older

while mischaela and I are playing in the living room, I get up to pour myself a glass of water.
mischaela: where you going?
me: just going to the kitchen to get some water.
mischaela: no! come back! sit down here! [points to spot on the floor next to her]
me: mommy will be right back, I just need to get some water. you go ahead and play, I'll be right back, okay?
mischaela: okay.

while eating cherries, mischaela offers one to my aunt.
mischaela: shay shay share cherry with mm ye po (grand aunt in chinese).
aunt: oh, thank you shay shay.
mischaela: [watches my aunt pop in the whole cherry with concern] seed. no eat seed!
aunt: oh yes, I will not eat the seed.
mischaela: [pushing her seed plate over] put seed here.
aunt: [still not producing seed out of her mouth] okay, I will put it there.
mischaela: [still concerned] put seed here! no eat seed!
aunt: [takes seed from mouth and places it on the seed plate] okay, put seed here.
mischaela: yeah.

on a particularly windy day, I carry mischaela into our local library after putting her jacket hood on.
mischaela: windy!
me: yeah, it's very windy today. are you cold?
mischaela: yeah, cold! [with her little hand gripping onto her hood fringe] shay shay hold hood.
me: good job, keep your hood on.
mischaela: mommy, no hood.
me: yeah, mommy's jacket doesn't have a hood.
mischaela: mommy, wear hat!
me: oh yeah, mommy should wear a hat, eh?
mischaela: yeah, mommy cold, no hat.
me: I know, mommy's cold because she has no hat. next time I will remember to wear a hat.

shaping up to be a shining older sibling.