I'm sitting here in the "study" on a mattress trying to avoid my chocolate craving by eating a bowl of fruit which is very lekker! I've just put the kids to sleep for their midday nap. 5 minutes after doing that I can hear those little feet walking down the passage on the wooden floor. Tip tip tip....
Me: "Josephine, go straight back to bed!"
Josephine: gives up on her secret walk and comes sprinting into the room saying "Mamma! I just need to go to da toilet!!! Don't tell me to go back to bed when I need da toilet!" (all with her cute, little girl musical voice)
Me: "Ok, come let's go."
...so off we go.
...while she's sitting on the loo, I'm stroking her back ...
"Mamma, when I get big I will LET my little gerl (girl) go to da toilet. I won't tell her to go to bed. She CAN go. Dat wasn't vewy kind of you, Mamma."
Other words:
"Difficult" = DICCIFULT
"Mamma, dats just too diccifult to me." ;-)
"Houla Hoop" = LOOLA LOOP. (When you hear it you think...yes, I know what she's saying, but something is wrong with that word!?)
General:
Josephine loves climbing. She's always climbing to the top of anything and everything. She really loves it.
She also likes building things: she enjoys playing with lego and is very creative.
She likes taking on the roles of some book/tv heros. Today she's Tommy Zoom.
She is very affectionate and gentle. Busy, active, sporty, but in a peaceful/controlled kind of way.
She likes being at home and is totally sick of going to grocery stores. I always need bribery of some sort for that.
She's actually a fast runner. She really loves it and when her friends come to visit she tries to get them into our nearly empty lounge to "get fit". "Come! Let's go get fit! Let's go do some exercises! Come!!"
When she runs around a corner, she steers her body with her head. Her legs are kind of still going straight, but she turns her head and then starts leaning her upper body into the curve so that her legs are finally forced to follow. A kind of inertia. Quite amusing!
I don't think she's looking forward to starting kindergarten. She says "Mamma, I just want to stay at home wif you and Evie." (in a sad, pleading kind of tone) Aw....maybe I'll send her just 3 days a week (Tue, Wed, Thur or so?)
She loves challenging moves with her body: tries headstands, handstands, cartwheels, does forward rolls, half backward rolls, jumps, plays very beautifully with a hulla loop.
She loves helping me at home - loves spraying foamy spray to clean the kitchen table. Even helps vacuuming. And it's her job to keep the shoes at the front door all nicely lined up.
She does also like to make a mess. She may be looking for a tiny thing in a big bucket and will without first trying to find it, immediately tip the WHOLE lot out saying "Don't wowwy (worry) Mamma. I going to pick it up when I finished. Don't wowwy." (saying it very assuringly to calm me down) ....but she seldom picks it up. In fact, when I remind her to pick it up I'm often greeted with "Dat's your job Mamma. You can do it! (like a sport's coach/cheerleader on the side).
She likes vintage cars. And some days she likes "massive" cars.
She likes to sit in the pram! After the first 2 years of her life of NOT wanting to sit in a pram/carseat, it's a welcome break especially when I just want to fly somewhere asap.
She still loves baking. Licking out the bowl at the end is her highlight. And she likes decorating the biscuits with different things. She's experimenting. Sometimes banana toppings, sometimes marshmallows.
Yesterday, she fell in the loo. She still has to hold on tight so she doesn't fall in, and well, yesterday she got distracted. Wasn't too bad as it had flushed.
She's very caring when other people are sad/hurt. She will go over (with only a very small hint of encouragement from me) and hug them or bring them a toy.
She's also quite confident. Shy, but confident if there ever was such a mix. She's timid with new little kids, but goes up to them with her head tipped lower and walking slower and stretches out her hand with a toy in it for them. Usually they light up and then she gets her encouragement. And then sometimes, even if it's just for a minute, they play a bit together. And she regularly goes back to that child to bring them things during play.
She's very affectionate towards Evie - most times unless she needs "space" while playing a "big girls game" and doesn't want Evie's little fingers to take / destroy something she's busy with.
She's extremely protective of Evie, especially when we're away from home. She's constantly trying to get Evie's attention then. Evie is in this moment so stimulated by a new surrounding that she wants to go in the opposite direction. Josephine's feelings often get hurt then.
Josephine is also very obedient. She's just got that personality and we are grateful. It's nothing we do, and of course, she's not perfect and there are times where she gets her smack bottoms or other training. But generally, she's polite and obedient. I really feel PROUD to take her ANYWHERE. She's my star. I really love her.
