A Fun Little Person to Hang Out With

I’ve been really sick with the flu for several days now, and since Daniel was off work for four days around Christmas, he has spent a lot of time with the kids, particularly Mara. The other day as he & Mara came home together, Daniel said, “Mara is becoming a fun little person to hang out with.”

Mara nodded with a sweet smile and said, “Fun per-non hane out wiff.”

“For reasons just like that,” Daddy added.

So in this post, for reasons just like that, I’m sharing with you a little person who is fun to hang out with. 🙂

Usually the first thing I hear when I wake up is Micah “complaining” from his cradle–not really crying, just complaining–or Mara calling out, “MAAA-ma! MAAAA-ma!” from her crib. I take her to the changing table and change her (typically wet) diaper, which she will tell me is “only wet” or “dirty biper. . . yucky biper” (regardless of whether it is actually wet or dirty).

We take off her PJs and change into playclothes, and put on socks & shoes. She always lobbies for her purple shoes [“Perkle shoes? perkle shoes?”] whether or not they remotely coordinate with what she’s wearing. Then we do her hair. If the neighbors, Bill or Bob, are outside, she watches them while I do her hair, and says, “Neighbor! neighbor!” She always wants to wear a “wing” (ring, actually a tiny hairband); I find one that matches her outfit and slip it on her finger. Then fix her hair with barrettes or clips or bows.

After she’s ready for the day, we go in Micah’s room. If he’s awake, we will see his little face looking out of his cradle as we enter his room. Mara will say, “Micah! Peeking! Micah! Peeking!” and he will give a big smile, so happy to see us! Micah will nurse, get a diaper change and clean clothes. Usually Mara feeds her “perkle baby” “rice cereal” in its high chair.

Before breakfast, we let Verona & McCheyne outside. She calls them “Rona” and “Nane.” When we come downstairs, Mara will point under the basement door at the puppies paws. “Peeking!” she says with a furtive little smile. When the puppies come running back into the house, she will shout commands at them, which they completely ignore, “‘Ro-na, down-stairs!!! ‘Nane, down! ‘RO-NAHHHH!!!” (I guess I must do this, because she is constantly imitating me! It is a little humbling having a mini-me running around the house, repeating everything I say & do!)

If you ask Mara what she wants for breakfast, she may say “biggle” [bagel], “fensh toas” [french toast], or “cereal” (which includes any sugar-related cereal).

At breakfast, Micah is sitting on my lap eating his prunes-applesauce-rice-cereal goulash while Mara sits in her highchair eating her toast & “lelly” [jelly]. Micah often smiles these huge cheek-splitting smiles, which Mara attempts to imitate by crinkling her eyes, opening her mouth as wide as possible and sticking out her tongue. This normally isn’t a problem, but when she’s eating breakfast, it’s just gross. So I said, “Mara–no crazy faces.” And she looked very serious and said, “ON-ly Micah daisy phases.” Yes, Mara, only Micah. . .

After breakfast Mara helps put away the clean silverware from the dishwasher. “Knifffes!” she says excitedly. After all, this is the only time she’s allowed to touch the knives! And then she will say “Mara work! ‘fore Daddy come home!” Because I often say, “Mommy has a lot of work to do before Daddy comes home.” So I guess this is the work Mara has to do–before Daddy comes home. 🙂

Mara always gets Nerds candy (her favorite being, of course, perkle nerds) if she goes in the potty. This morning when I came out of the bathroom, Mara said, “Mommy! Poop in potty! Mommy get nerds!”

She wants music playing at ALL times. If it’s not, she will ask: “Moo-mih? Moo-mih?” and anytime any sort of upbeat music is playing, she will come to me with sparkling eyes and arms outstretched saying, “Less DANTZ!” She LOVES to dance!

At lunch, I’m watching a vine with 3 grapes on it canter across Mara’s highchair tray, as she narrates: “Lip-lop, lip-lop, lip-lop. . .”? Then suddenly one grape breaks free with Mara’s help and does a complete flip!

“‘nastics!” Mara explains, almost as if I might not have understood what was going on. Yes, Mara, your grape is doing gymnastics. . . Then she tries to re-attach the grape to the stem. . . Now she is taking each “arm” of her broccoli spear, saying, “Brocky Dantzing!”

Darla gave Mara a little tiny doll named “Joy,” and Daniel’s mom gave Mara some Patch the Pirate CDs for Christmas. She loves the doll and she loves to listen to the CDs as well! The song was playing “He gives me joy! He gives me joy–eternal joy!” and Mara looked up and said “Dah-lah give ME Joy!” She’ll understand when she’s older. . .

This is Mara’s answer to anything broken: “Buy new.”

Every night after brushing her teeth with her Hello Kitty toothbrush, she hands me her toothbrush and says: “Nite-nite toothbrush. Nite-nite kitty.” 🙂

Then I carry her to her crib where she lays down, always with “pink bear.” “Back,” she says, and lays him on his tummy, patting his back. Then, if I should happen to forget the pink blanket: “Binket! Binket! pink Binket!” Sometimes she asks for “perkle bear” or “lah-loh bear,” and now after Christmas “blue bear.” (Wow, it’s hard to keep up with all her bears!)

We pray together every night. And every night she says “Pay. Nur-CHEE!” [Pray nursery.] So we thank God for the nice friends she has in the nursery and the kind people who help her there so Mommy and Daddy can listen to the sermon. Most nights she will also add, “Pay. Frenn Micah!” So we pray and thank God for her friend Micah. 🙂

On Friday after Christmas, Daniel’s family went out to eat at a restaurant downtown. Since I had the flu, Micah & I stayed home. Mara told me about it when she came back, “Daddy, ice keem! Daddy fensh fies!” Apparently they had ice cream and french fries for dinner. . . That night she was very tired! So tired, in fact, that she didn’t even ask to pray for the nursery! (This is a first in weeks! I was truly surprised.) Instead, she said “Pay Ice Keem! Pay frensh fies!” and Daddy said, “Yes, we can thank God for the ice cream and the french fries.” 🙂

Last week I went to her crib one afternoon to get her, and she was singing, “a-MAAA-zee DACE. Owww SWEEE sowwww. SAVE ret wike MEE. Once Lost now FOUN. Blind NOWW i SEEEEE.” I think this will be one of my all-time favorite memories. She has been singing “Amazing Grace” all week, and sometimes she attempts the 3rd verse too.

I was truly amazed that she knew essentially the entire 1st verse of the song by memory! My prayer is that God will reveal to her His amazing grace at an early age, and she will give Him her life!