Little Coffee Beans

heart. melt.

One of Zinnia's favorite books is Guess How Much I Love You. She loves playing along with little nutbrown hare as he stretches his arms out wide and proclaims his love for big nutbrown hare. It's such a sweet story, and those last two pages are the best: "I love you right up to the moon - and back."

Recently, she's learned how to sign I LOVE... "Mama", "Dada" or whomever it is that she's expressing her affection for. It's the sweetest thing to not only hear, but to see her sign the sentiment. And following the lead of little nutbrown hare, she's begun stretching her arms out wide adding, "THIS much!"

Major. Heart. Melt.

A few days ago, Steve was changing her diaper and I could hear the two of them talking. I think they were going back and forth about who was putting on the butt cream. Zinnia quieted down as Steve fastened the diaper cover. After a moment of silence, I heard her say, "I love small baby THIS much!" 

I was blown away. Sure, we talk about the small baby often enough and she's felt him kick, but I wonder how much sense she really makes of it all. We look at her birth pictures and talk about the day she came out of Mama's belly and how happy we were to hold her, and kiss her. She asks if she can hold the small baby. And she thinks there's a small baby in her belly, too. I think what really touched me is the fact that, on her own, she was not only thinking of the baby, she was feeling love for him.

I already know I'll look back on these days of watching her slowly become a big sister as some of my favorite memories. 

{cheap} books

I love thrifting for used books. Especially children's books. Zinnia and I scored yesterday at the local thrift store and walked away with ten books (seven for her and three for me) for $6.00.

Her most common request is to "reeeeaad?" And read we do. Sometimes for hours at a time. I keep up a rotation with what's on our book case. It's too overwhelming to her to have more than ten or so to choose from at any given time, and the end result of too many books on display is that they just get thrown all over the living room. Every so often I'll bring out new ones and replace the ones that I'm...tired of reading  ahem,  needing a break from. It'll be a while I expect before we're using the library more because my girl isn't exactly gentle with her books. We may or may not have many a book with taped bindings, missing pages, chewed up corners and some that are just plain loved to death. And so it goes in the life of a new reader. 

Of the seven just for her, Zinnia is most enthralled by Alona Frankel's Once Upon a Potty. She is really into all things poop these days and can not get her fill of watching little Prudence make a poo poo on the toilet.

Alright-ie friends, off to start my day. By the state of my living room at the moment you'd think that I have at least three children. 

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