Can anybody help? She's going to be 3 soon and I wanted to know if there’s a way I can keep her 2-years old just a little longer.
Today while playing our favorite game together, "tea and KFC", I began to realize that she’s not a baby anymore. I started thinking about how big she’s getting and how different she is from this time last year. Back then she could say some words, even put some together like “Hi Elmo!”, “Red Car”, "Chicken Bucket", “Kevin Costner makes really bad movies...”
She could talk a little, but she was pretty much still a baby.
But now things are completely different. I’m not sure when it happened but in the past year she’s learned all kinds of new skills and tricks. She can now draw (or attempt), do stunts, has favorite shows and places to visit, plays poker (or attempt), has friends she talks about constantly, has a vivid imagination that completely fascinates me, tells stories, asks the most entertaining questions about the world around her that I’ve ever heard, and I can have really interesting conversations with her too:
Daughter: Dad-DEE, there’s a MONSTER under my bed
Me: Don’t pee in your pajamas, or he’ll stay there.
Daughter: (thinking) …O.K.!
Daughter: Dad-DEE, I want a baby sister
Me: OK, we’ll buy one at Target next time they’re on sale. Save your money.
Daughter: Oh, Thank you Dad-DEE! I get my moneys.
Daughter: (morning, just waking up) Dad-DEE, you use FEET to pedal a BIKE!
Me: That’s right! And you use a POTTY to go POOP.
Daughter: That’s right! Very Good!!
Why does this have to end when “2” just became fun? Her questions to me about the world around her as if I’m some kind of tour guide in a foreign country are really quite enjoyable; I like being the tour guide. And the best part is - I'm always right! She never questions any of my answers. To her I'm Yoda.
I just hope she still needs a Yoda tour guide at 3, 4, 5, etc. If not, I just may have to check those Target store ads for sales.
Maybe that's how you know when you're ready for another one...
39 comments:
In a lot of ways, three is turning out to be better than two: more words, more discussions (as opposed to statements of fact), and definitely more fun.
But, also? More tantrums.
She will need the tour guide, believe me. My son is 13 and I still get lots of questions.
Enjoy!
Dad your baby is so cute and I love her conversation. Awww wish babies would stay that way forever and puppies too.
Even with the 27-month-old I still call him a baby. WE try to change that but it's so hard! They grow big and start saying things and talking back. He is still in diapers so to me I can say baby for a little while longer??
The questions don't let up for a loooong time, fear not. But I understand this, because 4 is making me think back...
My wife and I went the cheap route. We got a puppy...that has grown into an extremely smart dog. He asks the same sort of questions (in puppy speak), draws the same type of conclusions and is highly trainable. He is sort of like a hairy 4 legged human that we can lock in a closet if he is bad (not that he is ever bad, mind you.)
Oh, yeah, it gets more fun, more interesting (mom of 3 girls; oldest is 13 tomorrow!) I like age 6-ish the best so far. It's such a sunny time, and the kids are still pretty nice to each other.
The preteen stage sorta sucks, lol, but it's still interesting; not so many warm and fuzzy moments.
They stay pretty cute for a while, I think, though the cuteness does decrease in direct proportion to the increase in their ability to take care of themselves. I don't want to stop my kids from growing up - but I wish I could bottle the cuteness, and then dole it out drop by drop throughout the rest of my years whenever I need a nostalgia fix!
cluck cluck !
Remind your wife how much those baby things hurt.... and thus birth control is perfected.
In this household anyway..
I used to think the same thing with my girls - that I wanted them to stay at a certain stage forever. But then they grew and each new phase brings something better. I really like the 4 and 6 years. And they still ask so many questions.
Are you hinting at something?
Oh, it gets better. Yes, more tantrums at 3, but way more engagement with the world, which leads to scads of fun conversations. You'll be glad you have a blog to record all the amazing stuff she's gonna come up with.
Three's a GREAT age - fun and sassy and up for adventures and yet not an exhausting BABY anymore. Four is great, too - so sweet and earnest and loving. I've loved every year so far, wanting to stop them right there - and then the next year has been better yet. I'll probably be like "56 is so cute!" when they're older.
Beck --"56 is so cute!" that's funny. But probably true...
Whirlwind -- Yeah, maybe. The wife and I know we want another. "When" is the other question.
h&b -- She didn't do so bad, and she had a natural water-birth. My take is "thank God the men don't have the babies" I personally couldn't take the pain.
Chief Family Officer -- I see what you mean. Maybe that's why they invented pictures and camcorders...?
Steph in AK -- It seems that's a reoccurring answer, 5 or 6. But what happens after???
Amrita -- I think you forgot to add "kittens" in there too...
SciFi Dad -- I don't want discussions. I like being the supreme of all knowledge. Or the "Yoda" of the house.
Before you know it she'll be a rebellious teen. Cherish every moment now.
My MIL wouldn't give her kids soad because she said it stunts their growth. Beccause my husband is 6'5",it seems to have worked. So tried stunting my daughter's growth, but alas, it didn't work. She's the tallest kid in her kindergarten class.
(ok, we don't really give our kid soda. maybe if we did it really WOULD stunt her growth)
The conversations only get better. But the questions slowly get more difficult to answer.
But it is entertaining to see how their logic works to explain things.
My five year old came out with a corker the other day while playing in the garden with friends. They were doing the splits and other energetic stuff.
Alexander.."You know that bit of skin between my billies and my bum? Will it snap if I do the splits?
So how do you answer that one in an adult manner? ..With great difficulty!
I liked the 4-7 ages, but then the attitute ape visits them and they become evil.
Roth Family Adventures -- I'm definitely not looking forward to those years...
painted maypole -- We don't drink soda around here either. I tell my daughter it causes polar bears to chase you. That seems to keep her away from it.
