Emma and Brinkalees

Ever since Emma could talk sort of well she has been fascinated by the wrinkles on peoples skin or created by pressure to peoples skin. She loves to rub over them to see the way they feel. She calls them brinkalees. Anywhere and every where we went for a long time she would pull the side of her pants down just an inch or so, so that she could check to see if her pants had made brinkalees. Still to this day she comments on them every time she sees one. I didn't realize to what extent she had this fascination until I came in one morning last year to wake her up to go to school and as I was sitting there her hand went just under the waistband of her shorts and began to rub. She wasn't even really awake and this was the first thing she did. I realized then that she was checking for her brinkalees. I also have come to the conclusion that she is so obsessed with this that she does it subconsciously. I've seen this now more than once. I think she does it each morning before she really wakes up. It has become her little habit. It is almost as if it has become a sort of security blanket. I of course being her mother, think it is the cutest thing in the world. Others don't necessarily share my opinion however. I think my mom thinks it's cute but for awhile there every time Emma would see my mom she would try to feel under my moms' arm for her wrinkles. Sorry Mom I just ratted you out that you have wrinkles under your arm. There was another time a few years ago when we had just moved into our current ward. There is this sweet sweet older sister in our ward who unfortunately has quite a few wrinkles(more than most her age). Her and her husband sat behind us this particular Sunday (I don't think they have ever sat behind us again in all the two years we have been in this ward) and Emma turns around on the bench and very loudly says, "Mommy, look at all her brinkalees!" Of course she said it out of admiration at being able to have so many brinkalees. Both my sister, my mom and myself have been told in such a sweet way (brinkalees) by Emma that we are "OLD". The point to this whole post however is this latest brinkalees story. Emma almost always gets up at about 11p.m. to go to the bathroom. If I am up she will always come in and give me a hug and a kiss and then go right back to bed. I can almost set my watch to it. A few weeks ago I was up late blogging and Emma of course gets up and goes to the bathroom and then comes in to give me a kiss. On this night however she comes in and you can tell she is so sleepy but she has this huge grin on her face and says to me, "Look at my cool brinkalees." She has her shorts pulled a little low and has wrinkle lines all over her waist band. I took a picture but of course I can't post my child's little toosh. I think I might have created a monster. The girl thinks about brinkalees non stop! I love it though and I don't ever want her to stop being fascinated by the cool phenomenon such as brinkalees!