5 Things I Love Doing With Shyla

Here our my top 5 things I love to do with my daughter:

1. Chase her
When Shyla is least expecting it, I will look at her out of the corner of my eye. I stare at her while she's asking me questions, but I don't answer her. She eventually realizes that I'm not answering and will look at me. I smile. She smiles. I tickle her and she squirms to get away. I run around chasing her all the while she's jumping and bouncing off the furniture. I know I shouldn't let her jump on the furniture, and it probably makes it harder for me when I'm trying to get her to stop, but it's so much fun and so rewarding to see the happy look on her face as she's allowed to do something she usually gets in trouble for doing.

2. Squeeze her
I love to scoop my daughter up and squeeze her. She usually trys to wiggle out of it, but one day she won't. Sometimes though at bedtime she wants me to "rock and cuddle". Tonight she didn’t want to be put down. I also love to squeeze her in the morning. It's one of the best times for me, because her energy isn't 100% worked up yet so she'll be calm and cute about it. And sometimes even squeeze me back.
3. Tickle her
She makes the best sound when she laughs. She makes the loudest sound too.

4. Share my food with her
Any kind of snack or meal that I am eating she will crawl up to me to check it out. I will break off a piece of bread or vegetable and hold it out to her. She will reach out and take it. Sometimes she waits for me to give her more, other times she just goes back to whatever she was doing. Those times it's not really about being hungry, but just about having some of what I got.

5. Talk with her
She's a sponge. I love to listen to her sing. I love to hear her tell stories. I enjoy telling her about how much I love her and how fun she can be. It's great to hear her talk to her stuffed animals and read to them. We talk about whatever we did that day while rocking at bedtime. It's the quietest I can get her to be. She sometimes rubs my face or hair while I'm telling her stories. At those times, she has such a gentle touch.

There so SO MANY more things I love to do with my little girl, but those are probably my favorites. The older she gets the more I love to share "adult" things with her. Things like painting our nails, lotion, doing hair (she's getting really good at ponytails), typing on the computer, writing a letter, taking pictures, how to care for the dogs, and washing dishes. I am very much trying my best to soak up every opportunity I have to enjoy her. I am already looking to the years ahead and excited about, and hoping she'll let me, talk about boys, spend the evenings doing hair and makeup, and reading the latest gossip in Bop magazine.