So far she's taking it pretty well.

M: mommy and daddy found out today that the baby in mommy's belly is a boy. You're going to have a baby brother.

H: Don't say "your", it's MY baby brother.

How could I be so silly?

I ask H where one of her imaginary friends is standing (so I can address him directly, of course) and she replies, "right next to Toodee (her other imaginary friend)." Duh, mom.

Don't put Christmas upstairs, mommy!

"Don't put Christmas upstairs, mommy. That's not very nice." Will she forever hate MLK because he's the one who made Christmas go away? #theholidayslastabitlongeraroundhere #tinydictator

Dressing Mommy

Hope wanted to help me get dressed this morning. Not just pick out my clothing (which she also wanted to do). She held out my underwear for me to put my feet in, then insisted on pulling it up herself and adjusting the waistband perfectly. She was adamant that the jeans I wanted to wear (maternity) were "daddy's" but eventually she conceded. She did best with the socks, which she managed to get half-way on to my feet. There was a lot of twisting in the 6 minutes she spent tying my shoelaces. I feel very lucky to have Fridays off to engage in such delights, and to have a 2.5 year old who wants to be helpful. #mayshestaythiswayforever #toddlersideaoffun

Come again?

At dinner tonight, Hope apparently said, "I want to play sex at school."

After asking her to repeat it 4 or 5 times, we finally identified her actual statement as "I want to bring socks to school."

WHEW. That was a close one.

It's hard not to feel good about yourself...

When your daughter says, "Good job making these, mommy" as she carries her pancakes to her table for breakfast. #gratefulnessstartsearly #treasurethesmallmoments

Hope vs Santa, Round 3

Santa came to the Brewerytown Square holiday party, and Hope was excited to wave to him. When I asked if she wanted to sit on his lap, the answer was a resounding, "no." Then she noticed other kids were getting books after their turn, and she announced, "I want a book." When I explained that she would have to sit on the big man's lap to get one, she was silent. A few kids later, she announced, "Monkey wants to do it." I interpreted this to mean that she was starting to reconsider and was expressing her tiny bit of courage by projecting it on to her friend. When it was her turn, she stood up and threw monkey toward Santa like a sacrificial lamb, hoping that she could take his book when he was done.