Several years ago, the Creator blessed my parents with eternal life. Since that time, I have sought ways to fill the two gaping holes in my life. Those ways have included everything from the bible to vodka. Three years ago, the Creator blessed me with a life that I never knew I was ready for. That life can in the form of a wonderful baby girl. Like any mom, I loved her immediately and intensely. Since her laborious entry into our lives, she has proved herself quite the force. Having often been told by my father that I was a stubborn and fiercely independent child, I can only imagine the bouts of laughter and knee slapping my parents must be sharing as my husband and I battle the wills and charms of this amazing little girl. On any given day, during any given hour, in any given minute, she is charming, stubborn, clever, hot-headed, funny, fiery, self-assured, sweet and/or willful. Choose any combination and I do not know whether to laugh at her or punish her.
At her costume/3rd birthday party on Halloween, she decided that she did not want to wear her costume. This rebellion ensued despite the fact that she picked out the costume. She was the Cat in the Hat but the day of the party she decided, "I want to be a mom cat not the cat in the hat." It took several minutes of mom/auntie/daddy psychology to get her into that costume. Over the course of the party, my stubborn child managed to change clothes three times. Pointing out that all of her guests were wearing costumes did nothing to ease the heel she dug so firmly into the ground. At this point, I am sure you are asking why I didn't just leave well enough alone and let her wear her dress instead. Easy. I decided she was going to wear that costume because she picked it out, I paid for it, and her guests had all arrived in their costumes. All proper little girls should be good hosts. The final showdown occurred right before we decided to take the party to the streets. (Take the kids, trick or treating at few houses on the block, that is.) When I told her she could not go unless she wore her costume, she marched over to where I was sitting on the floor, planted her forehead on mine, pushed her nose into mine, tighten her eyebrow, squinted her eyes, straightened her arms like two sewing pins, clinched her fists, and said, "I don't like my costume. I don't want to wear my costume." Her ire soon weakened when she realized she was going to be left in the house. There is nothing like a good follow through to rope in an ornery toddler moment.
Give the girl her shoes. Since she learned how to walk, my child has had a love affair with shoes. I have had to hang my pumps and boots on hangers since she was 10 months old so she wouldn't go twisting her ankles or tumbling around the house. Refusing to be thwarted by height, she learned that if she shook and pulled on the clothes hung next to the shoes in the closet she could cause the shoes to fall. Every female soul that walks into this house has had to share her shoes with my daughter. She has even tried to wear her black patten leather Mary Jane's to the pool, to bed, and to the park. Well, mere days ago, I unwittingly took my child to paradise. A paradise also known as DSW. The trip was supposed to result in a new pair of pumps for me. When I opened the door and ushered her in front of me, she took two steps and said with a mixture of delight and awe, "Wow, Mama, wow. Look at all the shoes." She proceeded to take off her shoes in the middle of the store. Apparently, DSW is better than Toys R Us. So moms, if your little girl is anything like mine, DSW entertains as good as any toy store.
My son is 8 months and has his sister's mischievous grin. I can only imagine what he is planning for us.
Gotta love the kids.
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