* “I have a secret,” Sophie whispered to me. “I’ve been keeping it for a long time.” I leaned in closer as she cupped her hand over her ear and said, “Trey is my boyfriend.” {I wonder if big sister knows.}

* “Congratulations,” Sophie whispered to me while she lay in our bed tonight between Joe and me while Gavin slept on my chest. “For what,” I asked. “For getting him to sleep.” {And she hadn’t even heard the fit he threw during nap. Yes, congratulations were in order.}

* “Can I play Talking Tom,” Sophie asked me. I passed my Droid to her in the back seat of the car. “Uhhhh! I CAN’T deal with this with you, Mom,” she said in that awful teenage tone. “I pressed Tom. He’s NOT there!” She tried to show me the screen while I drove. “LOOK what you did,” she accused and pointed. {I had no idea I was that good with my cell to trick her like that.}

* “Here Mom,” Sophie said and shoved my Droid at me. “It’s my Nanna Di. I called her,” she explained. “Tell her I’ll have to call her back.” She repeated the message. The phone rings a minute later. It’s Nanna Di. “WHY did you call back,” Sophie asks her. “Because I wanted to leave a message,” Nanna tries to explain. {I’m pretty sure I need a new secretary. One that can read. And type. Someone who doesn’t call everyone in my address book with pictures.}

* While shopping with me in Walmart Sophie holds her rarely-purchased-by-Mom-because-it’s-so-not-breakfast-food box of Pop Tarts at me and asks, “does this have fiber?” This, after another incident weeks ago on the breakfast aisle in Walmart in which she begged me to buy Frosted Mini Wheats. “THERE they are,” she said as she scooped the box in front of her and grinned. “I don’t know, Sophie,” I reasoned. “I don’t think you’ll eat those.” “But they have FIBER,” she insisted. And then the male customer passing by doubled over laughing. {She got me. AND the Frosted Mini wheats. Which she hated. I ate the whole box. Listen, fiber is important. And they’re not so bad.}

* While I was getting Sophie settled in her new bed tonight she told me she thought she should just sleep with us again tonight. Determined to protect my territory, I read a book, prayed with her, sang a few songs and talked incessantly about how it’s normal to be scared but the Lord wants us to have courage and be brave because He will never leave us. She pointed to the blank space on her wall above her door and said, “if I just had a T.V. right there.” Later, while she dozed off, I pulled the covers off of me to sneak out of her bed. “Don’t leave me,” she said pitifully as she squeezed my hand. “Oh, I’m just a little hot,” I totally lied. “Maybe if I had a ceiling fan . . . . zzzzzzzzzz . . . . ” {Baby steps. She’s in her bed. For now. Let us pray.}