Some mornings I am running out to the laundry room, grading papers in the living room, washing dishes, and Olivine feels like a circle that is spinning near me. Every once in awhile we come together but we are also content to be apart. Another growing sign of her independence and a household without any babies.

This morning while I moved around the house she sat at the kitchen table grunting and talking to herself. “Puzzles are hard” I heard her mutter. Yet she didn’t ask for help and she didn’t give up. Maybe she’s learning “grit.”

Then I listened while she role played near me (a peek into her world at the child development center). I hear how the teachers talk, because her tone definitely changes along with volume. She whispered to each one. She redirected one baby a few times, reminding her that she needed to lay down even if she didn’t close her eyes.

I remember all those moments of role playing the teacher with my dolls. They would be propped behind lunchpail desks and I would do read alouds. I would give out stickers and compliments. Strange to see my younger self reflected back at me.

Oh and I can’t forget the tea she insisted on having served in a coffee cup. She saw Paul drinking tea at breakfast for a minor sore throat. She reminded me all the way home from school that she would like tea with milk as well. Once it cooled off I know you can see that sparkle in her eyes. She was tickled pink.