Duets

Ever since Gumball was a little, tiny chicklet, I've been singing Twinkle, Twinkle and then Rock-a-Bye Baby before putting her to bed. For the past couple of months, it's been a duet. Of sorts. In fact, she tries to sing over me and drown out my voice with her own. It's so sweet, and tender, and funny, that my heart melts.

Gumball is heart-meltingly sweet, and incredibly intelligent. She speaks in sentences, all the time, and I'm not the only person who can understand these sentences. She's also learned how to manipulate me into doing her bidding. It's pretty easy, as anyone who knows me can attest. Gumball will come up to me, and say, "hold me like a little, tiny baby." Who could refuse that? It gets a little tiresome sometimes, like when I have to carry her up and down the stairs "like a little, tiny baby." When she is completely capable of walking both up, and down, the stairs, on her own.

She's quite an independent, headstrong, willful little kid. If you were to tell her this, however, she would insist, "NO KID. I'm a monkey." Or, "I'm a kittycat." When I thank her for doing something well, and tell her, "What a smart girl, Gumball," she will say, "NO SMART GIRL. I'm a smart BABY."

This kid. I never imagined being so fascinated, enchanted and delighted by anything ever.