"I promise I love you"

On the way into Cambridge today we had a chat:

"Why is the car bumping Mummy?" 

I replied that it was the little holes in the road. Silence...

"Or maybe it's little rocks Mummy?"

I agreed with that as a possibility. Silence...

"OR turtles Mummy?" 

"It's probably holes darling."

"Yes Mummy....or turtles."

Me and you :) 

As we arrived in the outskirts of Cambridge you declared, "it's so pretty here Mummy. Cambridge has lovely buildings." The voice comes out of my pretty little three year old girl but the words could be those of an old lady. Sometimes odd. Sometimes funny. A lovely juxtaposition though. 

From our cafe, we watched the people coming and going at the bus stop and you talked me through what might be happening. 

"That man's waiting for a bus Mummy."

"Yes darling."

"He's on the bus now Mummy."

"Is he sweetheart?"

"It's taking him home.....or to the jungle maybe."

"Maybe."

"Now that lady is waiting...OH! The man's bus is back from the jungle already."

"That's a different bus baby."

"Oh."

You carried on chatting for a little while, happy with your own interpretation of the bus stop's comings and goings and I was happy to just listen.

I know all parents feel the same and that this is nothing new but I want you to know how I feel right now. Me at thirty six years old and you at three. In a similar way to not being able to comprehend infinity in space, I struggle to elucidate how much I love you. I look at your three year old face all questioning, excitable and caring and I could just burst. Your little body wrapped up in your winter coat and your little feet in your warm winter boots make me want to hug you forever. I adore your little girl's hands tightly gripping Right Bunny and I love how much you adore that rabbit. I love your evolving grasp of language and how you currently spin things to your advantage by slightly misusing "I promise..."

"Put that in the bin darling." 

"I promise you can do it Mummy."

Tonight I told you to choose the bedtime story. "I promise you can read the London book Mummy. Your favourite."

"Thank you darling."

"In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines..." ~ Madeline in London, Ludwig Bemelmans (1961)

Night night sweetheart. See you in the morning. I love you, from Mummy x