Everything You Say

The sleep is looking better. We've had a few nights in the last week of sleeping through the night. Yay!

The behavior is looking better. More sleep = more happy all around.

We are now deep in the phase called Monkey See, Monkey Do, with a subtitle of Monkey Hear, Monkey Say.

For the most part, it's nothing but super cute. Seeing her do really sweet and affectionate things based on how she is treated is very encouraging. She holds her toddler mirror up to us and we see that we are actually doing some things right! We are making progress toward the main goal of raising a good human. Yay!

We also see behavior that I hope continues forever. She is the best helper around the house. We can't unload the dishwasher, do the dishes, sweep the floor or unload the groceries without her coming running from the other end of the house to help. And, she's actually pretty helpful! Keep it up, little lady. Mama likes a good helper, and Daddy's not always into it.

She is hanging on every word, even when we think she's not listening. We talk a lot around here, to each other, and to her, and she seems to have a great ability for language. She talks - all the time. She talks in full, multiple word sentences. She talks in past, present and future tense, in first, second and third person. She sounds out the letters of the alphabet. She can spell her name. Every day she says new words that we have no idea where they came from. Strangers can even mostly understand what she's saying. It's amazing, and impressive.

She has also repeated some words, in the correct context and with maximum impact, that she'd better never say in preschool or in front of anyone else. Words that bring deep shame into the hearts of her parents, who know it's wrong, but let them fly in front of her anyway. Words that will get her, and definitely her parents, the wrong kind of reputation. Words that leave us speechless, and that leave her extremely satisfied because she knows she just got away with it. She's a smart cookie, and the child of a couple of soon-to-be-reformed trucker mouths.

The first time the words come out in her sweet little voice, it's all we can do not to laugh because it's so adorable. But we can't encourage this, right? We are such hypocrites already. I've started to really watch it, and J has too. It makes language a little less fun around the house (cussing is fun!), but it's worth the sacrifice to raise a polite little person. We want her to start out that way, anyway.