"What am I Gonna Do for You?"

This is one of Zoe's new sayings. Not sure where she got it, but she came home from Grandma and Grandpa H's saying it, so I could make a guess. However, I do think she's got a new twist on the phrase, as I am sure it was originally said to her as "What am I gonna do WITH you?"

Zoe repeats EVERYTHING these days. You may think it didn't stick with her because she doesn't come up with it again until quite a bit later, sometimes days later. But apparently these little gems get recorded into her brain and sometimes lie there dormant for awhile. Then, when you least expect it, out it comes. For example, typically by the time I get lunch pulled together and get us both settled down to eat the kitchen looks like a war zone. There's never time to stay up on putting things away and wiping things off while I'm busy trying to make sure Zoe isn't pouring bowls of water on the floor or pulling things off the counter. By the time Zoe's done eating, I'm barely managing to get started as I've been busy the whole time grabbing this or that for her or wiping up her spills. As I've mentioned before, she has NO PATIENCE. So when she is done and wants down out of her high chair, she wants down NOW. Trying to force her to stay seated until I'm done eating is just not worth the battle. At minimum, I insist she stay seated and tolerate my wiping her down to remove from her hands, nose, chin, hair, ears, etc. what's left of whatever food that should have gone into her mouth. One day I commented about the kitchen in general, "Mommy's got a BIG mess to clean up now!" Several days later when I was wiping down the food splattered toddler before getting her down from her highchair, she stated, "Mommy's got a BIIIIIG mess to clean up!"

Then there are the phrases she puts together that I have no idea where they came from. I didn't think barely two years olds spoke in full, complete, and grammtically correct sentences. Zoe continues to prove me wrong. Last night before putting her to bed, she announces, "Zoe's thirsty!" I figured she probably was, as she had been outside splashing and rolling around in the swimming pool fully clothed for a good long while (that's a story for another day), riding her "bicycle" around the driveway, and drawing portraits on all the concrete surfaces (and some that weren't concrete) with her sidewalk chalk before coming inside to take a bath and get ready for bed. So I took her in to her new rubber duckie themed bathroom where we keep a small Zoe-sized cup for such times as this, and kept filling it up for her. She swigged down each one, gasping for air in-between requests for "More!" I began wondering if she was just stalling the inevitable event of going to bed and was formulating my plan of attack on how to cut her off from the water-guzzling and avoid a big meltdown. She interrupted my thought process when she sweetly handed me the cup and said, "I've had enough!" I was thoroughly charmed, and squeezed her tight and covered her with kisses before I said, "What am I gonna do for you?" and tucked her in for the night.