Miniature Human-ses

Meet Miss Munchkin. MM is not mine, but she's started hanging out with me four days a week while her mommy and daddy are at work.

She would be the primary reason I'm a week behind on updating this blog, despite the pages worth of posts I've written in my head. Lol.

Arthas thinks that MM is a playmate specifically for his benefit and adores her. If she cries, he whines. If she moves, he has to follow. If she's close enough, he sneaks puppy kisses. He tries to share his ball, though she's not quite old enough to appreciate the gesture yet.

I'm not new to miniature humans; many of my friends have kids and I babysat extensively through high school and into college in addition to working nursery, vacation Bible school and children's church back in my youth. That said, it's been quite a while since I had any this young around for any length of time! It's been a bit of an adjustment, but we're in our third week together now and getting a routine down.

One of the most interesting developments in this little adventure for me has been an sudden awareness of my word choices. I talk to Arthas all the time - I always have. Talking to MM is just a normal continuation of that pattern. But whereas I can say anything to Arthas, because he'll respond to my tone rather than the words (unless they're key words like Daddy or Jeep), I find myself abruptly paying more attention to my choices when MM is around.

Reading blogs like Raising Homemakers and (in)courage (and being a Mary Kay lady) has made me very aware that women hear and internalize more than we think we do, for better or worse. Having a little person around keeps that realization at the front of my mind, and I am resolved to speak only good things (as much as humanly possible) in her presence. It's never too early to set a good example and start filling an impressionable mind with positive things, right?

On the same theme, I've decided to adopt a habit my amazing Mary Kay Director has - greeting all the women in my life as "beautiful", "gorgeous" or some other equally affirming title. It sounds corny until you start to do it or until someone does it for you a few times. Then it becomes a great little boost in your day. So if I randomly start emails to you with such a greeting, now you'll know why. :0)

(And for anyone baffled by the title of this post, think The Hobbit - "what has he got in his pocket-ses" and "silly hobbit-ses"... miniature human-ses has become how we refer to children around here. What can I say? It works for us. Lol.)