Just Call Her…Mama

This afternoon Charlotte and I spent some time in her room.  She was “baking’ and I was pulling out the 2T size clothing  out of her dresser drawers.  (WAY too small now and I might need to pull out 3T soon too!)  The entire time she kept me laughing because Charlotte sounded like such an adult puttering around looking for things and mumbling to herself.  I kept up a running dialogue with her about what she was doing.  “Charlotte, don’t forget to use a potholder”, “Maybe that could use some salt”, “Wow - that sounds yummy”, etc.  As my sorting came to a close she pounced on me…

“Mama, I’m gonna make you some gingerbread cookies cuz’ you didn’t eat your lunch!”  She pulls out her baking sheet – good so far – and adds two bowls with things like a potato, hunk of cheese, loaf of bread!  For posterity I should mention that I HAD eaten my lunch…SHE had tried to eat it too!  :)      

“You sit right there, here’s your fork, do you want me to cut it for you…I’ll cut it for you!”  I tell her that I am a big girl and can {pretend to} cut it myself – SHE LITERALLY DOES A SLOW TURN from the kitchen sink and says “You are not as big as me!”  I SWARE I have NEVER said that to her before…where does she get this stuff!

“Mommy, SIT DOWN – you have to sit down at breakfast”

“I’m gonna make your lunch for … school.  See, here is your cow milk.  You can have one jelly sandwich – NO COOKIES.”  I swear she YELLED at me about a cookie I didn’t even ask for….sigh!

“Mama, Mama, MAMA…um, Mama…he, he… I forgot!?! 

Good girl, Mama”

“Close up your lunchbox, it’s goin’ in the fridge right this minute!”  Proceeds to put it in her oven, then catches herself with a laugh and puts it in her fridge… “Oh, you gonna need a drink!”  Then she got me some water from her faucet and puts it in the fridge too.  (presumably for lunch tomorrow)

“You need to do what I say, Mama! Ok, ok … TIME OUT!”  “Do you know what (you did wrong), two minutes (in time out)!”  I mean, really…I was just eating my hunk of cheese with a spoon….. what did I do?

Obviously it was a fun afternoon and I am just including the wacky things she said to me but man, it’s like she is already a teenager!  Her adorable outfit for the afternoon included a red beaded necklace she was wearing under her dress and another pair of legwarmers (besides what are on her arms) under her green pants.  All the clothes were stolen with glee from the work I was doing to clean up her dresser!  Okay, I admit I thought it was cute and helped with the zipper and bow!

Let me just take a minute here to note that I am fascinated by the fact that Charlotte calls me so many variations of mommy.  I guess if we have taught her to call me anything it would be Mommy but somewhere along the line she started in with Mom – which freaked me out because my two year old is instantly transformed into a 15 year old.  Then, in the last 3 months or so (insert that she has TRIED to call Wayne and I BOTH by our first names…not gonna work, we refuse to acknowledge her!)  she calls me mostly Mama.  Not sure where it’s coming from: what friend, book or TV show but it’s really cute!  It is so cheesy to relate it this way but frankly, I am just glad she calls for me at all especially since she has really shown a preference for Wayne for the last year or so.  I think the tide (that I have not so patiently been waiting out) is finally turning in my direction al little bit!  I’m thrilled!