Broken record here.
Jemma is amazing. Jemma is fabulous. She’s got a kind heart and a mind just aching to learn everything. Three and a half – yep, another favorite age. I love just spending time with her and soaking up all her little quirks – the sweet and funny faces she makes, her accent and her outfit preferences. My mom feels like she is a mini me when it comes to her personality and honestly, I remember myself much like she is. Nonstop chatter, herding a little sibling and strong ideas about everything.
We’ve made great strides on the potty front lately. The little potty has retired and she now happily perches on the “mama potty”. We’re still struggling with poo regularity, but it will come in good time. I hope. She begs to nap in panties and that turns out to be a dry experience almost always. Girlfriend loves My Little Pony and has been saving her commission earnings to purchase Belle Movie. She talks daily about “when I’m 4” … grand aspirations, this one! At bedtime we’ve started reading her first chapter book, Charlotte’s Web. I’ve been anticipating chapter books together and am so happy we’ve arrived.
Lately we’ve been chatting a lot about our summer plans – visits to the squirting fountain, the market, lots of night walks and blueberry picking. She remembers quite a bit from last year and now we’re just biding our time while the rain comes to an end. I love having someone to visit with during the day. Miss Jem is the perfect conversationalist.
Elsa picking flowers from the “meadow” | Jemma, will you smile? | Giving her baby mama milk | Belle chalkin’ up a rocket ship “ready for blast off to space!”
A little Q&A …
Me: What’s your favorite color?
Jem: Purple and pink! I wuv wuv wuv purple!
Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Jem: A fireman. Or a doctor. OR A DENTIST!!! I was sooooo bwave at the dentist. And that makes you pwoud of me. :: followed by a thumbs up ::
Me: What’s your favorite food?
Jem: Watermelon. It’s sooooo juicy and DEE-wish-us!
Me: What’s your favorite vegetable?
Jem: Bell peppers. Yellow ones. Like from Daniel Tiger!
Me: What’s your favorite movie?
Jem: Mooooom, you know! Frozen movie! Owalf is so funny! He makes me laugh like this :: cackles and giggles like crazy :: And Max? He wuvs Elsa. He calls her Ya-Ya. Can we watch Frozen?
Me: What’s your favorite song?
Jem: These are the fings, the fings we wost, the fings we wost in the FIRE FIRE FIRE! Yep, little Bastille lover over here.
And some favorite quotes as of late …
I often tell Jem that she’s a beauty. Usually when we’re driving and I catch a peek of her in the mirror, but lately she responds by saying, “Don’t call me a beauty. Call me a princess.”
“Hey Mom, you’re wuv-ely.”
“You’re my sweet Beauty … my Sleeping Beauty and the Beast.”
“Oh gosh. I’ve got those chipmunks again.” Chimpmunks are commonly known as hiccups :)
When I ask Jem to not do something, like not to pump 4 HUGE pumps of soap when she’s washing her hands she’ll say, “Oh, ok. I willn’t. Willn’t do that next time.”
:: singing :: “There’s no one quite like me, I’m as special as can be!”
“Max, sometimes I just call you buddy, ok?”
“Ahhhhh! I have to control myself. I need to go to my room and take some time to think about it!” Her favorite quote from Sometimes I’m Bombaloo
“I love you like ice cream.”
“Prince! Prince! It’s dance time!!! Oh Max, you’re such my little prince! Do you want me to call you Hans or Kristoff? Now, dance me!”
“This isn’t healthy. Gots too much sugar in it.”
We grabbed lunch from the Costco food court. Brisket sandwich for me and pizza for Jem and Max to share. There weren’t any seats left – Costco lunch rush I suppose – so we decided to eat in the car. Jemma insisted on sitting in the front passenger seat with me because how you gonna feed me if I’m buckled in? and then she declared, “Mom! We’re eating in a restaurant car!!!”
We visited IHOP on free pancake day to which Jemma said, Oh, pancakes are so dee-wish-us and my very very favorite. I asked what kind of syrup she would want, explaining that IHOP had a few flavor choices. She replied, “Sticky syrup for me please!”
“I’d really love some hot cocoa milk. But no mushrooms in it!” Normal folk call then marshmallows, not mushrooms :)