Strawberry Girl

Dear Lucinda, or as you call yourself "Cinda" or "Cinda Ross Applesauce",

I've been meaning to write down all the things going on in your little world for a while, but time keeps slipping away.  You have been so engaging lately - as your daddy says, you're becoming "a proper little person."  Your baby days are gone.  That makes me sad, but it also makes me excited because we're starting to see more of the person you will become.  You are independent, strong willed, confident, smart, silly, and outgoing.  Everyday you're learning new things, and you're always saying the funniest stuff and making us laugh.

Let's start with all the talking you've been doing lately.... You are speaking not only in sentences, but in little paragraphs, full of detail and funny commentary.  You are so funny, and spunky, and observant.  You use pronouns now - me, you, us, we - as well as everyone's names when you talk about your people.  You have the funniest little southern twang when you say "help" and "self".  "I want to hay-elp you!  I do it my-say-elf".  You have quite the sense of comedic timing, and can really crack up a room.  You tell two jokes: (1): What do you call a train with a cold?  Ah-ah-ah-choo choo train! (2): How does the pirate get to the store? In a Carrrr.  You're quite the ham.  You're also quite the contrarian.  You love to argue with us, and will argue about anything and everything.  In fact, last night you disagreed with me about whether you disagree all the time.  I said "Lucinda, why do you always disagree with everything I say?" and you said "No, I don't disagree with everything you say."  Oh but you do :)  It's just your way of asserting your own independence and your own ideas, and it's pretty funny sometimes.  We were walking outside after dinner the other night and Dada said "It's hot out tonight" and you said "No, dada, I don't think that's right.  It's not hot out."  It was hot.

You are super observant, and get so excited when you find similarities between yourself and other members of your family or friends.  You'll say so proudly, "Dada has green shirt... just like me!" or when I painted your toenails for the first time last week, you told everyone you saw "I have pink toes just like Mama!"  Not much gets by you.  If Dada wears the same shirt two days in a row, you'll call him out on it when you see him in the morning -- "you still wear green shirt Dada.  your face is scratchy dada."

You love to pick out your own clothes, and you will not let anyone dress you in an outfit that doesn't match - even if it's just pajamas (I think you get that from me).  One of your favorite outfits is this strawberry shirt and shorts.  Every time you put it on, you shout "I'm strawberry girl!!"  The other day you were wearing it and worried that Dada was leaving the room without you and you hollered "hey!  dada!  come back here! don't forget about strawberry girl!"  Hilarious.

You've also started singing.  You sing to us, and you sing to yourself in the car, in your bed, or while you're playing.  One day at breakfast last month, you busted out with the full ABC song, all on your own.  Since then we've heard you singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, You Are My Sunshine (which I always sang to you and your brother when you were babies), Old MacDonald, Let's Go Fly a Kite, and many more, including some that you've made up yourself.

Most of the time you are a really easygoing kid.  You listen well, are generally cheerful and enthusiastic, and are game to go along with what we want to do most of the time.  And you love to help.  We must have heard you say 100 times this weekend: "I want to help you!  You have another job for me?"  You love doing dishes and helping us cook.  You seem to think throwing things away is beneath you, though, and you try to make us give those jobs to Malcolm :)

You can count to 40, know all of your letters and numbers, and can spell your name and a few other words.  You love to sit and "read" books. You are so smart, baby girl.

I asked you some questions last week, and here's what you said:

What's your favorite color?  Purple
What's your favorite animal? Giraffe
What's your favorite thing to eat?  Pancakes
What's your favorite thing to do? Play
What's your favorite place to go? "that way!" (pointing left)
What's your favorite drink? water
What's your favorite game? trucks
Who's your best friend? Malco
What's your favorite show to watch? Umizoomi
What's your name?  Cinda Ross Apple Sauce