Boogie Woogie

I fear that I too often focus on the negative in my relationship with my children. This year with S-Boogie has been particularly difficult for both us. I've either been uncomfortably pregnant, recovering from having a baby, or just plain stressed out by life to really want to deal with a challenging toddler. And she certainly can be pretty challenging; this is a child who can melt into a crying puddle when you give her the wrong color of cup or who can argue with you about whether the sun is awake or not. But, she really does have so many good qualities. Some days it feels like they only occasionally peep out between the clouds like rays of sunshine, but I'm glad when they do. For instance, she is incredibly creative. Tonight she had a group of about five or six long Duplos. First she made them into a piano and hummed a little tune; then they became a flute; then rhythm sticks; then a car; then an airplane so we could come to Seattle. All that from five blocks. Then she wanted to color with her crayons. However, she actually isn't all that into coloring and really just want to play with the crayons. From the other room I can hear her making up little voices: "Hey red, you want to play?" "Oh no, he fell off the table. Blue, are you OK?" "Yellow wants to go to the playground and go on the slide", etc. It's so funny. She'll do that with crayons, her little guys from the Duplo set, her food, her stuffed animals, etc. And everyone is her friend. Her bed is filled with at least ten different stuffed animals. She can't go anywhere without taking someone along with her. I think she freaks other kids out sometimes because they are all her friends too; she'll go right up and try to hold hands or hug them and most kids aren't that affectionate right off the bat. S-Boogie is also very enthusiastic about everything. She loves to go places and do things. Her response to just about anything is "Yay!". I hope she keeps her openness and enthusiasm for things as she gets bigger. Some days the excess energy and stubbornness wear me out. But I keep reminding myself that they are good traits. She's a pretty resilient kid. And no matter what we do, she still loves us. After her bath tonight she gave me a big hug and said "I love you mommy". I really love you too, Boogie girl.