In a post I wrote a few days ago I described her as "observant and thoughtful". It's a true statement, but it's been driving me crazy since I wrote it that those two words were all I said about such important parts of her personality. It's kind of like saying that a person is nice. Seemed like a shallow compliment.
All the other stuff she does makes for better blogging. It's more memorable, even to me. When I look back on my days, I remember the stuff that made me laugh, the silly quotes, or the ongoing challenges that come with every age of child. And usually, that's what I blog about.
And every so often I say that she's sweet ... and I'm sure some of you are like "What?"
Because I've left so much out. Really the very essence of who she is.
Even at such a young age I can see her developing into a girl with heart for others, a generous spirit, a genuine understanding of things, and a willingness to both listen to instruction and work toward her own solutions.
But stories about saying please and thank you and sharing toys with her sister just don't make for good blog posts. It's the days I about pulled my hair out over her completely normal 2 year old emotions that do ...
So today my mission was to capture those things. Those things that she does each and every day. The reasons I describe her as sweet, observant and thoughtful.
It didn't take long to make a list. And I'm sure I could come up with many many more. The following may seem like a bunch of non important details of our daily routine, but to me they are really and truly the MOST IMPORTANT things that make her the beautiful child she is.
Every morning Juliet runs into our room, climbs up into our bed and asks me "How you sleep Mommy?" She then takes an inventory of where every other member of our family is - typically Daddy is either in the bathroom getting ready for work or already gone for the day, Beetle is still sleeping (we check the video monitor to see what she's doing in her crib), and Charlie is somewhere else in the house. From the moment she wakes up, this little girl is thinking about others.
When J helps me transfer laundry from the washing machine to the dryer, she says aloud who every article of clothing belongs to. "These are Daddy's socks. These Beetle's pants. ..."
This morning, J brought me my cup of Chai tea from the playroom. There was just a little bit left so I asked her if she wanted a drink. She did. Immediately after taking a drink, she looked up at me and said "Beetle wants a drink too!" The two finished it off for me :)
J loves to make things - color pictures, stick stickers on paper, paint, etc. While she's working on her masterpiece she typically tells me who the artwork is for. "This picture is for Jeff and Annie. They gonna love it."
Just yesterday Beetle started taking more steps by herself. She'll let go of whatever she's holding on to and take a few steps on her own before sitting down. She's getting brave and trying to walk more often. Juliet took notice of this and came and told me "Mommy, Beetle is walking!?!?" I think she was both excited and a little concerned ... as she should be :)
She is very mindful of her family and friends even when they are not around. It is not uncommon for her to out of nowhere inform me that Buh-Buh (Aunt Deb) is at school or that Daddy likes to eat bananas with her or that Uncle David is really funny. It always catches me off guard when she does it. Apparently I am more wrapped up in the present moment than she is ;)
She has asked me about my foot and how it is healing numerous times since my surgery.
Both my mom and Aunt Debra got new cars recently. Juliet noticed the first time the different vehicles pulled into the driveway. She also takes notice of new shoes her aunts have on when they visit.
Today while the girls colored, I heard her telling B what the different colors were and trying to help her use the crayons correctly, i.e. not eat them :) She'd put her hand over B's little hand and help her scribble on the paper. So sweet!
I don't anticipate that I will stop sharing all the silly stuff J does on this blog. And I don't anticipate that this blog will ever really accurately depict Juliet or anything about our family perfectly. The only way to really know someone is to actually know them! I do love the internet and think blogging has some real perks, but I think it's important to realize that this blog isn't us. It describes a part of who we are, but that part isn't anywhere near complete!
Being a mom is hard work and I acknowledge that focusing on the positive things in our children isn't always easy. The little things tend to get lost, don't they? I believe that one of the most important responsibilities we have as parents is to look for and dwell on the unique gifts God has given our child. If we don't help our children realize and capitalize on their unique giftedness, who will??
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