Double Take

You know when you see something crazy or hear something crazy - you have to stop, look and listen once more - you know - a Double Take.

Lately, since I'm taking on the role working mother, I've been gone from Iz a lot. So the days that I have with her, I really, really cherish.

I never thought I would miss bathtime - but now I do since she's asleep when I get home.

I never thought I would miss seeing her little face covered in lunch/dinner - but now I do since the hubs has now become my Manny - my man Nanny - or the Mother-Father (say this really fast and it sounds like something you shouldn't be saying...)

But, now that I'm gone a lot, I am constantly surprised by her.

Bad surprises AND good surprises.

Bad surprises - like the first time she threw herself down on the tile floor, in a raging fit, and just laid on the ground crying and screaming. Wow - I had never seen that occur. And then the hubs looked at me like I was crazy, laughed and said, "yeah - she does that now when she doesn't get her way."

I pull out her favorite book, sit down on the ground and get ready for my little one to snuggle up in my lap to read. When all of a sudden, she grabs the book from me, sits NOT in my lap but by her Rabbit and Monkey, and she proceeds to read to them. She doesn't want to be read to anymore. But, but, but....this is supposed to be MY time to snuggle. Bad surprise....

Good surprises --

We play in the front room that has now been converted into a pseudo-office/play area (translation: clutter, chaos, ginormous mess). She pulls out her book, sits in her little chair, starting pointing and talking her baby gibberish and all of sudden words I understand come out: "One, two, twee, pive."

Double take - my kid just counted to five...she may have missed the number 4 but really - it's kind of not a real number just like the Kardashian sisters aren't real celebrities.

She continues to play and talk her gibberish and more words come out I understand: "Uno, _____(silence), twess!"

Double take - my kid just counted to three - in Spanish. And yes she misses the "Dos" but I'm pretty sure she's just saving that number for a rainy day.

We are going about our business and she looks up at me and says "Wadder." I look at her and say, "You want some water?" She jumps up and down in excitement (now that I'm reading this it sounds like I deny my kid the basic life necessity of water...).
I hand her the sippy cup, she takes a swig, and tells me "Tank you."

Double take - my kid just said Thank you.

Or when she suddenly appears before me with dangle bracelets up her arm, the biggest grin on her face, and she says "Pitty (translation : Pretty).

Double take...

Where is she learning all of this? Who taught her how to color? How to talk? How to ask for things politely with the sweet sounds of "Pease?"

She's growing up so fast and she's learning at an exponential rate. It dings my heart every time I see or hear her do something that I didn't teach her. Isn't my responsibility as a mother to teach her, do some learnin?

Everyone says it takes a village to raise a child. I guess the village is doing it's job.