Cheers to Typical

Let's talk about typical behavior. Turtle is a rule-follower who likes to make sure that everybody is following the rules. If they are not, she will find the nearest adult to make certain that the recalcitrant child is brought back into line. She is eager to please. She is quick to cry. When engrossed she does not smile and will give you no indication that she likes something (unless it is just plain old silly like the "firefighters" at Lego Land) until hours later when she can't stop talking about whatever it was that enthralled her. She is afraid of almost everything: new foods, new people, new experiences, sometimes old experiences, etc. Nothing about Turtle is terribly typical.

Tonight, Husband playfully asked her whose child-sized handprints those were on the family room window knowing full well they were hers. She pointed at Mei Mei. We erupted into laughter. In that moment, we were so delighted with her typical behavior. It is so rare to see something like that with her, that we were just tickled that she blamed her sister for her handprints. Of course, as we were laughing, you could see her realize her error and she immediately said it was her. She was also rather bemused by our laughter. Crazy parents.

I do believe the best thing we could have done for Turtle was to have a second child (she may debate that statement). Mei Mei will bring out the best in Turtle including typical behavior that most parents break out the timeouts for. It makes us want to break out some champagne and celebrate.