Spikey

Sofia

You watched me make a Japanese style salad dressing with mayonnaise and Dijon mustard tonight while Daddy made a Japanese curry. As usual you were keen to test out the flavour of something coming out of a condiment bottle.

 

"Can me try please?" holding out your finger before I correct your pronoun from me to I.

 

It doesn't matter how hot it is - mustard, chilli sauce, curry - you always respond with "mmmm, it's good".

 

Half way through dinner as you pick up another edemame you announce, "You can get the spikey mum". 

 

I look at you, interrupting my salad munching. I have no idea what you are talking about.

 

"What spikey?", I ask you.

 

"The spikey, you can get it."

 

"I don't understand what the spikey is Sofia. Where is it?"

 

"In the fridge". You start to get off your chair, only to look at Daddy, remembering that you've already been told several times to sit down properly on your chair while eating dinner.

 

I still have no idea what the spikey is, so we agree you can leave the table to shed light on the spikey. You confidently open the fridge door and point up at the top shelf where I have placed the Dijon mustard.

 

"There, that spikey, you can get it for your salad mum".

 

Light bulbs flash. "Spicy Sofia, not spikey."

 

"Oh, spicy", you repeat. Daddy explains to you that it's called mustard, and I listen as you roll the word mustard around in your mouth a few times, helping cement it in the part of your brain that collects new words and sounds every day now.

 

I love hearing you learn new words. Even more than that, I love it when we work out what it is you are trying to say when you sometimes get it mixed up. It's like working on a cryptic crossword.

 

And even more than that I love it that at 4 years of age you go "mmm, it's good" whenever we give you something spikey to try.

NB: This photo was taken on Australia Day. We went to Bunnings for hardware supplies and got caught up in the Australia Day activities including a sausage sizzle to support the rural fire service. I diligently prepared your sausage in bread with tomato sauce. You quickly noticed mine was a bit different and asked to 'try' my 'yellow sauce', closely followed by a request for a 'line of yellow spicy sauce' on your sausage as well. A super happy Aussie girl was the result.