Sunday Snapshot {Kylie}

Kylie. Kylie Baozhen M_____ to be exact (she'll correct you if she's in the mood). My first child.

Placed in my arms four days before she turned 11 months. She had my heart from the first second I held her.

Early on she was all pink and hairbows, but since her little brother has come home, she's a fun blend of "girly girl" and "tomboy." As in she likes to sport lots of pink, purple, and bling BUT play with construction truck toys and dirt.

From the moment that she finally transitioned from the awkward toddler loping gate to running, she's hopped, skipped, and galloped her way through life. And climbed. Did I mention climbed?

I suppose that the day will come when she thinks differently, but right now Daddy is the strongest man on Earth, and his arms are the safest place to jump. She pouts when he leaves for work in the mornings, reminds me hundreds of times throughout the day that she misses him, and runs for the door when he gets home.

Her smile can light up a room. Thankfully, her disposition is such that it usually does. There aren't too many things that set her into "grumpus mode." There's the expected catalysts of bad moods ~ not enough rest, low blood sugar, little brother messing with her stuff, etc...
And then there's the "sock/tights issue." Apparently Ky has some hypersensitivity to the seams of socks along her toes. And we live in a climate such that socks are necessary several months of the year. (This has been one of my strongest arguments toward moving to "year round flip-flop climate" ~ you've not seen a fit until you've seen a "Kylie sock issue special...") Any suggestions here would be most welcome!


She can do anything that she puts her mind to doing. This includes physical challenges as well as mental ones. This kid remembers everything that she hears and sees. EVERYTHING! I'm amazed sometimes at how she'll parrot back details about an event or pieces of conversations from months before. She also pulls bits of stories together in the most amazing way, the other night tying the stepsisters from Cinderella (that she had seen the previous week) and a character from her most recent library book together. Her character analysis and comparison were spot on. I love watching her little mind in action. If only she'd care just a smidge about writing her letters...

And yet there is still such a sweet toddler innocence about her. The need for lots and lots of snuggle time, hugs and kisses. Which of course her daddy and I are happy to oblige.

She loves her brother. They do have their squabbles, but usually she is checking to make sure that he is nearby. On the way to the park, I typically overhear a conversation that ends with, "Well Caleb, if you are lonely on the playground, or if some other kids are not being nice to you, then you come get me and I'll take care of you."
There was also the other day when Caleb had to go to the "Thinking Chair" at preschool and therefore didn't get his after school treat. Kylie couldn't stand to see her brother in tears and offered to share hers with him. And there were marshmallows in the treat bag! That's sibling love!
And yesterday we spent a little mommy/daughter shopping time at Target to get a few more things for the "China trip list." She pulled money out of her piggy bank to buy herself something from the dollar spot. While we were shopping she saw some stickers and said, "Caleb would love these," to which I responded, "Yes, he would, but I'm not spending any money in the dollar spot today." Then my sweet girl decided to spend one of her own dollars to buy him the stickers. Wish you could have seen the smile on her face when the cashier rang them up!

She's so forgiving. Recently we had several days in the upper 60s followed by a morning in the lower 30s. I failed to check the weather and sent both kids to school in light jackets. When I picked them up I asked about their day. Kylie responds, "Well, it was a pretty good day, but I was REALLY cold on the playground today." I felt like such a horrible mom and apologized. Kylie said, "It's okay Mommy, I know you didn't mean to, but could you try to do better next time?"

When we're walking, she's usually in front of the rest of us. I have a feeling that it reflects a bit of her personality. Sometimes her desire to be a leader causes conflict with friends, but we think that her resolve will work to her advantage one day. I suspect that we'll see her creating her own path in the future.

She's my first. I was smitten on day one!



Check out some other Sunday Snapshots or play along over at Ni Hao Y'all.