete lack of awareness of a toddler you carried on. In and out of the water, practicing your big arms and kicking with daddy. Squealing with delight when we splashed and frolicked with you. Telling daddy 'I don't want it again' when you'd had enough of the '1, 2, 3 - under' game. Running up the sand towards me, calling out for a honey sandwich. Earnestly collecting your bucket and spade and filling it with sand only to flip it over too slowly, losing the intensity required for a successful sand castle formation. Daddy quickly gave you a lesson and you soon had a little community of castles, twigs poking out from their roofs in defiance.

 

We had a hard time convincing you that it was time to leave the beach. With a belly full of sea water and tap water I was worried that you might be car sick on the ride home (it seems that whenever you drink too much before a long car ride you sometimes get car sick so we've taken to working on the dehydrate before we drive theory whenever possible). I needn't have worried. The swimming, sea and sun all took their toll and before we hit the highway I watched you nod off and fall asleep in the rear view mirror.

 

Today reminded me why my sisters and I loved going to the beach for our summer holiday when we were girls. There is something completely uninhibited about hanging out at the beach. It's the simplicity of the sea, the sun, the sand and the pleasure that the combination of all three provide. It's not really appropriate to spend all day at the beach under the Australian sun anymore, but there was something healthy and natural going on when you finally stripped off your collapsing togs and lay down to dry naked under the sun.  

 

I think we need to try and find the time to go to the beach more often.

 

 

Easter Craft

Sofia

It's Saturday. This morning I was inspired to do some Easter craft with you. We came home from Nana's house yesterday with a bag full of things to donate to the child care centre you attend - including an empty egg carton. This has now morphed into two baby chicks, a bunny and two nameless Easter monsters.

 

It won't be forever that you think gluing, painting and decorating an egg carton is fun and interesting...let's enjoy it while it lasts!

 

 

Cheers II

Sofia

Some close ups from your cheer squad day. You are glorious.

Cheer

Sofia

Last month we spent a few days in Melbourne visiting your aunt, uncle and two cousins. On the last day of the visit we went to cheer Joshua on at his school swimming carnival. Someone brought along a set of gold streamer pom poms.

 

Without any encouragement you started jumping and waving them around, just like a cheerleader at a football game. Your enthusiasm and delight were infectious. Many of the other parents, teachers and students stopped to watched your unabashed pleasure. It's a wonderful thing the way a happy, smiling toddler makes other people stop and smile. They sometimes catch my eye, as if to say "What a lovely thing it is to watch her, so free, finding wonder in things/places/tasks where we've forgotten to look for it?"

 

I think part of a toddler's life purpose is to make the adults around them stop and enjoy the moments.

 

Those poms poms certainly connected with your life purpose that day at the swimming carnival.
 

 

 

Focus

Sofia

 

It's Friday. Our day together. After running some errands and buying some eggs, cheese and bread we returned home for some Friday craft. Today you chose to paint.

 

I love photographing you while you paint. The concentration, the focus on your face all ends up represented on the piece of cardboard in front of you. You painted 'Bluey' today - your favourite comforter immortalised in paint. For some reason you painted him pink with purple stars.

 

Today I gave you some photocopies of farm pictures from a colouring book. It's the first time we've ventured away from free form painting. To my surprise you take to the concept of painting between the lines with relative ease. A barn, then a chicken. Now you are working on a pig, occasionally calling out "mummy, I use the fingers" as if to check that it's okay to experiment without the brushes.

 

Your face always lights up and you bounce around "yeah, painting, painting" as I get the box of painting goodies from my office cupboard.  Creativity, experimenting, colour and shape recognition, expression, language development. hand eye coordination...the benefits you gain from our home painting session are numerous. You are a joy to watch. Everytime something about your style or interest has changed.

 

But the best thing about our Friday painting session is that it's just good fun.

 

 

 

Pronouns

Sofia

You've been struggling to correctly use some pronouns. At the moment you use "she" instead of "it" a lot of the time. "There she is" is a common one when you locate something you had misplaced.

The other is "help you" when you mean to say "help me". I've been correcting you for months and while I know it will click and fall into place soon, this morning you turned it around on me.

Wanting to find a way to stay at home with me instead of going to childcare you suggested "I help me in mummy's garden? Yeah? Okay?" Genuine, and full of your desire to help, it also reflected how much you enjoy my company.

The little, hopeful "Yeah? Okay?" at the end is something else you say whenever you are seeking permission or confirmation.

As I stood in the kitchen looking down at your upturned expectant face and your hot pink dress with tulle trim that you call "my prin-thess dress" I almost forgot about the list of errands and tedious Wednesday stuff I needed to do.

A day in the garden with you would be infinitely better. We'll have to settle for a day of Friday fun jam packed with pronouns. Just you and me.