The stuff that makes up for the rest of it

1. The adorable pinched face she pulls when she's whispering.  Just now she whispered, "What's that NOY-EEZ?" complete with a claw-fingered hand gesture to indicate her sinister opinion of whatever it was.  Don't worry, baby, it's just the dishwasher.
2. "Mama! MA. MA.  I want my ZERT!"  (dessert)
3. The noise she makes when she turns her fingers into a pistol and chases her brother around the house: BEEYAW!  BEEYAW!  Take that, BROTHER.
4. She will eat almost anything as long as it's on my plate.
5. Unless her brother tells her it's gross.  Then you can forget it, MOM.  She wants mac 'n cheese.
6. Or a hot dog, "monkey style" (warm, whole, held tightly in her chubby little fist).
7. She's a decent cleaner-upper and can be counted on to pitch in with with more enthusiasm in her left pinky toe than her brother has in his entire "NOT MY WHOLE ROOM!" body.
8. She is better potty-trained than her big brother.  I'm convinced she'll win the race and be the first to cross the self-butt-wiping finish line.  The fact that she was so early and so easy to potty train makes up for many mountains of other woes.
9. She REALLY knows how to pucker up for a kiss.  None of that tight-lipped slobbery crap, nope, she's all pout.  I take advantage of this as many times as possible throughout the day.  And no kiss from Genoa is complete without an "I YOVE YOU" to go with it.
10. She says please and thank you, for the most part.  When she REALLY wants something, she brings out the big, good grammar guns: "Mommy, may I please watch a show?"
11. The way she puts her hands on her hips, while admittedly fraught with perilous attitude, is the most adorable thing I have ever seen in my entire life. 

Comments

[Rhi]

I *LOVE* it when my niece puts her little hand on her hip. And, she'll say something like, "WHAT GOING ON IN HEWE!!"

[Lori]

#1 just made me pee my pants a little. Apparently, she could give me some potty lessons!

[JMH]

Ha! My 4 year old still calls "dessert" "be-zert"

[Kate]

#4 is my girls exactly!

If I put it on their plate. . . no way. On my plate? Oh yeah!!

[Alias Mother]

"Fraught with perilous attitude" could describe my entire existence. I feel your pain, Genoa. That perilous attitude will be very useful later in life. Trust me. I'm glad to know that you are already working it to your advantage.