Funny Xiana-isms

• One morning I asked Xiana if she wanted oatmeal, cereal, or eggs for breakfast. She promptly replied, "ice cream."
• Last Sunday I wore a belt (not for functionality, but for appearance) She said, "mommy what's that? You buckled?"
• Lately everything is "I do it myself" particularly getting in and out of her car seat which is somewhat frustrating, but she's gotta assert her independence right?
• One night while she was praying before bed: "thank you for soft hair." Where does she come up with these?!
• Because we went trick-or-treating for several days in a row, it was a real challenge to convince her that we couldn't just run out for candy every time it got dark. At dinner she was asking to go and I was again explaining that Halloween only happens once a year. My dad said, "yeah, that's the rules," and she yelled, "no grandpa, no rules!"
• My dad was teasing about something or other and said that Dr. Frey's recommendation was... to which she responded, "hey, you no doctor!"
• When Bobby was over for dinner I asked if she was pooping and she said, "no mommy, I just farting."
• She insists on telling everyone, very specifically, "you sit right here." She dictates all day long who sits where.
• Roughly 50 times one night she threw her fork behind the corner and said, "where fork go?" After retrieving it she said, "here it is, right here." She later hid herself behind the corner and asked, "where nana go?" She is getting to be quite the little hide-and-seeker, particularly since she can now count to 20.
• She loves Sesame Street and Elmo's world and often throughout the day can be heard singing, "la la la la la la la la Elmo's world." My mom says on the days she watches her, the first thing she says is "Elmo?"
  
• We went to Kacie's for dinner and when we got out of the car the street lights were on. She pointed up at them and said, "Kacie turn light on for me."
• She has been particularly tender with her babies lately making them beds, changing their diapers, hushing everyone around because "baby's sleeping." For some reason she really loves to use cloths and wipes as little blankets and pillows. She will carry her dolls from one room to the next making them beds everywhere she goes. She gives them showers and baths and reads them books and sings them songs. She is so gentle and kind and it is so wonderful to see because it reassures me that she is modeling my own tenderness towards her. I know that I'm not perfect and I lose my temper way too often, but I am grateful to see that she is becoming a sensitive and nurturing little girl.
• On the opposite spectrum, one day she threw her mouse in time out yelling, "time out mouse!" Kacie asked, "is that how mommy does it?" and she said, "yes." disclaimer: I'm positive that I have NEVER thrown her in time out :)
• One day I was watching So You Think You Can Dance while she played. Note-to-self: do not watch this or any show while Xiana is in the room. At first it was quite cute when she looked up as they were spinning in circles and said, "hey, I can do that too," as she spun around the room. Later it was not so cute when she said, "she's naked!" I told her that she was right and that girl should put some clothes on. Then I turned on Sesame Street. Modesty is tricky enough without parading dancers in front of her. She is extraordinarily sensitive to TV and movies anyway. I rarely (like once a month maybe) watch anything when she is in the room because she is so perceptive to what is taking place. I think it's because she's so social and she is personally invested in discovering the emotions of everyone around her. Months ago Garrett and I were watching a movie and she came in from playing outside with grandpa just as there was a shooting scene. She jumped on my lap crying, "mean! guys mean!" The other night I was telling my friend that very story while Xiana played with her daughter. Grey's Anatomy was on and as I was relating this incident, one of the characters flat lined and they tried to resuscitate her. Xiana again jumped on my lap and began crying saying, "what happened girl? why crying?" So we turned it off. She is a good influence on me:)
  
• At nursery today one of her friends was fighting with a boy over a toy and the boy was able to get the toy from her friend so Xiana went straight over to him and pulled his hair. Now, I am not condoning bad behavior, but she has to get some credit for sticking up for her friend and defending the underdog. There is something of me in that spirit. I remember as a child being outraged when injustices occured. My mom always tells a story of how my neighbor stole my big wheel so I dragged a baseball bat that was bigger than me down the street to recover it. Also, I remember giving one of my older brother's friends a bloody nose for making fun of my bro at his birthday party. Like Xiana, I noticed all the people around me, and I always wanted things to be fair. At a young age I had an acute awareness of the inequities in life. I vivdly remember seeing an old homeless man walking down the street with a shopping cart. I couldn't have been more than five, but I remember feeling such compassion for him. I wanted to rush out and scream at the world to stop and look and see that this man was suffering. I didn't understand why he was walking by himself when he was so old and frail. It's interesting to think about that now because as we get older we get so desensitized to those around us. I'm thankful that Xiana is able to help remind me to be compassionate, and sensitive, and aware.
  
• She plays with her kitchen and her dishes a lot since her birthday and is constantly making food for everyone to eat and cooking things that come out "hot" so we have to blow on them. Make believe cooking is alive and well in her. The other day she emerged from grandma and grandpa's room with a bowl full of leaves from their plant. She got a spoon and mixed it explaining to us that she was "making mine salad." She later cooked her salad and dispersed it onto separate plates for everyone.
• When we were shopping with my shopaholic friend Kacie I told her that she was rubbing off on me as I was spending a fortune. "Usually I'm so good," I said, "but lately I've been a sucker." Xiana quickly stated, "I a sucker too mommy."