Ma Dahlan

Sophie now calls me "Ma Dahlan" like she is speaking in some southern accent. She likes to be a doctor and give me a checkup and she also has a newfound interest in her kitchen, and cooking different foods. She always wants to make sure she washes her hands at the sink first before she begins to cook.

Lead the way

Sophie is now in a phase where she has to LEAD THE WAY for anything.
If we are going upstairs, she scrambles to rush by us, knocking us out of the way so she can be first. Same thing if we are going downstairs. At the park today, Vivian and I headed over a bridge to the swings while Sophie was still at the basketball court. When she saw that we were at the swings already without her, she started screaming NOOOOOOOOO. She HAS to be first.
I sure hope it passes quickly.
She often knocks her sister down trying to be FIRST.

School and Halloween

Sophie likes her new school, but she really wants to be alpha dog no matter where she goes. She was good for the first week, then Week 2, we got a note in the backpack. It seems she was feeling comfortable enough to start testing the waters.
She wants to take her shoes off in class and doesn't understand why the rules do not apply to her. (I know someone just LIKE that. . .)

Anyhow, she is in a class of ALL BOYS except for herself and one other little girl named Courtney!!! I think that is good for Sophie, b/c if she wants to start "clickish" drama, the boys will really not be playing into that at all!

Luckily, Sophie's teacher is AWESOME. whenever people ask who her teacher is, and I say her name, they just go ON AND ON about how GREAT she is, and she definitely has Sophie's number so she will not let her get away with anything.

Lately, since Daddy has been home, we are having food wars. He wants to MAKE her eat certain things, like green beans, meat, etc. and she really doesn't want any part in it (control issues).
The other night, she "cleaned" the hamburger off her plate by squirreling it away in her mouth and kept it there all thru her bath - GROSS. She was not going to swallow it for anything. I finally had her spit it out in the toilet, but I think everyone may be relieved when Daddy starts work on Monday!

Vivian is talking up a storm. It's not always intelligible, but she is definitely saying things that make sense to her. "What's that?" "I want it" "No!" "Mine!" "sister" etc.

Sophie Says

Sophie is just saying the most terrific things - each day she comes up with something new. I can't remember 1/2 of all of them, but here are a few.

When she has to go potty: "Mama? May I use your bathroom?" She calls the bathroom by her room MY bathroom, and the master bath HER bathroom.

"Mama, shall we go to the store?" Yes, we shall. She kept repeating "shall we?" over and over, like she was really getting the feel for it.

At the beach last weekend, she was telling Margo, in a small, squeaky voice, "I really missed you, my lil sweetie!" and scrunching up her nose and touching her face while she told her.

Sometimes out of the blue, while we are driving, she'll say, "I REALLY miss my Grandma Cindy. I really really miss her."

"Mom, do you love your mommy? Are you SURE?" or "Do you miss your mom?"

She also likes to remind me that we should say grace when we are sitting together at the table eating.

She feels the need to tell me how/when to punish Vivian. "Mama, my sister hit me. Give her a pinch!"

I love you

This is what Sophie says with a very guilty tone whenever she has done something she shouldn't have. Like if she knocks the baby down, or when she came to me with red marker all over her fingernails like she was trying to "polish" them. She had also written on the molding BEHIND two doors. I guess since she knew darn well she had no business doing it, she was trying to write in a place we wouldn't see?

So, when she comes to me, out of the blue, and says, "I love you, Mama" I know she has done something she should not have.

Nervous

It's a long terrible story, but last night we slept in a hotel outside of Yosemite. We arrived very late and Sophie was overtired beyond anything I've ever seen. She was screaming and crying b/c she really did not want to sleep in the hotel. She wanted to go HOME, but it was 10 at night. . .
Anyhow, when she finally settled down and was laying in bed, she told me,
"Mommy, I feel a little bit nervous." I was floored. I did not know she knew that word. I told her I was very proud of her for telling me her feelings and using her words.

She is still obsessed with Cinderella and we read the whole Disney storybook of it for her bedtime story tonight. She was telling me that her mousey friends Jaq and Gus were coming in the van with us to "camping". She called the campfire a "fire-camp". She also hated taking a shower but loved playing tea party in both the dirt and river.

Woman

Sophie watched Tarzan yesterday and after it was over, she said she wanted to watch it again. It was not TiVo'd or anything, so we don't have it to watch again.
Today she told me she was Tarzan and Vivian is Baby Tarzan and I am the Woman.
So she says to me, "Woman?"
"Yes, Tarzan?"
"I love you, Woman."
"I love you, too, Tarzan."
"I think Baby Tarzan is saying she is hungry."