Mini Me

Watching my 21 month old learn and discover right before my eyes is an indescribable joy. I love every day with her because every day I get a glimpse into her little personality. Tonight, in the bathtub, she was  using her little tea cup to scoop up water and fill up the bigger cup. She wasn't very graceful or efficient, as each tea cup full was not very full, but she knew what she was doing and she was having fun with the fascination of filling up the big cup. A couple of days ago, while she was playing in the bathtub, I had demonstrated the pouring from one cup to another to her, and her little sponge brain picked it up and today she was doing it by herself.
She watches everything I do and tries to mimic everything. She always wants me to pick her up when I'm cooking so she can see. She always wants to take out the silverware from the dishwasher, whether it's clean or dirty. She watches what I do with her little brother too. I often lay out a blanket in the middle of the living room and lay him down. Today, I found this in her room. A blanket in the middle of the floor with all her dollies laying on it.

 Then, later I caught her here, helping with her baby brother.

I love how she has her own binky in her mouth while she tries to give Judah his.

Lately, I've gotten to see another side of her personality begin to emerge. One that definitely reminds me of me. She likes to collect toys and other small things around the house and line them up in a very orderly manner. Yesterday, after bedtime, I found two "scenes" set up. One in my bedroom, I nearly tripped over putting Judah to bed. She had found this white bandana and laid it down, then lined up the lotion bottles she took off my nightstand, a puzzle piece, her little pink plate and plastic dessert cake, along with the blue measuring bowl and basket, which obviously didn't fit on the bandana, so she lined those up below the bandana.

Then when I came into the living room, I found this "scene" on the stairs. She had lined up all the dog things on the step. The dog treats, the breath treats, the leash and the bones.

Tonight, as I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, I saw her running back and forth from her room into the living room with a different toy in tow each trip. When I came into the living room, this is what I found.

I just love being a mommy so much, and not just a mommy, but Bobbie and Judah's mommy. I can't describe or put into words the depth of my joy. This calling to be a mommy is the most joyous and wonderful gift I have been given. It's days like today that make me not care that we struggle financially so that I can stay home with our kids. I could go back to work and financially we would be able to breathe much more easily, but then I might miss out on moments like these. It's not worth it to me, and I'm so glad my husband lets me stay home. I am so very blessed.