Awesome

Char is just awesome! She's such a great kiddo. If you're in a happy marriage, you know how you always love your husband or wife, like a lot, but then there are times when you feel just especially close to them and loving toward them? Apparently it's like that with parenthood as well.

These new communication skills of Char's have brought with them a lot more understanding, and wonder (on my part) at just how smart she is. And, i mean, i've always known she was smart, but wow!

Another cool thing she's doing lately is starting to see and express emotions verbally. "Ohhhh noooo! Baby sad! Baby crying!" at a picture in a book. Or "Ohhhhh nooooo! Mommy sad!" if she does something "bad" like throw a toy. And she tries to make the sad person happy again, which usually involves hugs and kisses (is it any wonder i'm enjoying this phase?).

Last night we went swimming, and it took 30 minutes to get out of the YMCA parking lot (i think the traffic signal is broken and it's not registering cars that want to turn left, so you have to wait at a red light for 5 minutes with no cars coming). It was 7:40 when we left the Y, so by the time we got out of the parking lot, it was past 8 (Char's bedtime). She was fussy and whiny in the car, and i talked her through it.

When we finally got out of the parking lot, a block or two down the road, Char said, "Mommy sad." "Oh, no, Charlotte, Mommy's not sad anymore. Mommy's happy because we got out of the traffic!" She said, "No, mommy, i sad." i just melted. Totally. i've been working with her to use words to express when she's sad instead of whiny voice, and she totally did it. And yet, i couldn't fix it!!!

It does have its negatives, though. She gets kind of obsessive if someone is sad and she can't fix it. She'll go back to the same photo in the book dozens of times, turning straight to that page over and over. Tonight i let her play with the free Roby the Talking Robot app on my Droid, and she became extremely upset when she had her finger on the little airhorn button and it blared and blared at her. She was crying, and ran to me with the Droid outstretched saying, "Doby sad! Doby sad! Hep! Hep!" i tried showing her how to turn the airhorn on and off, tried telling her to give him a hug and a kiss and make him happy, etc, but she just kept talking about how sad "Doby" was. Even through her bath and all the way to bedtime she kept talking about poor sad Roby. i finally had to tell her she Roby went to sleep and she can see him in the morning.

i hope this empathy stuff sticks! LOL but MAN do i love my baby. Thank God for her!