March 2, 2016

The ROOster


This little girl is a force. She's a tiny thing, barely hanging onto the bottom rung of the height and weight charts, but people often remark on how 'big' she is. I can only guess they're reading the enormity of her spirit, so bold that it cannot be overlooked, even on first meeting.

She wakes up every single day far before the sun, full of gusto and directing us all at top volume. She typically looks for the cat first, whom she greets with tight squeezes and pets that mimic wrestling moves. Her whisper is so loud that it can be heard from three rooms away, and there's little hope of sleeping in for anyone under our roof.


Her affections border on brutality; head butts and fierce hugs and slobbery kisses. Before each nap, and at bedtime every night, she requests a hug, then a kiss. In that order. If her directives aren't followed to a tee, she will scream and throw a tantrum until her demands are carried out. She's a challenge to discipline, but also the sweetest and most joyful person that I know. 

I can't count the number of times a day she tells me, 'I love you, mama', and when I let her know that I love her too, she fires back with, 'and I like you'. She's quick to notice if I'm sad or frustrated and will take my arm offering, 'it's okay', with a sympathetic brow. She's a total daddy's girl, and a devoted little sister. If ever Smith is being reprimanded, he will wail for her to save him, and she'll fly to the rescue, 'I'm coming Wy!'. Often she'll announce out of nowhere, 'I love my bwother', and leaving him at preschool drop-off is always a chore.


She is so tough to resist. She'll make up stories (one might call this lying) and bat her lashes to get what she wants, every point is worked from a hundred angles until we're all so confused that somehow, she ends up winning. And her smile and laugh are both so vibrant and powerful that it is impossible not to catch the glow, and give her the world. 

I can already see that she will be the reason my hair turns gray, but also the reason that I can breathe a little easier. She has my back, and the backs of all of those whom she loves. If you can work your way past her scowl, reserved for all first 'hello's', and get into this girl's heart, she will fight for you with fury. And for a 2.5 year old, she packs a powerful punch.

2 comments:

  1. Such a beautiful ode to your daughter! She sounds positively delightful. What will happen as all that irrepressible energy meets budding rationality, more social demands, more freedom and more rules?!?! I can't wait to find out as I read your blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! And yes, it's so fun imagining what she will be like, and also slightly terrifying to imagine trying to enforce those rules. Yikes! But yes, she's a delight, for sure :)

      Delete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.