singing voices

I'll admit it - I'm a car singer. I don't even care if I'm traveling with other people, if a song comes on that I like - or even just happen to know the words - I'm singing along like I'm the next big star.

This has apparently rubbed off on Ada. Although she doesn't seem to care if it is a song on the radio or a song in her head. She hears music and she is singing.

Tonight as we drove home from work/school she asked me to sing a couple of songs with her. As we were belting out our version of the ABC's - way off key and a little loud - Ada piped up: "Rockstars sing really loud, so if I sing really loud I'm a rockstar" (the volume took an even louder turn). Next she piped up with: "When girls sing with their eyes closed they sing loud". I'm only guessing that she had her eyes closed because the volume once again hit a new level. I was eventually saved by a phone call (thank you built in Bluetooth) otherwise I'm not sure I'd have a voice left.

Fast forward to later in the night as we drove home from my soccer game. Ada starts to sing "The wheels on the bus" with what can only be described as the most interesting crowd ever present on a bus. She had an alligator, a bear, a wizard, a Daddy (who reads), a Mommy (who shushes), a baby, a big girl (who plays), and a Dinosaur. Until suddenly in the middle of the dinosaur stomp stomp stomping, Ada stops mid stanza with a request: "Can we turn on the radio? Loud?"

Apparently everyone is a critic.

rain

We have had a lot of rain in San Diego lately. And by a lot, I mean about a fifth of what Seattle and Vancouver normally get.

Ada has noticed the rain and is a little perplexed. Almost every night this week we've had the following conversation:

Ada: "Why is it raining"

Either Elliot or I: "Well the clouds were full so they are letting out some water to make more room."

"Why?"

"Well the sun shines on the water and brings it up into the sky, and the clouds can only hold so much water."

"Why?"

"Well, they are only so big. Plus the water helps things grow."

(after a series of other Why questions)

Ada: "But why is it raining in San Diego? It rains a lot in Seattle, but not in San Diego."

I swear, we aren't brainwashing her.

oh isn't that cute

Ada's class has started to take field trips to the local library every week where the kids get to pick out a book to bring home for the week. This week Ada brought home a book of baby animals with a picture of baby Cheetah on the front. As we were driving home from school the other night Ada was quietly "reading" through her library book as Elliot and I chatted about our days.

Then all of a sudden we heard a very adult little voice coming from the back. You could hear her turn the page and then say, "Oh isn't that cute". Page flip "Oh how cute!". Page flip, and so on.

Turns out she picked up the baby animal book because it was "Cute". I'm sensing a new phase in our lives.

At least it will be... Cute.

just like each other

The other day Ada and I were hanging out in the front seat of the car and she was showing me all of the scrapes on her legs. After pointing out three nice ones on her shin she turned to me and said, "I'm just like you mommy, we both have a lot of scrapes on our legs." So true.

And before I could add anything to her little discovery, she said, "I'm also just like Daddy. We have the same boobies. Little ones. "

negotiations

As a parent 'Teachable Moments' come along almost every hour. I'm a dork. I love these moments. Which means that I often see a chance to teach something to Ada that most parents wouldn't think of teaching a four year old. Our daily subtraction lessons are some of my favorite moments (and Ada's as well since it involves eating yummy things) and to give Ada credit she often puts up with my absurd exuberance around seemingly mundane activities, playing along, because apparently Mommy isn't such a big fan of "Princess Froggie" but LOVES to play "School".

Well last night as we loaded up the car to head out to the grocery store I laid the plan out for Ada. First we were going to do our grocery shopping, and then after that we were going to fill up our water jugs. To which Ada flatly replied, "How about we fill up the water jugs first and then go shopping." It is worded like a question, but really it was a statement, Ada's way of stamping her full control on the family activity. And if you think about it, that change didn't really matter, we were going to do both either way and the order doesn't really matter. However, it was at this moment that I thought "Ah, teachable moment, let's start her training in negotiation" (I know, what the heck was I thinking). Here is how that conversation went:

"How about we fill up the water jugs first, and then go shopping."

"Well, I'm open to negotiate that"

"What?"

"Negotiate, it means to offer an alternative with conditions attached"

"Huh?"

(Elliot stepping in) "Well you could say, If we fill up the water jugs first, then I'll sit quietly in the cart while we shop, or I'll eat all of my dinner.. get it?"

"Oh, yeah..."

(back to me) "Ok, so what are you going to offer up as a concession in the negotiations?"

"Huh"

"What are you going to trade for filling up the water first?"

"Oh.. (very confidently) I'll eat all of my dinner."

(Seeing an opportunity to flip the negotiations around) "OK, we are having avocado for dinner" (Ada hates avocado)

"No, I'll have something different"

"Dinner isn't negotiable, we are having avocado"

"But I don't like avocado, why would you make me have avocado"

(Elliot helping out again) "Why don't you offer an alternative dinner?"

"Umm"

(back to me) "OK, how about we have salmon and spinach for dinner?"

(Getting the hang of this negotiation thing) "Well, how about broccoli and salmon"

"You got it, but you have to eat everything that we put on your plate. If you don't then you have to sleep on the bottom bunk and go to bed early"

"OK" (confident that she could handle both salmon and broccoli)

At this point, I thought to myself, I could push this further and pile on a whole lot of both to her plate just to teach her that she has to be aware of all parameters of the negotiation (I'm such a mean mom). And just as I was finishing this thought Ada piped up with, "OK, but it has to be a whole lot of salmon and just a little of broccoli."

It was as if she had read my mind. AND she totally figured out the whole negotiating thing, at least in that instance. I love watching Ada actually get something like this. You can almost see the light bulb on top of her head.

Of course I'll regret this day somewhere down the line when Ada turns these skills on me while we battle out her teenage years. If last night is any indication - I'm screwed..

back when I was three...

As the world all knows, Ada turned four this past August. We made a big deal about this around our house - mostly so we could use it to guilt her into doing things she was a 'little bit nervous about', like going potty by herself, or turning on the lights in her room, fetching a fork from the kitchen on her own.. you know the basic things in life.

Well we apparently made such a big deal about this milestone in her life that Ada has now put down three as an anchor point in her life.

I'm sure behavioral scientists or childhood developmental experts would have some sort of explanation for this, like she is hitting some sort of normal developmental milestone. How boring...

Me, I like to think about the world that just opened up in her mind. Imagine not having a reference point in life, everything just goes together, and you know you are getting better, or that you are going through something for the second or third time but you can't really place it. And then all of a sudden you have a stake in the ground, a reference point. For a kid who goes through life observing and filing away data like it is chocolate bars, I can only imagine how exciting this clarity was to her little mind.

And she isn't afraid to tell us about it either...

"Back when I was three I was in the monkey class"

We went to Sea World and she said "We came her before, back when I was three"

We took a trip to Saskatchewan and she said "I was here before, back when I was three"

We go out to eat and she says, "I had the chicken nuggets here, back when I was three"

She found her Elmo legos amongst her toys, she says "Hey, I got this for Christmas, back when I was three."

Ada's commentary on life is pretty much non-stop and these jaunts back into her early childhood are some of the most endearing parts.