whatever

Whatever. This is a new term Squirt discovered this past week. It's first use was: "What-evah, dad. What-evah." I think I speak for both of us when I say that I don't know if we should laugh or cry at this new development... both, probably. Similarly, when she's upset with someone, she'll tell them she's not their friend. Fickle three year old. A few weeks back, I even got an "I can't love you" when I really ticked her off... Note the use of "can't" - not only is she so upset that she no longer loves me, she actually can't love me. *sigh*

But she's not always a little toddler monster. So often, she is a vibrant ball of energy. One of her favorite games right now is to pretend to be mommy or the teacher - you know she's playing this role playing game when she starts calling you "honey." When that happens, don't make the mistake of calling her by her name. Trust me on that one... I've had to relocate several of the pots in one of our kitchen cupboards because, gosh, it's her car, honey. She uses it to drive her honey's (usually Lambie, but sometimes another random doll) to "school", where she promises she'll come back later (and like every good mom, she always does). I enjoy watching her pretend to be mom or teacher because it gives me a glimpse into her day. She plays out various interactions she's had throughout the day (at least in the instances I know about, often verbatim, just with her as the mom and me or Lambie as her). It's interesting to see how she processes frustrating situations, like potty accidents or disagreements with other kids. If I want to know what's *really* going on with her at daycare, I just need to sit back and watch - sooner or later, she'll play out whatever situations really resonated with her.

That said, it really is delightful to just sit back quietly and watch her play. She is so imaginative and enthusiastic. There are dragons in the bathtub and fairies in the flowers. She can see thunder and has long conversations with Deuce, who talks about how crazy life is in the belly (and she talks all about her day, often in more detail than she actually tells me). She also has a "ghost friend" who lives in the bedroom by the window and keeps us safe while we sleep (he magically appeared the first day I cracked the window so the swamp cooler would cool the room)... She is always up to something, always exploring, always trying to find new things to do, which can be pretty exhausting. As always, it's so easy to get mired in the stressful, tiring parts of the day that we overlook the truly beautiful moments, which are countless. I just need to take a tip from her when I'm getting caught up in the stress of the moment and just shake it off with a big what-evah. These beautiful moments are too fleeting to be overlooked.

Not entirely sure what I stumbled upon in the back yard... whatever.