Copycat

Lately I've been seeing a lot of myself in Morgan, particularly the less attractive parts.  There's the stubborn chin jutting out in defiance or anger that looks like the 2-year old version of me.  There's the tendency to get so engrossed in a book that she becomes entirely deaf.  Erik was particularly disturbed to see that one, since he has lots of experience of that with me.  Then there are the phrases I must use a lot more than I thought.  We were driving the other day, and I had to slam on my brakes for a yellow light.  I hear, "Be careful, Mom!" from the back seat.  She often tells me to hurry when I'm not moving fast enough for her.  And whenever she's rough with me, she quickly says, "We're always soft!" to avert my displeasure.  She often calls people on her play phone, and I'm a little disconcerted to hear how loudly she talks and how false her laugh is.  I've started to wonder uneasily if she's imitating how I sound on the phone.  My favorite lately happened when she followed me into the bathroom.  She sat on the edge of the tub and encouraged me, reminded me to wipe, and then told me how proud she was of me.  I guess she thought I needed some potty training too.

Another interesting case of mimicking has stemmed from her current obsession with Mary Poppins, which she wants to watch every day all day.  She has begun speaking with a lisp in an attempt to imitate their English accents.  "Oh, it's a jolly holiday with you, Buht!"  I hope her normally clear speech doesn't have any permanent damage.

On a more positive note, she's been treating her new Sleeping Beauty doll (a reward for potty training) like her baby, and it's really sweet to see her carry it around carefully and pat it on the back.  I'll look back in the car and she's snuggled against it protectively.  Makes me feel like a good mother, since she's imitating what I do with Sam.  I promise, though, she didn't learn to chuck the doll from my treatment of Sam.