Thirty-Four Months of Preschooler Frances

Mark won't be pleased with my picture choice, but here's preschooler Frances at thirty-four months, helping her dad polish his shoes...on our bed.  I'd say we're even.

Scrub away, dear Frances!

This month overall has been much better than last for all of us.  The low moment was very low, but it allowed me to use skills I learned while working at a residential treatment facility for teens with emotional and behavioral disorders, so there's a plus! Sadly, I think things are getting easier because we are giving up on our old normal ever coming back to us, but at least that frees us up to find a new normal, whatever that may be.

Thirty-Four Month Fun Facts

• Frances-isms: "On your markers, get set, go!"  "I want carry you" means "Pick me up." Flamingos are "mangoes." When asked, "Frances what does it smell/taste/feel like?"  the answer is always "Play-dough." The letter L is not her friend, but it means we get "yook" for "look," and "I yove you" for "I love you."  I'll take it.
• Food Wars:  A solid two-thirds of Frances's meals this month have consisted of ice cream and "crunchy noodles," what the rest of us call raw Ramen noodles.  Early on, I decided not to fight it.  I followed the mom's example in Bread and Jam for Frances: feed the kid what they want until they're sick of it.  The strategy worked reasonably well.  Towards the end of the month, Frances stopped asking for ice cream and crunchy noodles and hasn't looked back since.  On the other hand, the other day I was eating a turkey sandwich with mayonnaise, Dijon, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes and pickled banana peppers (I take my sandwiches seriously), and Frances not only took a bite, she kept coming back for more.  It was glorious.
• Things I never thought I'd say on the T before having a two year-old: "No, don't lick the window."
• Favorite reads: Bye-Bye, Big Bad Bully Bug, by Ed Emberley: it's about an alien bug bothering little Earthling bugs and it scares Frances silly, but she loves it.  Bink and Gollie, by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, about a tall, tidy girl who lives in a modern home at the top of a tree and a short, messy girl who lives in a cottage at the bottom of the tree.  They're best friends.  It's possible I love this one more than Frances does, but I want to remember it forever, so it's going on the blog.
• New skill: Frances can now open doors for herself.  This, of course, is a tragedy.  We were hoping she wouldn't develop this talent until sometime around leaving for college.  Time outs have gotten more interesting.  There have been a few very early morning visits from dear heart.  And I'm sure my visiting cousins didn't mind that I was showering with the door open, after a little help from our friend.

We really will be at three years before we know it.  Get out your party hats!