Tuesday, September 15, 2009

A tribute to my oldest

So it's very late, and I should be in bed, especially since Arianna is actually asleep. But I'm feeling very proud of Marissa lately, and I wanted to share. Tonight is the 4th or 5th night she's been dry all night, wearing underwear to bed. I know, it's not that big of a deal. But her pull-ups used to be SOAKED every morning. She's been dry for nap for a while now, and we just decided to go for it and try nighttime too. I was worried, because she was just always soaked by morning. But I figured if she was wearing underwear, she'd realize it and stay dry, and she has! She did have an accident one night at 5am (a BIG one!), but I cleaned it up (she offered to help, how sweet is that?!) and she was dry the rest of that night/morning, and has been since. It's so weird to check on her at night and see her in a nightgown and underwear. When did she get so big?

She's also suddenly old enough to decide if she wants to watch a certain tv show now, or wait til later to watch a different one. Or to say she'd rather play with play-doh now, and watch a certain show later. She helps me remember to do tons of stuff (my memory is still awful). She knows what things are her responsibility (even knows/understands the word), like putting her drinks away when she's done, or turning off her nightlight after nap/bed. She knows TONS of song lyrics, which just blows my mind. She's been singing along to our music in the car, and it's so precious. It's not kiddie music, it's adult christian music, and she loves it! Lately, she's become confident enough to start picking up Arianna. I've had to give her limits about it (ask first, NOT on the hard kitchen floor), but she loves it, and loves to just give hugs all the time. Today we took turns giving back massages with a play kitchen rolling pin. Her imagination is incredible, and she uses it alllllllllll the time. She loves to help around the house, and is always asking what she can do to help. She helps pick up toys so we can vacuum. She puts her own laundry in the dirty clothes. She helps me put the dirty clothes in the washer, and even asks (every time we're upstairs) if we need to do some laundry. She knows what toys are ok for Arianna to play with, and if she's not sure, she asks me before giving it to her. She still asks to change Arianna's diaper a lot. I don't let her very often, but when I do, she LOVES every second of it! She does it exactly right, and even remembers to clean up when she's done. She goes potty whenever she needs to still, no accidents. She doesn't need any reminders of what to do (wipe, pull up underwear/pants, flush, wash hands) and does them all, every time. She is a strategic planner. When Dan's parents were here, she wanted so badly to ride with them somehow. But they had a truck, and our car is very limited with both car seats in it. But she talked through about 10 different possible scenarios that would allow her to ride with one or both of them. We were cracking up!

I love how she can tell me everything she did and everything that happened at church. How this boy wasn't listening, and this girl took a toy out of this other girl's hand, and Mr. R was her teacher but not Mrs. L because she had to work at the hospital today, and she cried a little because she wanted to play with Daddy but then she stopped. Lately she's been sobbing hysterically because she wants me to put her to bed every night. I'm not really sure what that's about, since Dan and I have ALWAYS taken turns, but it's heartbreaking to listen to. But all day when Dan is at work, she says how much she misses Daddy, and when he gets home from work, she is SO excited to see him! She runs to the door, and hugs him as soon as he walks in.

I love her so much and life would certainly be dull without her in it! She doesn't ever stop talking/singing/imagining, and I love watching her grow up.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hi there.. Thanks for checking out my blog today and your sweet comments! I'd love to share some "advice" on redoing the furniture. I usually use scrapbook paper, sometimes even wrapping paper. I measure all my pieces, spray them down with Aleene's tacky spray, and roll them on really good with a rolling pin. Once it's finished, I usually spray it with polyurethane. I really have fun doing it! and that's the most important thing! Have a great day!