It's the little things

Kalena is at that age when kids get fixated on certain things. She wants to read the same books over and over, play with the same toys all the time, and watch the same thing on TV repeatedly. I would find this annoying except I know it could be SO much worse. She could have a favorite book that I hate. Or continuously play with toys that I find obnoxious. Or want to watch TV that grates on my nerves. Fortunately, this is not the case.

Her book of choice? One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Or, as she says, "Ish? Ish?" She requests it several times a day, and it's the only book she'll let you read her before bed. I pretty much have it memorized. In fact, I'm sure I know every page, I'm just not sure I could recite the whole thing in order. Maybe though. I read it a LOT.

The favorite toys right now? Her shape sorters (we have 3) and a wooden puzzle (the kind with the lift out pieces) with things that represent Holland. That one was a Christmas gift from Brian's parents and so far it's the favorite from this Christmas. She can get all the shapes in the shape sorters by herself and she knows where every piece of the puzzle goes, but she still wants someone to "help" her with them. The best part is that she'll try to put a shape or puzzle piece where she KNOWS it doesn't go and then say "Noooo." She'll do that a few times before she puts it in the right spot. I'm sure she does it because I used to tell her "no" if she tried a piece in the wrong spot.

And the only TV she ever wants to watch are the nursery rhyme clips or one particular 10 minute show about animals. Yes, they get a little repetitive, but they aren't overly obnoxious and I don't mind singing the nursery rhymes with her a couple times a day.

So when I want to be frustrated with the repetitiveness, I try to be grateful that I LIKE Dr. Seuss. And that shape sorters and puzzles are really toys I WANT her to be playing with. And that nursery rhymes are something I would sing with her anyway. And that's what I try to remember when I have Wheels on the Bus stuck in my head. Or when I go to say goodnight to someone and I can't help following up with "It is time to sleep. So we will sleep with our pet Zeep. Today is gone. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one." Because sometimes the book gets stuck in my head even more than the songs.