"I hate you?!?!?!"

About 2 weeks ago, Alyssa was asleep in our bed (of course) and Tim was laying next to her watching some fabulous show on tv. Probably American Gladiators, bleh. From the living room, where I was probably watching All My Children, I hear Lys start crying. Knowing that she wouldn't let Tim comfort her and get her back to sleep, I went in to snuggle my little munchkin. When I got there, Tim told me the first thing she said when she started waking up was "I hate you." WHAT?! She doesn't know that word. She hasn't heard that phrase, at least not here. I thought, no way. He must be hearing things wrong.

Over the next few days I paid extra close attention when she was talking, trying to figure out what Tim may have misinterpreted. Then I figured it out. One day, Lys walked over to me, arms up in the air and in her tiny little mommy-I-need-you-voice said "Mommy, hate you, hate you." I said to her "Alyssa, do you want mommy to HOLD you?" "Yes, mommy, hate you." The light bulb went on. Hate YOU = hold ME! So funny. So now we are working on the word HOLD a lot. HOLD you is WAY better than HATE you. And besides, she's only 2. She can't tell me she hates me at LEAST until she's a teenager and I won't let her take a road trip to Mexico with her friends at 14, right? Sweet little Alyssa, LOVE HER!

(And yes. This IS Alyssa, 2 years old, last week in her cousins baby swing)