Has it really been so long that I’ve forgotten the tantrums and determination of a 3 year old? Both children were so different from each other, that it was never a science about when something was going to happen. Everyday was a surprise for me and we are right back to that.
With Scarlett I have a feisty little girl, full of life and spirit, and one incredibly strong stubborn streak.
Fortunately for me, I’m even more so.
So the battle of wills is daily. She wants something. I want her to do something else before she gets whatever it is she wants. Fortunately whatever she wants is fine because she isn’t using her imagination on things yet. Like dessert for breakfast….
And so the battle begins.
My favorite part about the 3 year old stage is her determination to do everything herself. If she could talk to me, she would be saying, “I do”, like Shaw used to. She wants to eat by herself, drink from a cup by herself and sit in a chair by herself. When we were in Fuzhou she would have a spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other. You can tell we let her do all of this because her clothes show it all. Here I thought I was being generous by bringing her 7 outfits and the rest of the children 4 outfits, but I am washing clothes in the sink on a daily basis.
She is polite when she is excited or happy about something and will say “Shay shay” or “tank you”, depending on which one she remembers at that moment. She says “yes” and “more”. She gave me a kiss yesterday, which surprised me, as I’m not asking her for them. I want her to give me one when she is ready and not before. Her new favorite word, thanks to her siblings, is “No”. She says this about everything but in a joking way. She also has the cutest little “huh?” thing she does. It’s like she is saying “What?” We laugh whenever she does this and the kids go out of their way to make her say it.
She loves bananas, yogurt, green veggies, apple and pear juices, eggs and noodles. She also loves hot tea, and get really mad at me when I make her wait until it cools down some.
She has the cutest smile, the most infectious laugh and the funniest “mad” face. She shows that at least half a dozen times a day when she is told “No”. And she knows what “no” means, although most times she chooses to ignore it. How do I know this? Well, because she ignores “boo” too… which means “no” in Chinese. Another one that I am now using with her is “Boo yaow” and “Cheeng boo yaow”. These mean “don’t” and “please don’t”. Said with force, she listens. I forget that the Chinese language is such a loud forced speech, and so when I talk softly she ignores me because I don’t think she always hears me.
Yes, I know. Let me dream a while.
The sibling rivalry is still there in full force. Not so much on Scarlett’s side because she continues to get my attention 24/7. But Maeve goes out of her way to hurt herself or “fake” hurt herself or make Shaw mad so he goes after her… so I can comfort her. Last night Shaw wanted to sleep with me. He’s been so good about sleeping with Grandma and he just needed some “mommy” time. Maeve was adamant about wanting the same time and so she faked an injury to stay in the bed. It didn’t work and I made her move (she sleeps with me every single night!), but it is taking its toll on me. She wants to sit on my lap like Scarlett does, but she weighs close to 100 pounds and my legs just can’t take it.
Fortunately when we get home I’ll have Andy there to take some of the cuddle time. My mom has been great but Maeve is adamant about Mommy attention. And I’ll have “one on one” time with Scarlett during the day while they are in school.
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