Decorating

Dear Scarlett,
I was on the phone with our contractor last week when you slipped out of the living room. It took me a few minutes to realize you had gone into my room and shut the door. Not allowed, since whenever you're in there, you manage to find and unwrap all of Dad's biking snacks. So I called to you that the door had to be open, and you complied. I spent another ten minutes on the phone, and walked into the bedroom to see what you were doing. "What are you doing?" I asked, and before I even saw you, I heard you say, "I'm painting my nails."

This was not good news.

I went further into the room and saw that you were naked, covered head to toe (and fingers) in nail polish: a smear on your forehead, a bunch on your stomach, and streaks up and down your legs.

[Side note: You are watching me write this letter, and you just asked me if it could be about a duck.]

Anyway, I then surveyed the floor, which was covered in medicine. Unopened Dayquil tabs lay everywhere, and you held up a bottle of Liquid Children's Tylenol and said, "I was trying to drink this, but I couldn't open it."

More bad news.

I scrubbed your body with nail polish remover, noting peripherally that there was nail polish on the walls, rug and Dad's chair. I lectured you about the dangers of EVERYTHING YOU HAD BEEN DOING.

So now the attractive, but taboo materials have been moved--the main problem being that our bathrooms don't have any storage space that is out of your reach--and you are no longer allowed in our room alone at all.

By the way, all of Dad's biking snacks were also opened and lying on the floor. I will now only take phone calls if I can keep my eyes on you the entire time. I know I learned my lesson. But based on how hard you were laughing as I cleaned you up, I'm not sure you did.

Love,
Mom

Photo shoot

Quotes

Dear Scarlett,
I love how much you love books. Even as a tiny baby, you had clear preferences, as evidenced by the way your eyes followed certain stories, and even certain pages within those stories. As you got older, you would crawl over to the shelf to grab your favorites and bring them back to me.

I've known for a while how books have helped shape your language acquisition, but it never fails to amuse me. Here are some of the ways that you have inserted your books and characters into our daily life.

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Dad was working late one night, and we thought you wouldn't see him until morning. But I was putting you to bed when we heard his key in the door.

You popped straight up, and said "Is it possible?? Have my dreams come true?" [The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems]

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The other day I told you that you were beautiful.

"No, I'm not," you argued.

"Yes, you are," I replied.

"No, I'm not," you said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because I have knobbly knees and turned-out toes." [The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson]

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You were getting dressed. "What are you going to wear?" I asked.

"You must not look at me," you announced. [Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel]

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For no reason at all:

"Hey you, want to fight?" [The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. Thanks a lot, Eric Carle.]

"Tormented a little mouse!" [Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel]

"For pete's sake, give her some carrots!!" [Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French]

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There's more, of course. I feel like half the stuff that comes out of your mouth is from a book. And that's not a bad way to live your life. 

Love,

Mom