Secrets and Sleep

Vivi loves to tell secrets. For her secrets, you must always close your eyes and wait patiently until she comes up to your ear to reveal her little piece of information. Until recently, her secrets have always been her saying "I love you" in a deep, burly voice known as her monster voice. She thinks this is hysterical. Of course, you are then expected to reciprocate by telling her the same secret in the same monster voice while she closes her eyes. It's a game in which we both delight.

Lately, we've been having lots of fun with our "I love you" statements. Vivi will usually ask how much I love her and I'll respond with something ridiculous like "I love you more than all the cow poop in Vermont." (Poop jokes never get old with Vivi.) Or she'll ask me, "Mama, do you love me more than this much?" which she demonstrates by holding her thumb and forefinger a centimeter apart. I usually say, "Yes, that's it. That much." Then she'll start giggling and yell, "No! Mama, you love me more than this!" while she stretches her arms as far apart as she can.

Well, this morning I was told a new secret and it went like this:

Vivi: Mama, close your eyes.
(I comply.)
Vivi (whispering): Mama, I love you more than all my socks and my panties from Santa.

*******************************

In other news, Vivi is back on her independence streak. She recently woke up from her afternoon nap yelling that she needed to pee. When I went upstairs, she said groggily, "Mama. I need to go pee. After I pee, I finish my nap in my bed." I was thinking "Yeah, right..." while I took her to the bathroom. I couldn't believe it when she finished her business and actually toddled back to her bed for 45 more minutes!

We also seem to have turned a corner with her usual naptime delay tactics. Recently, I asked her if she wanted to read one or two books before her nap. She looked at me and replied, "Mama. I no want any books today. I go right to bed." Perplexed, I watched her climb into bed where she slept for over two hours.

Last night, Vivi did ask her Dad to take her up to bed but when my husband asked if she wanted the hall light on, she said, "No Dad. I turn on light if I need it. Then I turn it off after I fall asleep." We noticed that it stayed dark up there for a little while and then the light did come on. We left her since she was quiet and figured that we'd turn the light off later. When I went upstairs half an hour later to go to bed myself, she was asleep AND the light was off. For a two and a half year old, she's pretty true to her word!

I fully expect that when the Turtles arrive in the next 4-7 weeks (hopefully) that all of this independence will be thrown right out the window.

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