Baby girl 18 months today

Piper you are 18 months old.  You have become such a unique little girl.  You have a very expressive face.  I am the expert on what each of your faces mean.  Except your scrunchy face.  One day Sary asked me "What does that face mean?" I couldn't tell her I knew it meant you had strong feelings but were you: frustrated, determined or concentrating?  I am glad Maria captured your scrunchy face in your portrait.

Everyone says you look just like Sary.  You two do look a lot alike but you are such a wild child you are uniquely different from your sister.  I cannot turn my back without you climbing the stairs behind me.  I always thought toilet latches were silly until you came into my life, now all toilet-seats are down and bathroom doors are closed.  As daring as you can be, you still get overwhelmed in crowds.  Like the day in the picture the kids were running in and out of the fountain at Fairfax corner and you were happy to watch from your stroller.

Even though you are not a big fan of crowds, you are Sary's #1 fan.  If she is laughing in another  -you laugh.  If she makes a funny face you think it is hysterical.  If she takes a toy you want from you though you do not take it lying down.  You make your scrunchy face and reach over and grab a handful of her hair.  You don't let go until she screeches if she laughs at you, you pull harder.  But if Sary is throwing a fit and crying you will cry too. 

 Piper you are a strong, determined, little girl and I am so excited to learn more about who you are as you grow and learn to express yourself with words and not just faces and hair pulls.  At the same time I want to hold you forever as my baby girl and smell the back of your little neck and kiss your sweet little feet.

Are your kids afraid of white vans?

When I was a child a girl I went to school with (had attended her birthday party) was kidnapped sexually abused and murdered.  She was walking from the horse stables on her families property along a road to the house.  It took them a couple of weeks to find the body.  Her killer was found and convicted.  It was the summer after 3rd grade.  I think that was the first time I ever realized their was evil in the world. Stories about abduced children like the one on babycenter today always make me think of her.  I think of her from the perspective of a child still.  I think she was the first person I ever knew who died.  (I know I didn't go to a funeral until the summer after 5th grade when my mothers Unce Chuck died.)  It was a lot to process that not only did people die but that someone my age had died and not only that but that she had been so brutally abused and killed.  My parents didn't hid it from me we watched the news every night whether my school mate was featured or not.  I know that summer and other times we would run and hide from white vans because there is always white box trucks and vans around so of course no matter what happens that is the first vehicle that is reported on the news. DC Sniper for the locals here. Often like wiht the DC Snipers it is not even a white van involved.  But to us kids nothing could get us running into a neighbors backyard faster than seeing a white van.

I know my girls are too young to know there is evil in the world.  So it is my duty to watch out for the white van for them.

Material Girl

Sary is a little person I know that is an obvious statement but she is a little person that is influenced by everything she sees and hears and feels. When mommy is sad because she lost her special new cell phone what does that tell her about the value of stuff? I lost my phone on Thursday and Monday she asked me if I was still sad about my phone. I told her “No I realized there are more important things in life than some silly old phone.” Sary said “But it was your new phone!” “There are more important things in life than my silly new phone.”


Sary and I were at CVS yesterday and in the spirit of being better I told her she could only choose one treat while we were there. (She was home sick and had gone to the doctor so a treat was in order.) We went up and down the aisles and she wanted a $4 balloon that was starting to deflate and I convinced her that the bag of balloons for $1.89 that mommy could blow up was better. We were walking toward the front and she said what else do you want mommy. Nothing just your treat and your medicine. After several more negotiations we walked out with medicine, balloons and a candy bar because after talking her out of three more things the candy bar at the counter was too big of a challenge. (So what did we learn here: no does not mean no and Mommy is weakest at the counter.)

She started crying last because she wanted to have her silly straw cup. The silly straw cup that we put back at Target a week and a half ago because she chose window clings instead. Then she said but you wanted me to have it. Yes at the time I told her that it was a better choice but she seems to have lost that somewhere in the translation. (So what did we learn here even when mommy goes through with the one treat at a time Sary still feels ownership over everything we traded out?)

I am worried that I am raising a materialistic child. This last year has been tough to say the least and I have been using my strength elsewhere and fighting the gimme monster has been low on my list. Time to do better.