To Elise on Her Third Birthday - link

I've recently posted a letter to Elise for her third birthday. I placed the post back in November, but here is a link to it if you are interested:

To Elise on Her Third Birthday - Link

Dancing in Peanut Butter

All sorts of creatures are coming to life around our house lately. Babydoll plays ring-around-the-rosie with us. Teddy Bear and Lamb live in Elise's bookcase and have toys and books of their own. Lamby eats grass, pretends to stand, and beat us all at Candyland last night. But the following conversation was one of our silliest thus far.

Elise, eying my apple slices: "Mommy, can I have one?"
Me, looking at the apple slice on her plate: "Sweetie, you already have one on your plate."
Elise: "Mommy that's the one that's waiting for a friend to come visit him."

I gave her the apple. She reported that the apple said thank you for the friend who came to visit him, and then the apple declared that it wanted to slide and dance in the peanut butter.

Arguments

Lately Elise has taken to arguing with Zion. Their arguments go something like this.

Setting: me reading a book to the kids.
Zion: "Deep, dah, ba"
Elise: "No Zion, that's a slide, not a deep."
Zion: "Da, la, deep"
Elise, with great emphasis: "No no Zion! That's not a deep, it's a slide!"

Setting: Me snuggling a cranky Elise after naptime
Zion: "buda, ri, tee"
Elise: "No Zion, I'm snuggling with Mommy right now."
Zion, not even noticing Elise: "ska, rad, dat"
Elise, growing quite passionate: "No no Zion! I don't want to play right now, I'm snuggling with Mommy!"
Zion: "bosh, ra, ta, pud"
Elise, in tears: "No Zion, I'm not a pud!"

I'm a bit concerned with the great passion and feeling that arise in Elise over arguments against babblings. I can only imagine what I'm in for when Zion actually argues in words.

She's 3

Elise has started responding to my requests with, "I'm too busy." Yesterday I told her that she cannot say that she is "too busy". She looked absolutely puzzled. Then I heard her say to herself, "but I can say that. That's not true."

Note to self: When talking to a very literal preschooler, don't say "can't" when you really mean "shouldn't".

I tried to apply this lesson and be aware of her literal interpretation of "can" and "can't" in the following conversation today, but I don't think it turned out any better.

Setting: Elise and I playing with blocks and trains.

Elise: "Mommy, you can build a garage for the train."
Me: "Well, I can build a garage, but I don't really want to right now. You can build a garage if you want to."
Elise: "No Mommy, I can't build a garage, you can build a garage."
Me: "Sweetie, I'm building tracks, you can build a garage if you want to."
Elise looked at me and sighed. She then pointed down to her shirt.

Elise: "Mommy I can't build a garage, I still live with my parents!"


Another quote from our blocks/trains session:
Elise: "You are impressive building a train Mommy."

I may be impressive building trains, and I really can build a train garage, but I am still trying to catch up with our budding three year old.