one very observant toddler...

This is so funny that I stopped in the middle of lunch to write it down!  We are sitting here eating lunch... Zoey has asked (very nicely, mind you) to have the mirror placed near her.  She's carefully eating her dessert (grapes).  When out of nowhere she says,

"This gumball machine doesn't have any place to get out the gum balls?!"

"What?"  I said.

(Pointing to her shirt that has a pink graphic gumball machine on it.)  "This gumball machine, on my shirt, doesn't have any place to get the gumballs out."

"You're RIGHT!"  I said. (pretty shocked... because she is, in fact, RIGHT!  The one on her shirt has a place for the coin and a turn knob, but NO place for the balls to come out.)   "You are very observant."

Then she went right back to making faces at herself in the mirror and eating her grapes. 

****Ah, sweet child.  Sweet, SMART, child...  :)


On this note, I'll also add what happened yesterday (at lunch as well).

We were out shopping trying to find some long sleeved shirts and pants for this long baby...  My sister reminded me that our upcoming trip to the mountains could be rather chilly.  Time was passing, clothes were not to be found (yet).  It was late and time to EAT!  We stopped at Panera.  (Not usually where I like to take a toddler...  but I have finally found something that Z likes and me too... finally.)  We had a bit of a rough start (at the counter)...  not having eaten when we should have...  but we got our food, sat down, and had a really lovely lunch. 

The place was pretty busy and we ended up at a little table situated pretty much IN the booth next to us.  Well, you know what I mean... We were close.  But I never really paid a bit of attention to anyone else but Z and the manager sitting on our other side who was gracious enough to "keep an eye on" Zoey while I went to get the drinks.  As the elderly couple in the booth started to clean up their table and leave, the man started to talk to me about Zoey.  He was very flattering - saying how well behaved she was and what a pleasure it was to see us in the restaurant.  It was really sweet.  As we chatted, he said something that stuck with me...  "Having a child and being a parent are very different things."  How true.  How true. 

He also said that we very both very lucky.  Me lucky to have such a nice kid and she was lucky to have a mom like me.  It was so sweet and unexpected. 

The funniest part was, as we chatted, he told me he thought Zoey was 6 years old!  He almost fell out of the booth when I told him she was just 3.  :)  When his wife came back, she was pretty shocked too at the age.  She probably wouldn't have said 6 (as usually women have a bit better sense of those kinda things), but she was not even thinking 3.  ...Especially when Zoey held up her fingers and told them she was "free." 

The threes are trying at times.  very trying.  for both me and Zoey.  Emotions run at the surface.  We each have our own ideas of what is to be done "right now."  While I know I can always do better....  who's better is really best?  I'm quite proud of the little person that John and I are raising together. 

I just hope she has nice things to say to her therapist later on...  HA!!  ;p