On the Darndest Things

Parental pride is a big thing. It can go bad quickly. I don't want to give my kid any labels or blow out of proportion any extraordinary skill she might develop. I know she's just a normal two-year-old who does normal two-year-old things at a normal two-year-old emotional level. But she can speak better than most three-year-olds, and while I try to keep myself grounded about my expectations for her and I know that she isn't this way through anything I did, I can't help but feel a certain degree of parental pride in the fact that she speaks like a four-year-old (as I've been told by professionals).
She's been really fun these past few days. Maybe because she's growing and is constantly hungry or tired or both, she has been extra needy and extra chatty. Her two-year-old demands are becoming much more assertive, as she commands us: "Do not leave me!" when we walk out the door at bedtime and "There's nobody to hold me!" while we make her dinner in the kitchen. And how could I forget the "I need you, Mommy!" at all hours of the day and night... ok, so where's the fun, right? Honestly, when the terrible twos rear their ugly head (all too frequently), more often than not, all I can do is laugh. And the upside to these extra tired and cranky days are that she gets into this crazy mode, where she just talks and talks and talks, either making up "Spanish words," or saying the silliest, funniest phrases. Tonight, we had a conversation that went something like this:
Little: I need to go to the mommy and daddy store.
Me: Why? Do you need a new mommy and daddy?
Little: Yes.
Me: What's wrong with your old mommy and daddy?
Little: They're broken.
Me: Well can you fix us instead of buying new ones?
(She thinks about it and then leaves the room for a few seconds, returning with some invisible "tools" in her hands).
Little: (to Paul) Here are your tools. Screw yourself.
Me: (muffled laughter)
Little: (to me) Here Mommy. Screw yourself.

I don't think I could make this stuff up if I wanted to. I wish I could record everything she says all day; I find it so delightful. I've been laughing a lot these days. There are also moments that really tug at my heart. Tonight, after I put her pajamas on, we talked about what we're doing tomorrow: I'm dropping her off at her Grammie's house after breakfast so she can spend the day there while I get a day off. She seemed confused about where her mommy would be and started to get upset, so I scooped her up and gave her a big hug and told her everything would be ok. She said "Mommy will never let you (me) go," which just about broke my heart. I replied, "Oh honey, one day you'll want me to let you go, and it'll be so hard..." And it will. With moments like these, how could it not?