Shells and Cheese

Mercy really likes shells and cheese. Many times we give her a little bowl and by the time we sit down with our own food she is already asking for more. Of course the shells always taste better eaten off of fingers rather than a fork. She sure doesn't like tomatoes though.

Right now I am asking Mercy herself what she wants to tell people about herself.

Chris: Mercy, what would you like to say about yourself?

Mercy: I'm nice.

Chris: What else?

Mercy: I'm good and soft

Chris: What does that mean?

Mercy: It means I'm good and soft.

Chris: Is there anything else you'd like to say?

Mercy: Whatevaza.

There you have it.

New Header

Well I looked through our photos to find some fancy headshot of Mercy for the blog header. This is her perpetual way of smiling for the camera so I figured I would go with it since it represents her personality.

-cs

Last Night's Potty Encounter

Sara: "Can I wipe you now?"

Mercy: "You can. It's happy. My bottom is happy to see the wipe."

Why?

Mercy asked her first "why" question last week: "Why are you doing that?" I was making the bed. (Yeah, really, I don't know why we do when we're just going to sleep in it again.)

Why must be some type of milestone in her cognitive development. I'm not sure if I'm ready, though, for the flood of why questions that are sure to come. It's going to force me to really think about things. Today she asked, "Kitty, why are you being so naughty?" Ha! I'd like to know the answer to that too. (SS)

Random Recent Pics

She's seeming so much more grown-up lately. I'll probably always keep saying that. (SS)

It's Puzzling

Here is something I find fascinating. Mercy enjoys doing puzzles. Sometimes when they get easy for her she puts them together upside down (rotated 180 degrees) or face-down (without the picture showing). Hmm. Very interesting. (SS)

Tiny Dancer

Ballet. When I was a girl I COULD NOT WAIT to grow up and get married and have a daughter so I could take her to ballet class. So today was pretty much the goal of my whole life.* The idea of Mercy in a leotard and tights? So cute it hurts. But it's been a long journey of indoctrination, I mean encouragement, getting her to this point (no pun intended). Let me walk you through the process.

You see, as soon as baby Mercy started standing up I started putting a tutu on her. She would usually get upset and take it off. She refused to wear one for a LONG time, much to my dismay. I kept trying, though, and good thing nobody but her saw ME wearing it around the house hoping she'd want to imitate me. Then we started watching ballet on YouTube once in awhile. Then I hung up a handtowel for her with embroidered ballerinas on it that she dries her hands on several times a day, heh heh heh. Then, this spring, we went to go observe a class so she could see other little girls dancing. So over the course of a year my overt and subliminal schemes worked and she finally came around. Yes! Now she loves to put on tutus (of her own accord!) and dance around the house.

I found an instructor that accepts 2-year-olds and holds classes at a church (they have to be 3 at all the studios). Mercy will be learning worship ballet, because if you're not dancing for Jesus, why are you dancing? There are 6 other 2- and 3-year-old girls in her class and they were all so precious that the other moms and I could barely console each other. A couple of them joined me in making the hair bun effort, which is not that easy with such super-fine hair. Well, after all the monumental build-up and a lifetime of expectation my camera weenied out. So this is it, but don't worry--there will be many, many, many more to come. (SS)

*I do tend toward hyperbole, so relax everybody. My real goal in life is to one day own a laundromat.

Mercy hamming it up during class...

and conked out afterwards.