Remember when it was cool to repeat everything someone said, just to annoy them. Anyone have someone do that to you? I vividly remember doing it and having it done to me and being annoyed. Well, I have it done to me all the time now and I am not annoyed one bit! Yep, we have a cute little parrot with us these days. Pretty much everything that comes out of our mouth, Aria tries to repeat. It is pretty cute. Here is an occurrence from last week:
Augie licking my face and sitting 1 inch from me.
Me: "Augie, you're driving me nuts!"
Aria: "Nuts"
Me: laughter
Aria: "Nuts, hehehehehe"
Hilarious! At first I was trying to determine if Aria saying the word 'nuts' was a bad thing. And I decided it wasn't. It is just rather cute. But here is an interaction I'm not so sure of...
Me attempting to change the diaper of a wiggly toddler.
Me: "Look at this little bare butt." (with some tickling)
Aria: "Bare butt, hehehehehe"
Every time we change her diaper now,
Aria: "Bare butt, bare butt, bare butt"
Good one Mommy. I suppose 'butt' isn't the worst thing she could say, however, I had previously been trying to avoid the word. One slip is all it took. And that was in an environment I can control. Justin and I don't really use language we wouldn't want Aria repeating. It hasn't been an adjustment for us because we didn't use language like that before Aria. However, we can't control other people. Every time I hear someone use a swear word or the Lord's name in vain around Aria, I cringe and hope she doesn't repeat it. I also cringe because I wish those people didn't feel the need to use those words period. Just another lesson in the world of rearing a child.
Back to the cute stuff. I think what I really love about Aria's mimicking stage is when she repeats stuff she sees and hears in her environment. She sings parts of songs she hears on the radio, like "Oh no" from 'You Never Let Go' which I blogged about here. She also likes, "na na na na na na" from 'The Way'. Aria repeats words she hears over loudspeakers in grocery stores, she makes noises like other children make in our neighborhood, she says thank you when she hears it in the drive thru. Aria is certainly soaking up everything she can these days.
Not only is she listening, she's watching, too. She never misses the moon. She hasn't forgotten that we got a baby pumpkin from Hy Vee Drugstore that we drive by frequently. She remembered when we drove past Pizza Hut that we recently ate there with friends. Just today, she "fed Augie" by taking the bowl to the closet where the food is, helping me dump it into the bowl, and carrying it back to it's spot.
All of this information Aria is picking up on makes me quite conscience of what I say and do. It makes me think about my actions and if I would want her to do the same thing. Right now, I am the most influential person in Aria's life. If she is going to learn something, most likely it is going to be from me. Seemingly, that is a lot of pressure. But it doesn't really bother me. I'm glad God made me Aria's mom and gave me the job of setting an example for her. I don't have to be perfect. I will make many mistakes and I hope I am able to help her learn from my mistakes. I don't want her to learn from my mistakes so she doesn't ever make them, but to learn that it is okay to make mistakes and how to ask for forgiveness.
So for now, copy cat away, Aria. I'm happy you are trying to say and do what I do. I'll do my very best to be a great example of a woman confident in who God made her. Because most importantly, I hope you learn that God made you unique and special and with a specific purpose only you can fulfill.
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