Tismee2 -- That's hilarious!
actually it's that age from 3ish to 5ish that is really trying...
right now boy.imp is actively (like Indiana Jones) trying to find our last nerve on a daily basis...
My little guy just turned 2 this week and I'm in an odd Jimmy Durante kinda situation when he asks, "Did you ever have the feeling that you wanted to go, but at the same time, but still have the feeling that you wanted to stay?"
(Okay yeah, I know that's an incredibly obscure reference, but work with me here... The line was also quoted
by Al Pacino in "Scent of a Woman.")
I'm enjoying all the new little discoveries my son is making, yet I'm also eager for him to get to the point where I can have conversations with him like the ones you're having with your little girl. (His comprehension is great, but he only knows a few words thusfar.)
I don't want to rush his childhood, but at the same time, I can't help but be excited about what's to come and wish it would hurry up and get here...
I think I've told you this before..."you know what they say about 3? It's two w/a year of experience!" Ba dhum I'll be here all zee week, thankyouverymuch.
Seriously, I really liked two and three kinda got on my nerves then four was awesome and so on...the questions they just get to be trickier and they. never. stop.
LittleSpeak turned 2 last Sunday & she's embracing it (my mother's word). I can only imagine the power she will weld at 3. Be afraid, be very afraid.
Three is great. No more diapers, less lugging and still lots of wide-eyed awe and enthusiasm. you've got another couple years before she realizes you're not Yoda.
Awwww. Lucky you!
Two was HELL with Gizmo. She was the textbook definition of the kid from the Omen...oops I mean the term terrible twos.....
Three was sooooo much better. And they are way smarter than you think at that age.
It'll be great - in a year you'll be lamenting that the THREE stage is over :o)
Rob -- That's pretty how I see it too. I can't wait to see the new things she learns, but I just want time to go by a bit slower.
Veronica Mitchell -- Yes, I want those diapers to end, completely.
Pageant Mom -- Yup, I'm sure I'll post the same thing next year...
My six year old still thinks I'm the definitive on EVERYTHING. My seven year old, however, thinks I'm dreadful. OK, I'm gonna go and cry now. (My mother does not think it's cute when I call about once a week to find out how to cook something, what to do in case of a funeral, how to react to something. I think it all wears thin after a while. Sorry!)
She needs a Yoda for life :)
Your job is secured, dude!
My third and last "baby" is 5, I cherish every hug and snuggle and baby shampoo smell and silly word pronunciation, I know they won't last much longer!
I've definitely babied him, and it's worked. You might want to start on that now and not wait for child number 3...I was all about "education" with my older daughters and making sure I got rid of all the last baby vestiges on time...and now they are giving me lectures on global warming and speaking Spanish.
My "baby" gets to be a baby as long as he wants! Selfish on my part? Admittedly, yes...;)
My son is three and is a late talker. But man he asks questions all the time and is a sponge. One thing that bugs me is the constant repeating of questions. He will ask me 100 times what I'm doin' and for some odd reason i feel the need to answer him 100 times. You would think I would get a clue!
Tiff -- I answer every question no matter how many times she asks. And I add a little to it too.
The Real Mother Hen -- I sure hope so...
Whoa, dude, another one!
(No Way Out was a good film.)
I'm not sure if Target sells babies, but you can probably get a few in the Wal-Mark parking lot. On the cheap.
I'm told it just keeps getting better and better...(excepting 13).
My daughter was really fun at three.
My son just turned three a couple of weeks ago and it's like trying to reason with a crazy person on a daily basis. "You can't pull your pants down to walk the dog. You also can not ride your might-cycle (tricycle) with said pants around your ankles." Of course that's the worst thing any one could possibly say and as such demands an immediate melt down complete with screeching, crying, and him generally 'Hulking out' as we call it.
If you are Yoda, what makes mummy?
Wow, can't wait for 3 years old. my baby is 8 months old now and already understands some baby talk ... when I woof, woof, she knows we are going for a walk in the neighbourhood to see our neighbours pets.
I am a dad from Tokyo and blog each day on tips being a dad.
http://daddyparentingtips.blogspot.com/
All the ages are fun, but 2-year-olds hold a special place in my heart.
And, yes, having another one is the best way to ensure that you always have a 2-year-old around. That's what we do here, anyway.
Thanks for stopping by my place!
My Uncle used to sing:
"If you want a baby brother
introduce me to your Mother
I can get it for you wholesale!"
Go for it...you won't regret it.
My three year old announced
"Mommy pregnant" to his big
sisters this morning. They came barreling down to congratulate me...unfortunately, it's not true.
DH and I better get to work...the natives a re restless!
Loved this post and the mother's day coloring sheets too (could have done one from Yours Mine and Ours...oh, too many faces).
Blessings, EJT
That's funny about getting a baby at Target b/c I used Sears & Roebuck. We think alike Tony!
What is it with girls, they can surely talk. My 3 y/o Sophia told me this yesterday when I heated up my pasta for lunch "That's too much for you Mommy!" It was actually a lot since I was trying to pile the pasta in this little bowl. Is she giving me a hint??!!
Elizabeth -- That's one interesting song. Are you sure your uncle is really your uncle and not your dad?
I'm just saying... :)
urban-urchin -- "Hulking out" - that's great! I'm stealing that.
As a loving dad, I bet you can relate to this music video I put together about all the wonderful "Daddy and Erin" moments I shared with my daughter!
http://bolstablog.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/pitch-video/
As for wanting to freeze your special dad-and-daughter moments, I thought the same thing many, many time! Maybe this will help:
http://bolstablog.wordpress.com/2008/08/03/proactive/
Blue skies!
Phil Bolsta
philbolsta@mac.com
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