It’s hard to believe that four years have skittered by since Tadpole was born.
I remember the sensation of her hiccupping inside my tummy when the Rough Guide to Pregnancy told me she was about the size of an avocado pear. I remember how she used to sleep on my shoulder, her fists curled above her head.
And now she is an independent little madam who likes to do everything for herself; a strong-willed, scarily intelligent and perceptive little person who runs rings around me every day.
Something tells me that before she turns five, she’ll have a blog of her own…
about
books
press
fbk
petite anglaise 
Yep, scary little things kids. Wait until she’s a teenager – even SCARIER!!!
Great clip.
Comment by Sodom&Gomorrah — June 8, 2007 @ 11:17 am
Oh, I so LOVE the way she says she’ll marry “Da-ddy… and that’s the end”.
She’s got it all planned out, hasn’t she?
Comment by The Bold Soul — June 8, 2007 @ 11:17 am
so cute! all girls dream of their wedding dress and want to marry their dad
Comment by est — June 8, 2007 @ 11:20 am
“I’ll have blonde legs like you!”
It is time for an intervention with a razor and some shaving cream.
;)
Comment by Le Meg — June 8, 2007 @ 11:25 am
and i’ll have long legs and blue eyes and grown up teeth like that,
she’s a genius!
Comment by Eliza — June 8, 2007 @ 11:30 am
She said LONG legs (puzzlingly enough, as mine are not particularly long).
Being Merican is no excuse for not understanding my daughter.
Comment by petite — June 8, 2007 @ 11:30 am
That was lovely. it can be frightening that they grow up so quickly but its sooo rewarding.
Comment by sablonneuse — June 8, 2007 @ 11:43 am
LOL – what colour eyes does Tadpole have as a wee girl, seeing as they’re going to be blue when she’s a big lady? Too cute!
Comment by teeweewonders — June 8, 2007 @ 11:45 am
Ahhh freaky, you sound just like my Mum! There are some old tape recordings somewhere of me and my Mum having a conversation when I was about tadpoles age, listening to this is like heaing them again!
Comment by Katie W — June 8, 2007 @ 11:47 am
That must be because I’m putting on my “mummy voice” as opposed to my normal voice.
Comment by petite — June 8, 2007 @ 11:49 am
My favourite part is when she says she will stay in your room for a bit long to work :-) Take it that is what you do!!
Comment by sugar007 — June 8, 2007 @ 11:50 am
From a 4-year-old’s perspective, your legs probably look VERY long.
At least she agreed to let you continue sleeping in your own bed. Very considerate of her!
Comment by The Bold Soul — June 8, 2007 @ 12:00 pm
Lovely :o)
Comment by Rachel — June 8, 2007 @ 12:12 pm
Cute. I’m wondering whether phrases like ‘I’ll marry me’ are from her grasp of French grammar.
Comment by mockduck — June 8, 2007 @ 12:27 pm
What a sweet little podcast, Happy Birthday Tadpole!
Comment by Laura Kidd — June 8, 2007 @ 12:42 pm
Lovely Yorkshire accent!
Comment by parkin pig — June 8, 2007 @ 12:56 pm
i heard “blond legs” too, and i’m not american.
Comment by nancy — June 8, 2007 @ 1:02 pm
Love the English accent. So cute. Does Mr. Frog mind that he is Daddy and not Papa? The Bambina has taken to calling her own Papa “Daddy” once in a while (she gets it from those evil English books that I read to her) and Papa is not thrilled with this new appellation.
Comment by Caroline in Rome — June 8, 2007 @ 1:25 pm
Very cute! A very Happy Birthday to Tadpole – are you planning a party?
Comment by Karen — June 8, 2007 @ 2:10 pm
Just like her mum?
Comment by Steve... — June 8, 2007 @ 2:13 pm
That is adorable, I love the reflexive marry
Comment by Hugo Carr — June 8, 2007 @ 2:16 pm
I’m assuming she means “I’ll get married” not “I’ll marry me” – direct translation from the French – but perhaps no-one else will be good enough for her.
Comment by katie — June 8, 2007 @ 2:32 pm
“Something tells me that before she turns five, she’ll have a blog of her own…”
Quick! Register the domain name petitepetiteanglaise.com
Tadpole’s still convinced she’s going to marry her Daddy then?
Comment by Hywel Mallett — June 8, 2007 @ 3:03 pm
aw many happies to Tadpole – is it her birthday today? It is scary how they grow. Am looking at my eleven year old who is nearly as tall as I am and thinking what exactly happened to that tiny baby???
