oh, three...

Three. What a great age to be. Most of the time. I must say that I am enjoying it a lot these days. I really just love hearing the things that come out of Jacob's mouth, the things he mimics (ok, I don't love all the things he mimics), the things he thinks about. Here are some recent conversations or experiences for you to enjoy on this Friday afternoon.

J: How about this compromise? Mommy does bath and Daddy does bed?

J: (about part of a cookie) It looks like a chair with people in it reading to a child.

As we're playing Sorry, he gets two one's in a row and exclaims, "One again? Dammit!" (I mentioned the mimicking....).

J: Mommy say the different Uni states.

J: (as he's putting together his little Lego set, almost by himself, mind you) It has three wheels? Are you kidding? (I swear he sounded just like an 8 year old with this one and the inflection in his voice)

He "made" me a "bacon corn sandwich" for "an after meal sweet" the other day, which made his daddy proud. He also told me I had to eat it in the dining room because "it was crumby".

We've read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory twice now and are almost through for a third time. He asked to have it in his bed last night so he could read it before going to sleep. He calls me in, as usual, with, "Mommy, I have a question." 
Me: Yes?
J: This is not chapter 1.
M: I know, it's chapter 21. A 2 and a 1 together like that means 21.
J: I thought you said it was chapter 1.
M: Sorry, no.
J: It only has four pages!
M: Oh, you're right. Okay, you only have a bit longer to read before lights out.
J: I love you so, so, so, so, so, so, so much, Mommy. I love you.... eight.... I'm going to count. One, I love. Two, I love. Three, I love. Four, I love. Five, I love. Six, I love. Seven, I love. Eight, I love.
M: Wow. I feel very loved after that. Thank you.

J: Look at that crazy contraption. (He says this about many things that look... like contraptions)

As we're brushing teeth one night:
J: Look at my loose tooth. (One of our neighbour's kids has a loose tooth)
M: Oh, wow, yeah. I see it in there. Do you have a loose tooth like Riley?
J:  Yeah. Why can I not see her loose tooth when she opens her jaws?
M: (laughing) Her tooth is just a little bit loose so it's still hard to see it move.


When he counts, he can get to 29, but he almost always skips 15 and 20. 


He loves to go into the craft drawers and get out all sorts of stuff for a craft project: pipe cleaners, paint, sequins, glue, markers, scissors, puffballs. The craft just consists of getting any or all of these things onto some paper. For me at first, I thought, there needs to be some sort of end goal. Then I realized that the whole experience was the end goal.


J: That's so hu-massive. (huge-massive)

Jacob has asked a lot about spirits and ghosts and what they are. I'm not sure exactly where this came from but probably a book. He's asked me what a spirit is and I've told him it's what's left after someone dies.
J: Am I going to die someday?
M: (gulp) Well, yes. Not for a very, very, very long time, though.
J: Are you and Daddy going to die?
M: Someday.
J: I don't want to die. I don't want you and Daddy to die.
M: I know, sweetie. And we won't for a long, long, long, looooong time. It's not something we have to worry about now. (Definitely no good way to answer this one. Not without lying.)

M: I'm tired of all this baloney!
J: (laughing) What? Baloney?!
M: I mean, I'm tired of all this goofing around.
 
I love this age because Jacob is so aware and yet, not fully self-conscious yet. He says what he's thinking or what he observes which makes his statements profoundly true. I love that the world is such a fun place for him and that he's curious about all of it, especially anything that looks like a ball track, conveyor belt, pendulum switch or gondola. And I love it because he still loves me unabashedly, unconditionally and whole-heartedly (which I know, someday, might not be so obvious). It's fun, and I am so grateful to be able to be here with him during these days.