Played with Sunflower

Zing, Zing, Zing

Okay, so I haven't painted with her yet, but I have been more intentional about playing with her the last few days--reading, coloring, sitting on the floor playing with the play food, that kind of stuff.  Today's play of choice was a little more dangerous!


"Mama, play night-night!"

"Okay!"  This sounds easy, all I have to do is lie down in my bed and close my eyes, right?  But I do not have a daughter that can sit still for even one minute.  Zing-zing-zing--that describes Sunflower.

As I try to hug her--"Mama, MOVE Arm!"

We lie quietly side by side for a whole 30 seconds, then zing!  She sits up and bonks my nose with her head so hard I actually start to cry.  She doesn't notice.  She is on the other side of the bed trying to get more covers.


"MomMY!"  I wish you could hear the authoritative demand in her voice full with indignation that I am not doing what she wants.

"Oh,  you want the covers higher up so we can cover our heads."  Really not the safest plan since it prevents me from being able to see which direction each arm, each leg and the head is planning to zing next. 

"Ouch!"  She pulled out a chunk of my hair when she decides she wanted to switch pillows with me.

Is it 12:30 yet?  Can I feed her lunch and put her down for nap?  No.  Only noon.  Keep playing.  So I persist.  Partly because there is something nice about lying in bed under the down comforter in the middle of the day, even if the bed behaves more like a raft on a wild river.  Mostly because it is an investment in my child; in the connection my child will have with me--needs to have with me, the connection I want to have with her.

I am glad I persist.  The next head bonk connects only with my eye and stops smarting much sooner than the nose (the nose still kind of hurts).  She stands on the bed and jumps while looking at me through toy binoculars.  Then flings the binoculars around my head, only pulling a few more hairs, and waves at me looking at her through the binoculars from different places on the bed.  Zing, zing, zing.

"MomMY!"  Oops, I look through them the wrong direction or take them from my eyes to see all of her.

More bounces, more smiles, more stomping on Mama's legs.

"Look, Mama! Two B's!"  The binoculars have the name BackYard Barnyard on them.  She points to the B's while kneeing my stomach.  Maybe her babble means something else, but it really seems clear to me.  She puts her tiny little finger directly on the B of Backyard.

"Oh, Look!  It is 12:50.  Time for lunch and nap."

"No. Snack!  More cake, please!  No nap!"

"Yes, Nap.  Mama needs a real night-night.  Night-Night, sweetheart."

"Night-Night, Mama."

As I close her bedroom door and limp down the hall, "MomMY!"

Watch Out World, Here She Comes!