Comment by Jane Henry — June 8, 2007 @ 3:25 pm
Tadpole very clearly said LONG legs. And I am in fact American.
How sweet. My sweet little girl is now 16. I clearly remember her sounding so much like Tadpole, always sure just how things would go when she was big. Precious.
Comment by Kaycie — June 8, 2007 @ 3:32 pm
As a francophone, it’so funny to hear the little ones talking effortless in a language it took me years to learn…
Joyeux anniversaire, Tadpole! (:~
Comment by reinette — June 8, 2007 @ 4:23 pm
Tho we can’t see all of her face I have a feeling Tadpole’s as beautiful as her mother :-) Raising a girl is a wonder-filled experience. My daughter is now grown and married but I still see that long-blond-haired kiddie whom we raised all those years ago and then I look at Tadpole and I’m back when V. was 4-5 yrs old and I’m simply amazed and awe-filled. You’ve a lovely daughter who should fill you with wonderment every day as V. did and continues to do for me.
Cheers from Seattle
Beau :-)
Comment by Beau — June 8, 2007 @ 4:24 pm
She sounds adorable!
Comment by techgirl — June 8, 2007 @ 5:17 pm
My goodness….I was listening to her voice (how cute!) and my almost four-year-old son came up to the laptop and started listening. I think he already has a crush…
Comment by Liz in Vermont — June 8, 2007 @ 5:51 pm
Simply a perfect adorable little child!
Comment by memi — June 8, 2007 @ 6:31 pm
Very cute. And much the same as what we hear from our four and a half year old. He is focused on being taller, but not much else. He is different from Tadpole in that he plans to marry a little girlfriend at his daycare. Or rather she plans to marry him.
Its a fun age isn’t it.
Kurt
Comment by David — June 8, 2007 @ 7:25 pm
Hi there, sorry unrelated comment. But I quite enjoy dropping by on your blog off and on, and I wanted to put a link to your blog on my ‘I read’ list. Hope that is okay?
Thks.
Comment by D — June 8, 2007 @ 7:36 pm
How adorable! Bon anniversaire to Tadpole. :D
Comment by jen — June 8, 2007 @ 8:02 pm
so cute!
hope the next interview will be in french, just to hear the difference.
happy birthday tadpole!
Comment by charlotte — June 8, 2007 @ 8:30 pm
She reminds me so much of the kids i work with…3, 4 and 5 year olds…Its so sweet she wants to marry her daddy
Comment by Maxi — June 8, 2007 @ 8:51 pm
I can well believe Tadpole will have her own blog. Maybe she’ll take over yours?
Comment by Jean-Luc Picard — June 8, 2007 @ 8:58 pm
So cute! Happy Birthday to her! I’m back in UK on 22 June for two weeks, you around? Visiting my brand new nephew!
Comment by RF — June 8, 2007 @ 9:25 pm
Our ‘Tadpole’ – real name Louise – is five in October. She has an “amoureux” called Lucas, who she sees from time to time but she sadly tells us that though he is her “amoureux”, she is not his – he has another “amoureuse”. Today she has prepared a picnic for him, even though he isn’t here at the moment! Sweet!
Comment by Barry — June 8, 2007 @ 11:38 pm
Great! Hope my son manages to speak English that well when he gets to 4. At the moment his languages are all mixed up and I can’t seem to disentangle them.
Comment by Claire — June 8, 2007 @ 11:48 pm
That’s a cool little pooter she’s got there.
Comment by Timbo — June 8, 2007 @ 11:58 pm
So incredibly cute! She does need her own blog – the “Petite” Petite Anglaise…
Comment by Caffienated Cowgirl — June 9, 2007 @ 12:17 am
Thank you so much for sharing. She sounds adorable. I started doing things like this for my three year old. I so hope they think this is cool when they are adults.
Best wishes,
Comment by Mad William — June 9, 2007 @ 1:44 am
Tadpole sounds adorable, and I would love to read her blog.
Comment by Jules — June 9, 2007 @ 2:05 am
Hmmm…
Yes, all little girls plan on marrying Daddy, I just wonder if this might also be her way of suggesting that you do the same, petite!
Comment by purple — June 9, 2007 @ 2:53 am
She is as lovely as her maman…
Comment by Eric — June 9, 2007 @ 5:31 am
Boy am I impressed… my kids don’t have Brooklyn accents… and I speak English at home (note : I’m not from Yorkshire, but New York, not far off). How did you accomplish that? Very cute… and happy birthday Tadpole (I’m assuming from the first line of the post that her birthday is somewhere around now)!
