Sophia today

From this morning:

Trying to convince Sophia that she should WANT to brush her teeth: 

Sophia: "Well fine, most of my teeth are baby teeth still anyway so if they turn black and fall out then FINE. I don't CARE. I'll just start brushing the grown up teeth when they come in that I DO care about." [stomps away]


Tonight I served my children a dinner of honey roasted cashews, dried banana slices, and chocolate milk. Sophia's response: "THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE! I mean, except for the last day of school...and...the last day of nature camp, but other than those best days, THIS is the BEST DAY OF MY LIFE."


Tonight tickling her back at bedtime: 

Sophia: Do you know what I want to be when I grow up? A pirate. Do they have real live pirates in real life, Mommy?

Me: Yes...there are real pirates but they aren't like on your kids shows. They are dangerous and they hurt people.

Sophia: Hmm....well...I'm just a little kid, there's lots of years 'till I grow up, maybe by the time I'm old enough to be a pirate then pirates will have become good.

Me: ...

Sophia: Mommy, will you tell me a story about when I was a baby?

Me: One time when we were in Brooklyn we were at a yard sale and you saw a stuffed animal and just hugged it and hugged it and wouldn't let it go, so Daddy and I bought it for you and you just LOVED that dog so much, it was so fluffy and cuddly and you carried it and played with it so much. I remember it made me so happy to watch you.

Sophia: What? I don't remember it! How old was I? 

Me: I think you were...one. 

Sophia: What happened to it, where is it now?

Me: You carried it so many places and used it so much that it got really dirty, so I had to throw it away.

Sophia: [quiet for awhile and then starts to sniffle and eventually sob on my shoulder] Why didn't you just give it away to a thrift store or something? Why didn't you give it to another child, why did you have to just throw it AWAY..." 

Me: [literally wiping her tears and kissing her forehead] It was just too old and worn out, sweetheart. But...do you know what happened to that dog after we couldn't use it as a toy anymore? It turned into dirt and became helpful and loved in a different, but just as important way - like helping a seed to sprout or a worm to have a home, or...a beetle to rest in. 

Sophia: sniffles until she falls asleep.


I just looked it up on our family blog and found this post from September 2008.

This is a stuffed dog we have named Perrito. We saw him at a stoop sale, gave him to Sophia to hold, she hugged him immediately and wouldn't let go. Cracked me and the seller of the "stuff" up. I talked Davey into letting us buy it (for a whole $3, I know I could've talked her down but what can I say I was feeling generous) and honestly it has been the best buy ever. She adores it. When she wakes up in the morning she runs to it making her version of a woof woof sound and she just hugs it and loves on, sitting on it, rubbing her face into it, kissing it with an open mouth. She also likes to bite his hair and shake her head around like an animal pulling some of his hair out. I discourage it of course, but whattya goin do? Really she just adores the heck out of that dog and I adore watching her adore it. :)