Curie July 2014. In a month, Curie will be three. She grew an inch and a half on the door jamb and was 25 pounds at her last doctor’s visit (from the rotavirus we referenced last post). Somewhere along the way she got her two year molars and we never noticed. She brushes, swishes and spits by herself. At a recent play date, she was a little bossy, and when she isn’t getting what she wants with us, she has started bargaining.
At two years, eleven months, Curie has started correcting some of her language and we have mixed feelings about it; as much as we want to hang on to the days, we are proud that she is growing. Where she used to say “I will” whether it was something you wanted her to do or not, she has learned to say “I won’t.” The hammer in her Ikea tool set went from “banger” to “hamber” to “hammer” in three days. She is just shy of three still though, and mints are “mintens,” and she likes to tell us that SHE is the “waiter!” When she means “leader.” Waiters are people of authority to her and she has great respect for them.
Curie’s other two authority figures are teachers and doctors. She loves to say “I’m the teacher,” and ask us to sit for circle time. She also says “Daddy is not listening.” Then other days she is giving us check-ups as the doctor. At night she likes to say that she is the baby lion and that Erin is the mommy lion.
Non sequitur: The fact that Curie likes her homemade Duplo/Lego “Belle” and “Flynn” train and fire engine more than the pre-made ones kind of warms the heart. The fact that she rebuilds them daily to new configurations assures us that Legos are still about creativity and not just glorified models.
She wears so many t-shirts these days that we are thinking about more dresses for her. Her latest shoes are Stride-rites again and she loves them. We did dress the girls up in the same outfits the other day, and finding it cute, we realize that somehow we became “those parents” in the process.
We have been concerned about not spoiling Curie and have been sticking to rules more often. It is hard, as you really want to give them everything they can, but the responsibility of making sure they are well equipped, forces you to be firm no matter how much it tears you up inside to do it. On the other hand, she is so good – she holds Elia and makes her smile and laugh. She cleans up her toys with just a gentle nudge. She is respectful, kind and good-natured.
She is growing though. We didn’t know she already knew how to ride a scooter until we saw it on the school pictures. When we were at National Harbor, she lay next to Albert and put her hands behind her head like he had. She is growing and says “I like Mommy the best,” or “I like Daddy the best,” to great effect. On the flip side, she likes to stand on Albert’s belly before jumping off (Hop on Pop), and when you have a moment of quiet and hold her tight, you say “I love you Curie,” and she says in the same quiet voice, “I love you too.” Three years old soon, holding on, but not too tight.