I frequently find myself talking to my seventeen month old daughter. This really comes as no surprise since I used to and still do when she's not around, talk to myself. But since the day I found out I was pregnant, I began talking to her. I mean it was 2005, she had allot of catching up to do!
So, in the car for example, I would let her know when another driver had done something incorrectly. Or when I was being less than a courteous driver I would justify to her why Mommy had to do that and how it was okay because Mommy doesn't have a metal fish on the back of her car. I would also play lots of music for her, letting her know which songs were my favorites and what they meant. "Here comes the best part," I would say as Jars of Clay prepared to go into a certain riff. If we got in the car and Toby Mac was blasting I would explain that Dad had driven Mom's car last and would now be looking for that CD for a week.
The best part though was that before she was born I could share food with her without actually having to sacrifice any bites off my plate. And back then she miraculously loved all the foods I loved. I continued drinking lattes for example, even though certain people told me I should give up all caffeine and even chocolate while I was pregnant, (just because you put the letters MD after your name doesn't mean you can go around telling people what to do) because Charley loved lattes so and I thought you know she only has these short nine months to enjoy them before she has to give them up for a whopping sixteen years or so! Now sometimes she was a bad influence on me as well, I admit as a parent in training there were times when I would give her an inch and she would take a mile! For example, I would get her a latte and she would kick out in Morse code that she also wanted a scone. What was I supposed to do? Kick back "no"? You can't go around kicking your fetus!
Anyway as time has gone on our conversations have become more two-way, which is both good and bad because she doesn't always agree with me the way she used to. However, she comes up with her own ideas which are great. For example my husband came home the other day and I casually informed him that Charley wanted to take ballet lessons. "But, I told her that she can't until she's three. She was sad." Devlyn replied with the usual, "Do you hear yourself?" Sometimes he does mix it up though and just gives me a look which means, "DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF?!"
I do. I hear myself. Charley hears me too, and I............hear Charley!
