Friday, June 6, 2014

Zuzu (2 years, 6 months, 20 days)

These warm humid days, Zuzu has ringlets all around her face, golden curls that come loose from her rubber band and fall beautifully across her forehead and next to her cheeks and float in the air all around her head.

We just went to this summer’s first Thursday night concert in the park, and Zuzu joined the other kids running around and dancing in front of the band. I watched her holding hands with girls she’d just met. I watched her run and run and run in circles, with her brisk little short steps that make her curls bounce. I watched her trip and fall and get up and brush herself off and keep running.

We watered the plants in our yard with a hose. She loved doing it. She held the nozzle and kept the water going for the length of time it took me to sing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on each of four bushes that Daddy just planted. Then she carried the hose across the yard and watered the garden. She sprayed her feet with water. I kept instructing Zuzu on where to point the hose, and meanwhile Bear was in the shade in his bouncy seat crying. Zuzu got fed up with me hovering and said, “I’ll do it. I’m doing it! You check on Bear!”

The other morning we made scrambled eggs. Zuzu cracked the eggs, added salt and pepper, and whipped them with a fork so well that I didn’t even have to finish the job, I just poured them into a pan and cooked them.

We’ve just started introducing some baby food to Bear. The first time, Zuzu wanted to feed him. I thought that would be a bad idea, but she was persistent so I yielded and let her try. It was entirely successful. She was as gentle and patient as could be. “Keep that in your mouth!” she’d say while scraping the dribblings off his chin with the spoon.

She was recently helping me change Bear’s diaper and suddenly said, “He’s holding my hand!” I looked down to see that this was true. Then she said, “I like him. I’m gonna keep him.” I don’t know if she was quoting us or that line from Frozen.

She loves—loves—talking about our extended family. She likes it when we sing “He’s got the whole world in His hands.” She shouts out names of family members she wants us to insert into the song. “He’s got the Omas and the Opas in His hand …” etc. for both sides of the family.

She talks so much and so well that it sometimes makes her seem older than she is.

Bear thinks she’s a mix between an angel and a superhero. He watches her with so much love and fascination on his sweet little face.

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