Conversations with a 2.5 year old

Kids are so much smarter than we give them credit for. They also have a way of just simplifying things when we make them too complicated.

My 2.5 year old daughter is constantly talking, even in her sleep. She just jabbers all the time, doesn't matter about what. I'm trying to prepare her for me going to the hospital and Drew's condition. (We call her Bug/Buggie, as in cute as a bug.) This is how our conversations go:

Me: "Mommy is going to the hospital so Baby Drew can come out of her tummy. Grandmama, Granddaddy, Grammy, Papa and Aunt Stephanie are all going to come visit and play with you while Mommy and Daddy are at the hospital."

E.: "Buggie go to hospital with Mommy. Mommy won't be alone then."

Me: "Sweetie, Daddy will be with Mommy so I won't be alone. You will come visit Mommy at the hospital as much as you want to, but I have to stay there at night and you will stay in your bedroom at night. I'll bet that your grandparents will do lots of fun stuff with you--whatever you want to do."

E.: "No, I don't think so. Buggie in hospital too."

So we're still working on that one. Yesterday, we were discussing Drew. We've never really told her that anything is wrong with him, she just thinks we go to the doctor to listen to his heart a lot (and we do) and watch him on t.v.

Me: "Elizabeth, Baby Drew is sick. He's going to have to stay in the hospital for a little while."

E.: "Baby Drew sick? He needs medicine and he be all better. Give him some Tylenol."

Me: "We're going to get him all of the medicine that he needs, but he's very sick."

E.: "Get him a band-aid too and he be all ok."

If only it were that simple. A few weeks ago at an ultrasound, out of nowhere, she said:

E.: "Baby Drew is broken."

R.: "That's right baby, but we're going to fix him."

I couldn't join in on that conversation because of the huge lump in my throat. Good thing that Raymond handled it so well (he always does). Kids are very perceptive, it's scary sometimes. Of course these conversations leave me in tears--due in part to the situation and to hormones.