Emma has invented a pretend friend named Why Because. Yes, Why Because. When I was pregnant, Why Because was her sister (no, we did not check the sex of the baby when I was pregnant). Now that Lily is here, Why Because is now her cousin. Why Because gets credit for a lot of things we do for her, which is so funny. She also can be naughty. She has been know to take something of Emma’s, calls her a name or hit her (this is Emma telling us these things, of course). Our response is that if Why Because cannot play nice, she needs to go home. Emma always agrees with that response and adds that maybe Why Because needs to go on time-out.

We have done our best to teach Emma to be polite and good manners. Even when she couldn’t talk and we were using sign language with her, she would say “please” and “thank you.” She has become quite the Little Ms. Manners, which we are so thankful for! She is very appreciative of the things we do or buy for her. For example, I got her some new crayons for her old ones had had it. I left the box of crayons on her art table for her to discover on her own and when she did, she very excitedly told me, “thank you for the cool crayons, Mommy! They’re perfect.” She thanks us for things like cooking her food, giving her a bath and taking her to the zoo. She also thanks us when we don’t get upset about something she’s done. On one occasion, she spilled her cup of water all over the table and floor. She apologized for it and we told her it was ok and that accidents happen. She said, “thank you for telling me it was ok and an accident.” The mind of a 3 year old!!