Graciedotes

A morning conversation while Cori was getting ready for the day:

Grace: I really like that shirt Daddy.

Cori: Oh, thank you Grace.

Grace: I really like those shoes.

Cori: Thanks

Grace: I really like that belt, Daddy.

Cori: Wow. I like your attitude, Grace.

Grace: clutching her diapered bum You like my toots!?

During Jared and Sara's journey to and visit with us, Jared decided to grow that burly beard. Every morning, Grace would go downstairs, jump onto Jared in his bed and tug at his beardy hairs saying, "What's this stuff, Uncle Jared? Take it off!"

I've had a Mozart CD in the car that we've been listening to for the last few weeks. When we first started with it, Grace would make me skip through the songs until we found a "happy" song. No minor keys for this kid, or so I thought. One day she started crying for the "Little Einstein song." I didn't know what she was talking about and started scanning through the songs. We reached Symphony No. 40 (In G minor, no less) and the search was over. "We're on a mission, Mommy. Like the Little Einsteins."

We've been trying to tame the emotional outbursts not so unfamiliar to kids Gracie's age, and she's been finding new ways to emphasise her statements. For example, we have lots of conversations revolving around what she does/doesn't want. Yes she does...no she doesn't... sometimes she can't seem to make up her mind. When we're having misunderstandings in this way, and we're talking about something she does want, she'll say "I do, I do, I DOOOOO want more milk." She has also started telling us specifically how many of a thing she wants. So that we're clear, Grace will count the number out on her fingers. The best is when these techniques are employed together. Usually in a semi-frantic, on-the-verge-of-tears voice she'll say "I do, I do, I DOOOOO want 1-2-3 books, Mommy!"

Last night when I was leaving her room after good-night prayers, loves, stories and songs (quite the bedtime routine), she said "But mommy, I do want 1-2-3 songs." "We already had 3 songs, Gracie. Goodnight." I waited for her response. Grace thought for a moment. "But I DO want 1-2-3-4-5 songs!" It took her a minute to get the sentence out on account of the problem presented by her fingers that kept getting mixed up while she was trying to count on them.