When She Grows Up...

When she grows up I want to remember her little wisps of strawberry blond hair gleaming in the light.

I want to remember the cute way she says uh-oh, "A-oh", and the way she says Ouch, "Ouuu".  The way she tries to hide and then says "Boo".  The way she started out saying mommy, "Me-me", and that I didn't even know what she was saying until after she had been saying it for about 2 weeks and it dawned on me...  The way she yells loudly "Da-da" when Eric arrives home from work, or walks into a room he is in.  The way she says, "Nea-ne" and "Pa-pa-pa", for Nanee and Popee.

The way when I tell her to smile, she puts her chin up and does a sneaky little grin, with a sparkle in her eyes.

I want to remember the way she snuggles up with a small giraffe blanket every time she sleeps.  Sometimes even sleeping with it on her face and head.

The way she loves to put shoes and hats on.

That when she eats, she is messy!  Food is everywhere... on her face, in her hair, on her clothes, on the floor, in her chair, everywhere!

I want to remember the way she antagonizes her Big Sister, even at this early age.  And, the way she tries to play with her... climbing in laundry baskets, running through the living room, and laughing with so much enthusiasm and joy.  And that she tries to imitate her Big Sister, watching her closely and then trying to do what she does.

The way she will sit down and look at each book in the basket until the basket is emptied in her room. 

The way she will carry around a baby doll, so loving, hugging it and trying to feed it with food from the pretend kitchen downstairs.  And, making tea in the pretend kitchen for me, Sarah, herself and the dolls.

The way she loves to play in water... bathwater, the water table, the sprinkler, the pool, even in the sink... putting her face in, and blowing bubbles.

I want to remember that she is not afraid of bugs, but the weather radio alert noise freaks her out.

That when she hears music she starts to wiggle and dance.

And, I want to remember that she loves to be held, especially by her mommy.