Childhood Fears

What is a three-year-old afraid of? Well, this particular three-year-old has a couple of odd ones:

1) Ladybugs. Yep, ladybugs. No idea why.

2) Hand driers. Public bathrooms are always tricky, because the first question is, "Mommy, do they have hand driers or towels?" If only hand driers, we dry our hands with toilet paper. The noise absolutely freaks her out.

3) Dogs that can move. Or that can make noise. She has become very accustomed to Tasha, who is statue-like.

4) Public toilets flushing. The noise is the primary reason, but she's had one automated toilet flush while she was still on it and that freaked her out.

Family Picture

Rory's latest tub drawing of the whole family, including Mimi and Poppy.

The Tide Has Turned

For three years now, I have been the favorite parent. Not through anything I have done, or any personality feature I have that Jason lacks, but by the sheer magic of being MOMMY. It's a beautiful gift that I think God gives us to make up for everything we have to handle during the baby and toddler years... "Yes, you'll be exhausted and overwhelmed for a few years, but in return, I will make you THE FAVORITE."

The tide has turned.

At bedtime, the evening routine always is that the three of us read books together, then Daddy says goodnight and Mommy stays to rub Rory's back for a few minutes before she goes to sleep. In fact, just two nights ago, Rory started crying when I had the gall to suggest that maybe Daddy stay to rub her back rather than me. And now, just 48 hours later, the tide has turned.

Putting Rory to bed tonight, we read stories as usual. When it was time for Daddy to say goodnight, Rory said she wanted to go with him. And then, in the next 10-15 minutes, I probably heard 30 times in a whiny voice, "But I want to go everywhere Daddy goes!"

Oh, the knife in my heart.

But maybe this means that I'll have an extra 10 minutes every night now. :)

Mommy-Induced Nightmares

It's 8:40pm and I am sitting on the couch listening closely to the monitor, waiting for Rory to cry out. I believe I have inadvertently fed my child a nightmare tonight. At the library yesterday I saw an "Olivia" book she didn't have, so picked it up. I read it to her tonight before bed. In the story, Olivia is looking for her missing toy. She hears a noise, and, on a dark and stormy night, with a candlabra in her hand, she follows the noise to a room. When she opens the door, it shows a huge, scary shadow on the wall that turns out to be an enlarged shadow of Olivia's tiny dog, Perry, who has her toy.

When we finished the book and turned out the light and were laying on her bed, Rory said, "Mommy, that Olivia book scared me a little." She explained that the dog's shadow looked like a dinosaur and scared her. I took out her princess flashlight and showed her how even her tiny hand can look HUGE with lights and shadows. We giggled at her giant hands on the wall. She snuggled back in bed and I rubbed her back for a few minutes. As I left her room she sat up and said, "Mommy, will you please take Olivia back to the library TOMORROW? I think maybe older kids would like that book. But I don't want to read it anymore." She also made me promise to take the book out of her room with me, right away.

I am SO impressed with my kiddo! I'm so impressed that she could tell me that it scared her, and think about WHY she might not like it (her age). Now, I just hope we both get some sleep tonight...