Category: Sophia

One of my little Sophie’s very favorite things to do is play with my iPod touch.  She started out playing toddler games that I had downloaded for her on it, but now her favorite activity is listening to music on it.  She can navigate it as well as any adult and can always find what songs she wants to listen to.  Of course, she also loves to SING along!  I have a hard time getting her to perform for me, so I wanted to share this brief clip of her singing one of her favorite Veggie Tales songs – her performance is interrupted by Daddy coming home from work – and I think that part is pretty cute, too!

Every morning this week, Sophie has bolted as soon as I’ve opened her bedroom door after she wakes and made a beeline for my bedroom – specifically, the full-length mirror in my bedroom.  Before Monday, her routine was to bolt for the stairs – to get downstairs to her waiting sippy cup of milk, to have her morning computer-playing time, to get started with play.

But since Monday, she’s taken a few minutes each morning to stop and admire herself in the mirror.  To watch herself jump around, to make funny faces, to giggle at herself.  My favorite part is when she says, “Come here, mama!” and pulls me to her, squishing her face up next to mine so we can make big cheesy grins, stick our tongues out, and perfect the ancient art of mother-daughter goofiness.

Later in the day, when I let her watch her favorite move “Curious George” in my room, she’ll watch the mirror and the movie at the same time.  She loves to watch herself imitate George as he jumps, dances, and climbs.  It’s pretty hilarious!

She comes by her vanity honestly, *ahem*, but I wonder how long Sophie’s love affair with the mirror will last.  I think there comes a point in every girl’s life when she no longer likes what she sees in the mirror.  When instead of grinning wildly at her image, she picks it apart.

I wish I could preempt that point in my daughter’s life.  I wish I could make it so that she is always awed and entertained by the sight of herself.

I love to look at my little girl.  To take in her smile, her long eyelashes, her dimples.  It is my prayer that when she looks at her reflection, she can always see what I see when I look at her – breathtaking beauty, unbridled joy, and the glory of God.

What do you want your daughters to see?

One of the things that has been good about Joshua going to school this year is the special time I get to spend alone with Sophie. Since she was my second-born, I obviously didn’t get too much alone time with her when she was a baby. And she and I are loving our time together.

Last Friday I needed to go to Kroger, but wanted to give Sophie a fun outing before I imprisoned her in a shopping cart (although truthfully, if I can get one of those race car carts, she’s pretty happy!) so we went to Tim Horton’s for a donut. Since our last pre-Kroger T-Ho’s run had ended in me getting a verbal spanking from the super-conscious folks who make Clorox wipes, I decided to go into Tim Horton’s to dine this time.

I sat Sophie at a table near the counter and ordered our donuts. Then, I turned to give her a reassuring smile while I waited for our order to be brought to the counter.

“Have my donut?” said Sophie.

“It’s coming sweetie, we have to wait our turn.”

Sophie likes waiting about as much as she likes getting her hair brushed, so she responded with a loud, disgruntled FUSS.

“No fussing,” I admonished her. “Say, ‘I’ll have patience.'”

My blonde little angelic-looking daughter narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth and screamed in a voice that was straight from Hades:

“I’LL HAVE PATIENNNNNCCCCCCE!”

Her scream was SO loud, and SO – well, scary – that the guy in line in front of me jumped about a foot in the air. When he turned to see the source of the fury, he cracked up laughing.

And so did I. Instead of scolding Sophie, I just dissolved into laughter. Hey, I told her to say “I’ll have patience” and she said the heck out of it. In a really distinct “Sophie” way.

Just then our donuts came up, and we dug in to some chocolate, sugary, donutty goodness. And Sophie didn’t even fuss when she asked for another one and I said “no”. So it wasn’t a total fail in the parenting column, right?