Reading at bedtime and missing the big cow

This is a hard one for me. I know it is something I should be doing, especially with as much interest Esme shows in the concept. She knows a few little sight words from Electric Company and her Starfall. But - she isn't a big fan of physical books, sometimes. I'm trying it again, starting with small books and small words and her Richard Scarry book and Dr.Seuss... she gets bored easily and there are many things (not her Richard Scarry book) she gets frustrated with quickly and doesn't want to cooperate for more than a few pages. And sometimes, true to her age, she is downright violent with physical books. And during the day - she is on the go... so hard to slow down for anything that takes patience. Again, that is true to her age. So to read during the day it has to be either together with Daddy as an 'event' (all of us on the bed, short book YAY at the end etc.) or at night when I want to settle her down and we get into her bed. It's also HARD for me to get into her bed *ha* and she wants me to sleep there when we are done reading. I don't of course - I told her I would fall out and go OW on the floor, so sorry I am going to go sleep in my big bed. She still wants me to go to sleep right after we get done reading. Now THAT is hard. *sigh* and it keeps her on her 16 hour schedule that some days just tires us plumb out!


last page from the book I made her at work last night

We read about Frances and her airplane last night. Esme likes airplanes a LOT. I'm thinking of making her a new book about another rabbit in an airplane, with smaller words. We read the otheer new book I made her 'Good dog Good cat', She liked that so much I had to pry it out of her hands after she was asleep. I'm taking it back to work with me again today to add a page to it and 'edit'. Mark says it is bad when you both write your child's early books and edit yourself later on them *ha* Esme didn't think the cat was good because she didn't see it get off the bed. That should have been a 'bad cat'. Then there must be another page where the cat is being obviously good, with the dog, and they can be good dog and good cat.

Mark also has me checking into printing costs on some of these little books... of course, a more polished version. Not that we can print them right now, but it might be a good idea to know if/when we can do it. Somebody on Esme's forum suggested I sell those.. as works of art in original, on Etsy. It's a thought... since they don't take much to make.

We took Esme for a rare french fry yesterday when Mark picked me up from work. Sometimes she gets a small shake, and she asked for one. The shake machine was down for cleaning - I told her it was broken and they couldn't make one. The lady said 'no it's not broken, we just have to wait.' YIKES.. Esme knows that one - don't say that! She'll want us to wait, without knowing how long it takes etc. I told the lady to just say it was all done for the night and she would have to have something else.. she winked and got it. We got her a very small 'cold' (slushie) and her french fries. The lady gave her a hat. She acted very shy after that.

When we stopped at a store before that there is usually a very large cow statue there. Esme asked 'Where cow? Cow where are you?' It has been gone for months, but she remembers it. I told her the cow went home, and we would have to miss the cow until maybe it decided to come back, but maybe it wouldn't come back. She said in the backseat 'We miss you cow. Sorry you gone cow. Come back cow!' etc etc over and over again.

She is REALLY getting more and more conversational and understanding. This was our 'mime' last year about this time. I'm really enjoying it and wide-eyed about it at the same time.