Mommy Kahdib

Dear Emerson (35 months)

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Dear Susan,

Ok, ok, your name is NOT Susan? Alright, your name is EMERSON GRACE DUVAL? Gotcha gotcha, you don't have to get so angry! LOL...this is often a conversation we have...or one that you have with Daddy. He'll come home and say hi to you and baby Ralph....oh, wait, his name is CHASE? Chasey potatoe in the deep blue sea? I gotcha...you get so full of emotion when we pretend that you are someone other than Emmie...I think if you were the hitting type (thank God you aren't) we might get a bop for insinuating that you were anyone other than yourself. And speaking of big emotions, you tend to have a lot of them lately. If someone looks at you while you are holding a toy or eating a snack you will yell at them and say, "THIS IS MY SNACK! MINE MINE MINE...MIIIIIIIIIIINE." They hear you loud and clear...quite frankly I hear you too and am a bit embarrassed for you, but I have to remember that this is a phase that all kids go through. We play a little game called playgroup though to try and help you find some calmer words....playing playgroup goes a little like this.

ME: Hey, Emmie, want to play playgroup?
EM: Sure. ME: (Grab toy from your hands)
EM: MIIIINE, MINE MINE MINE....
ME: Do you think there is something else you might say?
EM: Katie (because we're playing and you can call me by my first name) this toy is mine, I was playing with it.
ME: Oh, ok, I'm sorry. EM: That's ok, Mommy, I mean Katie, here, do you want a turn? (you hand me the toy)

ME: Thanks, Emmie. (play with it for a bit and hand it back)

You really like playing playgroup...I hope that soon MINE MINE MINE will be words of the past...and the future because I'm sure your brother will go through this stage too! You're like a little sponge and you do soak up almost everything...you are kind and polite and know for the most part what is expected of you...sometimes you forget...sometimes you accidentally do something like bump your brother with a toy and he burst into tears...you often burst into tears too because, well, in this instance you really didn't mean to. You offer apologies, kisses, and hugs when you know you have hurt him or me...and your kisses are so sweet and gentle it often makes everything better. You give great hugs where you wrap your arms around my neck and I know that someday I'm going to miss your sticky elbows and the smell of watermelon from lunch.

You're obsessed with going outside to swing on your swingset...you still prefer the bucket swing but sometimes risk going on the big girl swing which is yellow and you hold on tight tight tight! Your favorite thing is getting an underdog and we're working on pumping. You're still asking, "WHY WHY WHY," all the time and I was getting so tired finding the answers to all of the whys...someone told me I could turn it around and say something like, "Why do you think? And guess what, it works!! You come up with the answer you wanted me to say in the first place...here's another example.

ME: Emmie, make sure you shut the door behind us?
EM: Why, mama?
ME: Why do you think?
EM: So Chasey won't fall down the stairs...
ME: Yup!
EM: Ok, mama (slam...the door is shut and Chase is safe.)
ME: Thanks, Emmie.
EM: Your welcome!

You are finally ok with other people being in your space...just this week you found a friend at playgroup and you were running around holding hands and picking flowers. You kept laughing that Zoe wanted to hold your hand, but you were ok with it. Lots of times when we were leaving Ellie's house (our neighbor) her mommy would say, "Ellie, Emmie is leaving, give her a hug," and you would hide behind my legs...now you head over and give hugs yourself! You also got over your fear of Ellie's puppies....before when we would walk in you would insist that I, "HOLD ME HOLD ME HOLD ME," and wanted to stay on the couch away from the puppies for a while....now you march right in and let them sniff and lick you and even though I can tell you're a bit nervous you don't freak out about it...bit by bit I see you growing up. You keep reminding me that you're going to school soon...too soon, my friend...oh how sad I will be to know I am missing things you are learning and discovering everyday.....good thing you have a great memory and love to tell me stories because I see a future filled with minute by minute details of what you did in school! You're excited for your birthday....you want a pink butterfly cake with pink balloons...pink pink pink!