Spilt Milk

Elise loves pouring milk into one of the tiny measuring cups but sometimes it will spill.  Just now, Elise kept asking Bry if she could pour the milk into the tiny cup, and he repeatedly said no.  She pleaded and begged for about 3 minutes, promising that she wouldn't spill.  Finally I came in and told Bryant that I actually let her do it a lot but that I do it with her.  So Bryant said that she could do it as long as she cleaned it up if she spilled, to which Elise responds, "I won't spill, Dada!!"  After Elise poured it (Bry and I were in different rooms), we heard her feet running to her bathroom and then I saw her carrying her step stool.  I asked her what happened, and she had this totally guilty look on her face, with her head cocked to the side and said, "I just spilled a little tiny bit.  I already wiped it with a wipe and now I have to get a paper towel to dry it".  I asked her, "Did you spill a lot?"  And she said, "No, just a little.  A little much.  A little a lot."

Christmas Surprise

Elise has been working on art project that involves ribbon, glitter, and other crafty things.  While she was making it, she looks up at me and says, "This is for Esther Eemoh" but says it in a really funny way and is about to burst into laughter.  The rest of the conversation:

Elise: (walks up to me): Actually, it's not for Esther eemoh
Me: Oh really?
Elise: (whispers) It's for someone else.
Me: OK
Elise: It's for someone really special who lives in this house.
Me: Is it for daddy?
Elise: No.
Me: Is it for me?
Elise:  NOOOO!!!!  (almost crying) It was supposed to be a surprise!  Why did you say that??  You're not supposed to guess!!  (falls to the ground rolling around)  You're not supposed to guuuueeeessss.....  Nooooooo....  I don't like you anymore....

Sleepover

Elise came home the other day and asked, "Can I sleepover at Robin's house?" (her daycare owner's daughter....the place where she spends all day everyday).  After I say "no", she immediately bursts into tears, which she NEVER does.  Since she almost never cries, I felt really bad and realized how much this pained her little heart.  She looked so cutely pathetic as the huge tear droplets were hanging off her long eyelashes and streaming down her face as she asked, "But whyyyyyy?!!!!  I wanna do a sleepover at Robin's!!!" 

You almost got me kid. 

The Land Before Time

Man, I loved this movie when I was young. We had the video and we watched it all the time.  I decided to buy it and show Elise, well aware that there is a scene where the mom dies in the beginning.  I've tended to avoid the whole death topic with Elise but thought that maybe this was a good opportunity to introduce it (beyond talking about bugs).  Well, man oh man, she was a wreck and cried her eyes out, especially at the end of the movie when she realized Little Foot would not be reunited with his mom.  Of course she started asking when I would die and she wouldn't believe me when I told her not to worry about it.  Finally I said, I will die when you become a grandmother.  She laughed at that because she understood how unlikely it was that she would in fact ever become a grandmother, haha!   She's watched the movie 2 times since and still cries at the end every time.

Still awake

It is 10:30 and Elise is still awake!!  I am working on my dissertation and she is next to me sleeping on a pull-out sofa in the office (don't ask).  She just turned to me and said in a very pedantic tone, "Momma, let me tell you something.  It is really, really hard for kids to sleep!"

If only it could be reversed.  Kids fall asleep easily and parents don't want to sleep so that they can get work done!

I care for him

Elise is already all about the underdog.  When we read stories or watch shows and there is a "bad guy", Elise will often insist, "But I care for him!" 

Hopefully this doesn't translate into dating preferences during the teen years.

Anxieties about the future

Elise has started to think about the future and all the scary things that come along with it.  Today in the car, she was telling us how she doesn't want to grow up because she's afraid of driving.  Here's what basically happened:

Elise: I don't want to grow up to be a mommy.
Me: Why?
Elise: I don't know how to drive a car.
Me: But you will learn how to drive a car when you get older.
Elise: Even if I go to car school, I still won't know how to do it.  I won't know how to get to different places.
Bryant: That is what the phone is for!  You can use it to tell you how to get to places.
Elise: But even if I have a phone, I won't understand what she is saying and then I won't know how to go somewhere.
Me: You will learn all of those things as you grow up.
Elise: No, I won't.  I don't know if I should go this way or that way.  Even if I go to car school and even if I have a phone, I won't know how to do it.
Me: (sensing that this is really stressing her out)-- it's OK, you can just take the train.
Elise: But I can't take the train anywhere.  I can't take it to church.
Me: You can just use Uber.  You don't have to drive.  If you do Uber, someone else will drive for you.
Elise: I never, ever want to drive a car.  I need to always be with mommy or daddy so that I don't have to drive.  I'm worried I won't know which way to go.  Like if you tell me to go to Guppy House, and even if I learn at car school how to drive to Guppy House, I'm worried that I still won't know where Guppy House is.  And then I'll miss it."

Another conversation that happened today while Elise was taking a bath:

Elise: I don't want to grow up to be a mommy.
Bryant: Why?
Elise: Because I don't want to brush (shave) my legs because it's owie.
Bryant: You don't have to shave your legs.  You don't even have hair.
Elise:  But I do, I have little tiny hairs.
Bryant: You don't need to shave your legs.  You can just leave it the way it is.
Elise: OK!  (happy)



So fascinating to see what goes on in the mind of a 3-year old!!!  I remember I used to have nightmares about driving when I was young since I was also anxious about driving at a very young age.  I was amazed that my parents seemed to know exactly where to go all the time and I couldn't figure it out.  So interesting to see it come up with Elise!