“What a nice day!” Girlie seems thankful to be out of the house and alone with me in the car. Even though we’re only going to Target to stock up on baby supplies, our errand is an exciting adventure. I turn off the radio.
“You’re right! It’s beautiful out. I don’t see any dark clouds in the sky.”
“I’d like to eat a cloud!” Girlie chuckles.
“Actually, clouds are made of frozen water droplets. They’re where we get our rain from.” I am a good science teacher, but I have broken her playful mood.
“Rain makes everything grow.” Girlie keeps up her end of the conversation, repeating a line from a favorite book of ours, Katie and the Sunflowers.
I’m trying quickly to think of some fun way to describe a cloud. “Actually, clouds kinda look like cotton candy!”
“What’s cotton candy?”
“It’s like eating a cotton ball. It tastes very sweet.”
“Is it your favorite?”
“Nooo… it’s a little too sweet for me. We’ll have to get some for you so you can try it. They have it at the State fair. We’ll go there in August, after the baby is born and after your birthday.”
“Okay. What color is it?’
“I think it comes in pink and blue.”
“Do they have purple?”
“I don’t think so. I’ve never seen it in purple. I know it comes in pink and blue. It comes on a paper stick. Remember the swords we made at preschool out of rolled up newspaper? That’s how the stick looks.”
“I would like the purple,” Girlie says with determination. She sucks on her thumb audibly like she is tasting something for the first time and isn’t sure whether or not she likes it.
“How do you eat it?”
“You take a bite and it melts in your mouth. It dissolves. It feels kind of … papery in your mouth.”
“Oh. Like eating paper?”
“Nooo… it melts in your mouth … kinda like ice cream.”
“Oh.” She sucks her thumb contentedly … now satisfied.
About a week later we see a picture of cotton candy in a book we are careening through before naptime.
“Look! That’s cotton candy!” I point.
Girlie sucks her thumb, tired from the day at preschool. She has apparently forgotten all about cotton candy.
Oh well. I am glad that it appears likely that she actually will nap this afternoon.
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This is so sweet, Laura. I love those early days when everything is so new to our "babies." They really remind us to look at and pay attention to all those things we've long taken for granted, don't they? Your conversation here with your daughter about clouds and cotton candy (I am envious that she *doesn't* yet know what it is!) shows that innocence so nicely.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your nice note earlier. I'm both flattered and embarrassed that your husband might be reading my blog! ha ha. A friend of mine recently asked me for my URL, and said, "My [teenage] son will enjoy it too!", not knowing completely what I write about ;-)
Thanks for your comment about this post, Cecilia. I've been thinking it was kind of a bum post. It's so hard to accurately convey conversation. I'm taking the liberty of working on that here. I've enjoyed many of the recreations of conversations with your son and husband that you've done on your blog.
ReplyDeleteI actually sneak off to read your blog when my kids are watching TV!
Your comment has given me incentive to post again soon.