Claire Speaks.

I think 2014 is going to be a year of change in many ways in our household.  Most notably, with a conflicted heart, we are starting to watch the metamorphosis of Claire from toddler to full-fledged little girl.  Over the past month, I have frequently been away from home, which means I have also frequently been away from the girls.  I am lucky to say that the nights I have spent away from my children have typically been few and far between, so this was a shock to my system.  When we were happily reunited, I was struck by how much more Claire is talking.  All of sudden, opinions are expressed, feelings are made known, and demands are presented in complete sentences.  On Christmas morning, upon retrieving the CCS from her crib, I said “Merry Christmas, Claire,” to which she responded, “Santa Claus gimme my presents (pronounced pwesents)?”  I have a sneaking suspicion that for last 2.5 years I have been living in a blissful haven of ignorance because, although I have suspected, I have not definitively known what Claire is thinking.  This morning, after dropping the AJS at school, I asked Claire if she would like to go to school one day.  CCS’ response: “I don’t want to go to school.  I want to go to City Bites.”  I am not sure there is a more honest human than a two-year-old.  Last week, after I was fully dressed for the day, Claire waltzed into my closet and said “Mommy, you get ready?  I like your pretty jammies. Mommy, your hair dirty?”  And so it begins.