Sweet
little Myra. She is mom's biggest challenge, every day. She is so darn cute,
and has a lot of spunk. But along with all that spunk is a determined,
opinionated, independent willed little girl. She knows exactly what she likes
and what she doesn't. And she has a knack for getting what she wants.
"I
can do it" is one of her most popular phrases. What it really means is if
you try to help me, I will just go back and do it myself, and if you don't let
me, I'll throw a screaming fit.
Once as
we were on a walk I helped to lift her baby doll stroller over the curb. As
doing anything for her that she thinks she can do herself is unacceptable, she
pushed her stroller all the way back around, and then did it again, herself.
Another
time I was in a hurry to get home and buckled her in her seat. Because I didn’t
let her do it herself she screamed all the way home! And continued for about 10
minutes after we got home. Sometimes I wish I could do a free trade-in.
But she
has many sweet moments too which allow her to keep her name “Sweet Myra”. She gives mom the cutest grins, and has the very best facial expressions. She
reads books and sings songs to Sawyer to keep him happy. When Devin is headed
out the door she runs after him “Dad! I need to give you a kiss and
a hug!"
She
plays really well on her own. Sometimes I’ll check to see what she’s up to and
find her in her room rocking her baby, singing songs, reading, or making up
stories.
Once
she tried to imitate the way mom feeds baby Sawyer, and tried nursing her baby
doll with her belly button. Her doll's name is also Sawyer. She has also
generously shared her two sucking fingers with Sawyer (the real
one).
She is a little singer.
At church she sings out loud and strong, so cute, but it makes such an
irreverent scene in Sacrament meeting. It is so hard not to burst out laughing,
and giggles ripple through the benches surrounding us. It was particularly
funny one Sunday, and we had a family of seven kids in front of us. During the
hymns, they all caught the giggles, and despite their parents warning looks and
pointed fingers none could stay very reverent (I don’t think the parents knew we were
the source).
Sometimes when I am
sitting with Sawyer she will carry her stool in, stand atop it, and tell me a
story or sing me a song. “Listen to me!” she will say. She’s a great song rite.
“Okay… What song?" I’ll give her a
topic and she will sing whatever comes to her mind about that. Then, clapping,
she applauds herself “Okay, good job!”
Other times she will come in and demand "Talk to me!"
She's always chatting (often to herself). If anyone is around she loves to get
a conversation going.
Before I had kids, I thought if I had a little girl I would do her
hair every day. Then I had a little Myra, and my reality is that she goes with
her hair uncombed much more often than my ideal. Thus the ragamuffin looking
little girl you see in the picture below.
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| Compliments to Devin for packing paper Toga. |
She has definite opinions about her hair also. She hates getting
it done, but if it has to be she prefers a long ponytail in the back so she can swish it. Any other hairdo usually results
in tears, Myra sheds many as well.
One time she informed me “I have orange hair... You have brown hair. And
grandma has white hair!” (White must equal blonde because neither of her grandma’s are
white).
She loves everything girly and pretty. I often find my high heels
around the house after she's practiced walking in them. She loves lip gloss,
painting nails, and the color pink. I discovered
her once trying to paint her own finger nails. Under my supervision, she
finished and actually did really well. She is a perfectionist with her nails, she
dabbed the polish off before applying, and wiped it off her skin with a tissue. If I take her shopping with me she points out everything she
thinks is pretty.
One time when we were shopping she thought I should buy a hand
wash. I told her no, and she said "but mom, there is lots!" Apparently if the store has no shortage, then
we should definitely take some home!
She is specially tuned in to the sound of what she think might be a candy wrapper or snack bag! Anytime she here's something making a similar rustling sound she says, "Mom! What do you have?!... I want some!" She loves her treats and snacks.
She wants to be like mom (a scary notion). Her new thing is filling little bags or purses
full to the brim with her little things. Mom always takes a bag and so she
needs hers too. She is always prepared as she can't leave the house without a full purse. Sometimes it is so full she needs extra help
zipping it up.
She loves to go running with mom. If I go
during her awake hours, when I come back I’ll get her and she usually ends the
run with me. Her stamina is pretty impressive for a little girl. We just jog down the road and then return,
but she usually doesn’t want to go home. I love the way she used to run with her arms straight back
behind her.
Myra is thinning out and getting tall. She
is leaving her toddler years behind and truly becoming a little person. In some
ways she is getting easier as she can express herself better in words, but she
and I still have struggles.
Today she didn’t want to finish her lunch
and told me if I didn’t let her have a chocolate covered pretzel she wouldn’t
be my friend anymore. Good
thing I’m most interested in being her mom. Sometimes she gets really angry at me when I paint her nails
with bitter nail polish. After
having it on my toothbrush (another story, thanks Devin.) I can totally understand
because it tastes terrible! I
really don’t know how to break that habit, it is so ingrained. I think she somehow
was blessed with all mine and Devin’s stubborn genes. I’m constantly praying I
can learn the best parenting strategies for her.
It’s a good thing I love my little Myra so much.
And at the end of the day, she still wants to snuggle up on mom’s lap, and
wants mom to tuck her into bed. And then screams out for Dad when she wakes up at night. I'm grateful for the ray of sunshine she is in our family!
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