Weird literacy

C is writing. Tonight we spent an hour at her easel practicing her writing. I didn't get pictures, but ...

C: Mommy, how do you write cat?
M: why?
C: I want to write cat.
M: c. a. t.
C: come by my easel! watch me write cat
M: okay. (walk to easel)
C: how do you write cat?
M: c.
(C writes a giant c)
M: a.
(C writes a giant a, correctly placed after the c)
M: t.
(C writes a giant t, correctly placed after the a)

We sound out the word, very, very slowly. Then, she drew a cat.
Much the same scene ensued with sun, mouse, spider, frog, dog, fairy and mom.
So, she loves to write. The sounding out of words is much more like pulling teeth. I hit on something though...

M: would you like to write a special word?
C: a special word?
M: yes, special. write E.
C: E...one stick, one on top, one on bottom, one in the middle
M: now, R
C: Stick, loop, stick, R.
M: now, I.
C: Stick, and a hat, now shoes, I
M: now, N.
C: Stick, help me mommy. (I help with the slant), stick. N.
M: what word do you think that is.
(5 minutes of progressively faster sounding.)
C: ERIN! It's Erin!!! (does her excited dance). I can write Erin!

Erin would be the name of her "bestest friend in the whole world. I love her."
I think this may be the first sign of appreciating the appeal of reading words herself. Now if it would take less than five minutes to do the sounding...