Third Person and Teenage Tendencies

This is a little post to chronicle some recent things related to Jillian. First of all, she has suddenly started addressing Matt and I in the third person when she asks us a question. I haven't heard her do it with anyone else, even Adrienne. I had to point it out to Matt the other day and now we both notice it all the time. Some examples...keep in mind that in each she is speaking directly to Matt or I--

"Does Mama want to have breakfast with us, too?"

"Does Daddy have to work today?"

"Does Daddy want to play a game?"

"What is Mama reading?"

I haven't figured out how/why it started, but I find it amusing. We'll see if it sticks around.

And then, today, I caught a glimpse of a teenage Jillian. We were up in her room going through her clothes to pass some off to Adrienne right away (because she is just THAT big) and box the rest up for when A is ready for them, re-fold, organize, and hang clothing. Adrienne was with us too and started messing with Jillian's clock radio. Now, perhaps I have mentioned that this clock radio Jillian possesses was mine from college. It is the beloved Sony Dream Machine that nearly every freshman girl in 1996 bought to place next to her bed in her dorm room. I used it until about a year ago when Matt forced me to remove it from our room (his reasoning? "You have an iPhone and an iPad and both of those have alarms. Get with it"). Reluctantly, I let it go, but to my delight, Jillian just HAD to have it. We placed a post it note over the minutes and just used the hour number to help her know when it really was morning and she could get up. Anyway, enough back story. When Adrienne was messing with the clock radio today she accidentally turned the radio on, which came on to some AM station. It was like nails on a chalkboard to me, so I quickly ran over to put it on an FM station. Jillian's eyes got HUGE. "Whoa, Mom. Is that a RADIO on that clock?!?" I just assumed this was obvious to her, but I guess not. This discovery basically made her almost 6 year old life and she happily worked away, hanging shirts as she sang along to songs she knew and asked me the title of every single song she didn't (I guess I impressed her with my musical knowledge because at one point she said, "Whoa Mom, you sure know a lot of songs"). She began to dance around, letting her inhibitions go. So then her wheels started turning--she realized she could turn this radio on and off herself, adjust the volume, etc. "Mom. Can I like listen to this as I'm falling asleep at night?" I explained that of course she could, but the volume would need to be turned down. And then there was more realization..."So, I can just lay up in my room and relax and listen to music?!?" Um, yep. This kid was giddy and happy to play in her room and listen to music the rest of the afternoon. I was working in the kitchen and I could hear her play around with the volume (and figure out that the way to get her sister to leave her room was to turn it up loud), sing along, and just enjoy herself. The best part was when she shouted down over the railing to me. "Mom! It's SO weird that after you listen to a song there is a long time to wait. WHAT is all that talking!? Where is the music??" My poor child, you have been spoiled by iTunes and satellite radio...you haven't a clue what a commercial is, but I assure you, your mama can't stand talking on the radio, either. Just ask your dad. Are you almost six, or almost sixteen??