The significance of "them" and "f"

Odd title, right? It has good meaning...bear with me. This post is going to be all about my sweet 3 year old, my little "C."

Since turning 3 back in April, I have realized that she is not at all a toddler anymore - she is officially a preschooler...and a very smart one at that. If you didn't know C was only 3 (and that she had really just recently turned 3) you would think she was somewhat older. Her vocabulary is amazing. She speaks as clearly as you and I and picks up on things very quickly. She recognizes roads and intersections as well as many businesses that we frequently visit. She knows how to play "Duck Duck Goose," "Red Rover, Red Rover," "Ring around the Rosy," and "Hide and "bo" Seek."

She knows all the letters in the alphabet and can recognize them and name them whenever she sees words...on signs, on a menu, in a book. She also recognizes her numbers up to 10. She recently surprised me by counting to 5 in Spanish with pretty good accuracy. She also pointed out that something was "azul" ("blue"...in Spanish) in Target the other day. Her newest interest is learning the sounds that the letters make. She is frequently asking me, "what letter says mmmmm?" or "what says eeeeee?" I will admit my favorite was, "what says, duba, duba, duba?" Hmmmm...I had to think about that one. I then realized she thought "W" sounded like "duba" since we pronounce it "double U." So funny! Oh , and lastly, she can draw a smiley face and can write about half the letters in the alphabet.

She is clearly no longer a toddler. She is 3 and she is headed to preschool in the Fall. The C that I interact with acts like a 5 year old (at least) most of the time. She helps me with D by entertaining him when I need her to and by feeding him Gerber puffs when I am getting our food prepared. She can also determine what ingredients are in brownies or a cake by looking at the pictures on the back of the boxed mix...and she can crack an egg (Thank you Omi for teaching her that one!). With all that being said, it's often difficult to remember that she is "only 3." She does still occasionally throw a temper tantrum and cry when she does not get her way. She still makes a pretty good size crumby mess at the table when she eats and still spills her drink every once in a while. These things are "normal" for a 3 year old, but sometimes seem out of sorts for my little smarty pants. I have to remember that she is not 5 and that she will at times still completely act her age and that this is normal.

So, now to the title of my blog post. These are the things that remind me C is still little. See, my little girl speaks very clearly and correctly about 99% of the time. However, every time she should use the word, "they," she says, "them." Every time. As in, "Them are so cute," or "Them have toys!", or "Do them have toys?" Now, I rarely, if ever, correct her. My husband does...I just always enjoy hearing her "be little." See, to me, this is a small reminder that she is still little - she is not a big girl and should not be expected to speak correctly 100% of the time. Now to the "f" - this is simple. She cannot figure out how to say the "th" sound, so everywhere you would have a "th," she says the "f" sound. As in our friend that we visited today, "Befany."

I write about these things because I know that C is getting older. I know she is so very ready for preschool in the Fall. She is already remembering her Bible stories and wanting to read more. She will tell you that "God LOVES us" (with enthusiasm!) and that "Jesus died for me." Today she prayed at dinner like usual, but in addition to, "God, thank you for the food. I love you. amen"...she then stuttered a bit and added, "God, help all the people in the world. I love you. amen."Her favorite story is how Jesus walked on the water and that is inevitably what bible story she wants to start with when we sit down to read her "picture bible." She is ready to learn at her Biblically based preschool. She is like a little sponge right now.

But... she is still little...and she just needed me to lay with her for a minute or two to snuggle before she fell asleep :-) Now I should head to bed as well because I know "them" will be up bright and early!

Hmm...I just realized when she says, "Thank you" she does use the "th" sound....so maybe its harder to say when its in the middle of a word??? I know know!