maya can read

Maya just read her first book tonight.

And I loved listening to every word of it, "Best Friends," a Scholastic "BOB" book.



"Sally, a circle, was best friends with a square named Seth.
Wherever Sally went, Seth went too.
Whatever Sally liked, Seth liked too...."


We giggled together in shock and delight after every completed page. When we finished, she fell asleep fast... and happily, proud of her exhausting accomplishment.

Every time I watched her mouth moving...sounding out words, her eyes scanning the page, searching for clues in the pictures, her quiet voice, focused...re-reading the previous words to find context...I was in awe of this process.

It felt like magic.

"hey, Elmo?"

"...um, I have you up in my room. And you're a doll...like in my bed...and um...Elmo? you're a doll."


He didn't reply...the DVD just continued....and he kept right on singing. I'm not sure if she was surprised or disappointed or if it was exactly as she expected...he is after all, a doll.

While putting pajamas on a Halloween-candy-sugared-up "Cinderella" Sophia...

...she pretends to be already asleep and rolls over on the floor.

Me: Oh Sophie's asleep!
Sophie: I'm dead.
Me: Oh no!
Sophie: A mean Cinderella got me dead.
Me: A mean Cinderella?
Sophie: Mm hm. I'm an ACORN!!
A chocolate ACORN!!
And you are my muddah...okay? I'm da baby acorn...(makes little "ee ee" baby...acorn? noises) and you are my muddah.

reading with Sophie

Sophie has always loved books. Since she was very little, she would sneak off to her bedroom and sit in the corner behind her door, quietly "reading" amidst the pile of books freshly pulled from her shelf. The first time I found her there, my heart melted. I hope her love for reading is a part of Sophie's life forever.
Over the last few months, she's really developed her storytelling skills. She picks up book after book, "reading" out loud. Her plots are always different and surprising...and so fun to hear (if you are lucky enough to hear one...she usually reads quite softly). Sometimes her version of the story includes quotes from the text, and sometimes the story is similar to the author's version, but usually she just makes it up fresh each time. Every once in a while she invites us to listen, and we might hear something like this...
"O-tay. You weddy? I'll weed dis one to you. It's about...ummm....a littow duck....otay. you weddy? ....Once upon a time, day was a litto duck....enn...he said, "Hi Momma...I wanna doe swing, otay?" Enn da Momma said, "NO. You tant!" enn he cwide and cwide...enn his Momma said..."otay. You CAN!" It's otay. Don't cwy! You tan! Yo Momma said you TAN! Dee END."

Last night, after we finished Sleeping Beauty (for the 8th night in a row) she wanted to read Scuffy the Tugboat to me in bed. This time, the "story" turned into a teaching moment...

Sophie: "Otay Momma. Way da tugboat?"
Me: (pointing to the tuboat)
Sophie: "Good. Way da guys?"
Me: (pointing to the guys in the picture)
Sophie: "Good. Way da twees?"
Me: (pointing to the trees)
Sophie: "Good Momma! Good girl! Way da houses?..."

I can save da day!

Maya was desperate to find her little dollhouse baby. She was certain she had brought it downstairs last night. She checked all over...in the window sill...all over the living room, the kitchen. No dollhouse baby. "Momma can you look for her while I go potty? It's that little one, you know, the orange baby...the one from your dollhouse. Will you look for her?? I can't find her ANYwhere!"

Sophie: (still at the table, finishing her breakfast) Maya, I can help you. I can save da day!

Maya: Oh, Sophie. (shaking her head)

Sophie: (earnest and persistent) I can! I can help you. I'll save da day!!

Maya: (very condescendingly with some frustration) Sophie, you CAN't save the day! It's not like...we're super! It's not like we're superheros or anything!

one of my favorite sounds

Sophie's happy sleepy voice. (while laying on her pillow tonight...)

"Mama, I yun-you-a hole my hee-ann." (translation: Mama, I want you to hold my hand.)

It's impossible to resist. So I hold her tiny fingers...all wrapped around my thumb. For a long while. And all the time I'm thinking about how lucky I am...how fleeting and wonderful is this moment.

And when I finally say, "okay, Sophie, it's time to go to sleep now"...

...and she says, "Mama, hole my hee-ann peas?"...

...and I say, "I will, Sophie..in the morning when you wake up."

...she just flutters her sleepy eyes, smiles and sighs, "okay."


Sometimes, bed time is perfect.

Our car ride was getting really loud...

All the way home from Nana's house, Sophie just kept yelling...not words really. Some singing, some shouting silly nonsense...just yelling.

Maya was getting fed up.

She asked nicely. She yelled louder. She shouted angrily.

Then.

She had a better idea.

"Here Sophie, put this [small piece of paper] over your mouth....then you won't be so loud."

The giggling Sophie complied, saying "okay" and using both hands to hold the paper against her mouth. Then, she just yelled some more...though the sound was a bit muffled.