Comment by magillicuddy — June 9, 2007 @ 9:45 am
What a relief that she doesn’t want to “drink” like mummy!
Comment by Vonn Einstein — June 9, 2007 @ 10:26 am
Savour it! It all goes so quickly!
Comment by anno domini — June 9, 2007 @ 12:50 pm
She obviously adores you and you’re everything that being “grown up” is all about. You are a lucky woman (even if you might lose your bed in some years). ;)
I’m confused – is her usage of “me” an after-effect of french, some english slang that she somehow managed to pick up or are my ears hearing things now?
Comment by John Koh (Germany) — June 9, 2007 @ 1:30 pm
Happy Birthday little Tadpole. You’re growing up so quickly!
Well done Petite! She’s a smashing little kid.
Comment by Peggy — June 9, 2007 @ 6:27 pm
Sorry I didn’t make it today. I had to go clothes shopping (not very productive) for the new job I start Monday. I NEVER seem to find the right sizes, I either need to start smoking or stop eating, lol. The time would have been much better spent with you. :-S
Comment by Donta — June 9, 2007 @ 10:04 pm
This was too cute and we’re here giggling over your accent (my girlfriend is from London).
It’s strange how quickly children grow…and she looks so determined, as if she’s really hard at work at that computer. Too cute…
Comment by Mlle Smith — June 10, 2007 @ 12:24 am
I love your blog, but my French is poivre.
Or is that pepper? I’m so confused.
I hope to spend a year in France next year, several hundred km east of Bordeaux. Hopefully, my French will improve, or they will know me as the poor pepper.
Alas.
All the best,
Bill
Comment by Doc Bill — June 10, 2007 @ 1:01 am
What a lovely glimpse into your conversations with Tadpole, many thanks.
I wonder, as others have mentioned she does have your accent while speaking English. Does she at the same time have her father’s accent whilst speaking French?
I’m bewitched and bemused by your Tadpole. My tadpole is 25 and I wish I had recordings of our conversations at that early age. More importantly I wish I had recorded her laughter. Little kids laugh wholeheartedly. We somehow lose that gift later. It’s a treasure.
Comment by Danna — June 10, 2007 @ 3:57 am
The thing that amazes me is how she speaks à good English !
I’m Spanish, and the mother of my tadpole is Spanish too. My tadpole is 5 years old, and while she speaks a wonderful French and jokes about my thick accent, she isn’t able to speak Spanish as fluently as Tadpole speaks English. She understands it perfectly, but when I speak to her in Spanish, she prefers to answer in French. It has been like that since she began school, she only makes an effort to speak Spanish when she speaks to grandparents.
How have you done to make your Tadpole speak English?
Comment by LostInBrittany — June 10, 2007 @ 1:55 pm
I wonder what her blog name for you will be?
Comment by tillylil — June 10, 2007 @ 6:49 pm
Her voice’s so cute !
Comment by Marc — June 11, 2007 @ 7:49 am
Whenever you post a photo of Tadpole, I find myself wondering what Mr Frog looks like.
Comment by Milk & 2 Sugars — June 11, 2007 @ 1:24 pm
Happy Birthday Tadpole!
Comment by Sally Lomax — June 11, 2007 @ 3:10 pm
love the way she gets her reflexive verbs and preceding direct object pronouns straight from french.
Comment by rivergirlie — June 11, 2007 @ 11:35 pm
Thanks for posting another Tadpole picture with sound. She is quite glamorous, you realize, even with those brows furrowed in concentration or consternation, whichever.
I’m content in my life with my decision not to have children (it’s too late to turn back now!) and yet, once in a while, I meet a friend’s child or grandchild who melts my heart, and gives me the fleeting “I wonder …” feeling. Your Tadpole is one of those children.
Good for you on getting her the ghastly cake you knew she would adore. Good mummy!
Comment by PJ Carz — June 14, 2007 @ 12:58 am
How lovely of you to post an audio clip of the two of you.
I put my stepdaughter on my computer when she was 7. She’s ask where a letter was, and I’d point to a key. She found the Petz community and was very active in that. I think her first blog was when she was 10.
Now she types around 105 and is off to the Univ. of Leeds in the Fall.
Comment by Viviane — June 19, 2007 @ 4:42 pm
Where did you find that thing, hum, computer ? Does it come from Russia ?
Comment by parisian cowboy — June 20, 2007 @ 11:51 pm
It’s a scary thrift shop toy, bought by the beloved nanny. Unsurprisingly, she prefers playing games on my MacBook…
Comment by petite — June 21, 2007 @ 12:04 am