Relatively speaking

As Violet's vocabulary expands, it's been interesting to see the concepts that she is struggling to learn.

A big one is relativity, especially as it pertains to the terms "you" and "me."  She doesn't yet understand that the "you" that I am talking about is the "me" that she is talking about.  So if I am, say, preparing food for her, and she asks, "Is it for me?" and I answer, "Yes, for you," she often gets very upset.

"No!" she complains.  "For me!  Not for you!  Me!"

I often have to clarify, "For Violet," which in turn perpetuates the Elmo-esque conversational style where she refers to herself in the third person.

The other big one that she has a problem with is the idea of what makes someone a brother or a sister.  She will frequently ask me, "What's my sister's name?

I always tell her, "You don't have a sister.  You have a brother."

She also asks me, "What's Jack-Jack's brother's name?"

And then I tell her, "Jack doesn't have a brother.  He has a sister.  You are his sister.  Girls are sisters, and boys are brothers."

No matter how many times I explain this to her, she still gets it confused.

Speaking of brothers and sisters, we've learned happy news that THREE of our friends are expecting new babies.  When I told Jack about it yesterday in the car, he asked when I was going to give him a new baby.

"Never," I answered.

"Awww," he whined - which, by the way, has become his standard response anytime I say something he doesn't like.  His sister has also picked up this charming habit.

"It's not fair!" he pouted.  Then he wheedled, "Violet wants a little sister."

 "Really?" I said, since this is the first I've ever heard about this.  "What about you?  Do you want another little sister too?"

"Yes," he said.

Aha.

Actually, this surprised me.  I could kind of understand if he wanted a brother, but he wants TWO sisters?

"Why do you want another sister?" I asked.  "You already have a sister."

"Violet wants a sister," he said. (Seriously, I don't think Violet could care less.)  "And I really love Violet and I'm used to having a sister, and I want another one."

"What if the baby is a boy?" I asked.

"That would be okay," he said, with the air of one making a big concession.  "But I'd rather it be a girl."

"Well," I told him, "it's not going to happen."

"Awww," he said.  "Violet, don't you want a little sister?"

"Yes," she said, which would be more convincing if she didn't say yes to every question that contains the word "want" in it.

"See?" Jack said, as if that should have settled it right there.

This conversation was just so sweet and funny on so many levels.  I love that Jack loves Violet so much that he wants another sister.  It's the most persuasive argument both for and against me ever having more children, because why would I want to mess with perfection?