Abby, our three-year-old daughter, is ridiculously cute. If she had her way, she would spend most of the 
day cuddling our newborn baby girl, petting and kissing her head.
I have had a bunch of people ask me, "Is your toddler jealous?" and I have to laugh, because that has never crossed her mind. Instead, she likes to come up with new nicknames for Jenny (Genevieve), including:
- Jen Jen or Jenner - kinda obvious
- Gingerbread - I like this one!
- Sugar Baby Strawberry - This is my personal favorite
Then, she forayed into "just plain odd" nickname territory, with these gems:
"Mama, can I call the baby 'ointment'?"
"Can I call her 'books'?"
Now it was clear that she was just looking around the room at random objects.
Another fun new trend for Abby is her cool new lingo, which mainly involves dropping the last syllable or word in a sentence, such as, "I don't want!" or "I am thirst." (seems a bit profound now that I see it written), or "I love Sugar Babe Strawb!" (see above for explanation on this one).
One of my jobs as a dad is to get our three older kids to bed each night since my wife is taking care of the baby, which usually includes storytime as well. Abby is about 5 years younger than our oldest daughter, so she gets her own special time with me before I get the big kids headed off to brush their teeth, etc.
The other night, just after I turned off the overhead light, Abby said, "I wanna talk."
"Okay, sweetie, what do you want to talk about?"
"What CAN we talk about, Dad?"
I could tell that this was going to be an interesting conversation.
"Well, would you like to talk about kitty cats?"
"No."
"Puppies?"
"No."
"Monkeys?"
"No."
"Clouds?"
"No."
I went through at least 50-75 possible topics with her, including every member of our immediate and extended family, different types of weather, TV shows, with a few silly items thrown in for good measure, and I was starting to wind down:
"Sunshine?"
"No, dad."
"Unicorns?"
"Nope."
"Rainbows?"
"YES! Tell me a story about rainbows, dad."
So I did.
She loved it, then she fell asleep in about 25 seconds flat.
I love my life.
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Jason - I love your life! Thanks for sharing such a special time with your daughter.
What a sweet story, Jason!! Abby IS precious, and kudos to you and your wife for being great parents! It is a beautiful thing to hear about a child that is not jealous. My son (13) still hasn't gotten over the fact that he has to share me with his sister (10). LOL!
Jason - you are truly blessed. God knew you would make an incredible Dad and He has blessed you with 4 beautiful children. Love them, enjoy them, and treasure every moment.
How CUTE Jason! I remember those days like they were yesterday--the 'room 'round about' is what I called it when they were doing anything and everything to come up with a name for something or simply to avoid going to BED! I think it's wonderful that she has welcomed 'Jen-Jen' to the nest! You've obviously done a wonderful job, making her feel like the special BIG sister!
Jason,
It sounds like she's as smart as she is cute! It sounds like she's getting ready to text or maybe Twitter shorting words! Enjoy them you'll be empty nesters all to soon.
Have a good week end.
Bill
so sweet, Jason, and the most precious of times that you are doing well to savor. btw, maybe she would have wanted to talk about sugar babies :-)
Jason What a baby doll she is and such a precious story that needs posted in a parenting magazine.
I know you are blessed with your wife and children,, but what a blessing they been gifted to have a loving caring mom and dad Blessing to you all. Thanks for sharing that precious moment between daughtr and dad
They are amazing...especially that age. Mine turns three on Monday. WHat a great job it is to be a Dad to a little girl!
How incredibly adorable...you do have a wonderful life - and all the more so because you appreciate it! :-)
The beauty of children (whether your own - or like me, vicariously through other people's kids) is the gift of perspective. Thanks for sharing that gift with me & everyone else today!
Jason...It is good to see you spending so much time with the family. They grow up so fast.
Jason,
Thanks for sharing this great moment of time spent with your little one. She sure seems very sweet and very precocious! I love that you are enjoying your time with her and the rest of your family...it is a blessing and so many Fathers are too busy working or spending time on their own interests, to slow down long enough to enjoy moments such as these. Maybe you could share your "Rainbow Story" with the rest of us so that we can get some sleep! ;o)
I would have had to ask if the toddler was jealous of the new addition as well. Instead it sounds like she's more than happy to have the little one around.
You do have to wonder what goes through a childs mind, they way they think clearly is not the way we think, but sometimes it is just better they don't!
cute kiddo Jason!
Unlimmited blog fodder there. Thanks Jason.
Very nice Jason I missed this one and am gald I came back to catch it.
Pretty awesome....doesn't hold a dime to my 6 and 2 year old girls, but no one else's kids ever do. That being said, I'll succomb and say great daughter, great banter, and must be great to be a great parent! Cheers Jason!
Very cute. You went through quite a list. Are you going to tell US the story about Rainbows??? :-)
She sounds like a smart little cookie. And what about the rainbows:) ?