Naturally, Livi requested a princess party for her birthday. She was so excited to get her hair and nails done beforehand. The princesses decorated their treasure boxes and crowns while the knights decorated their treasure boxes and shields. We had a scavenger hunt for treasure, slayed a dragon and returned the crown to the queen. It worked out pretty great for both the boys and the girls.
Livi is three. Livi is THREE. How can she have been around for three years already? A better question, what did we do to entertain ourselves before her? She is so amazing. Loving and independent and girly and sweet and so, so stubborn. She takes after her mommy in so many ways, mostly the clumsy and stubborn ways. She loves to sing and watch "bideos". Instead of saying "She went there", she will say "Her went there". She uses her cuteness to get away with being naughty. She loves to "help" mommy with dinner and dance with daddy.
Here are her questions for this birthday:
1. What is your favorite color? purple
2. What is your favorite toy? robot
3. What is your favorite fruit? strawberry
4. What is your favorite tv show? Yo Gabba Gabba
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Jamich
6. What is your favorite outfit? pink
7. What is your favorite game? Mommy (?)
8. What is your favorite snack? peanuts
9. What is your favorite animal? zebra
10. What is your favorite song? In the Sun
11. What is your favorite book? blue (this is when she started getting silly and we had to come back to the conversation at a different time)
12. Who is your best friend? Annabell
13. What is your favorite cereal?pink
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play
15. What is your favorite drink? milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? lalaloopsie
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? lunch (?)
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? party
20. What do you want to be when you grow up?teacher
No, we aren't expecting. The truth is we've been trying since June. We decided to give ourselves 6 months to see what happens. Well, those 6 months have come and gone and needless to say, no bun in this oven. Although we would have been thrilled with a third, we are fine that it didn't happen. Honestly, we are no spring chickens and the thought of having a newborn around at this point just sounds exhausting! I remember when we were considering the prospect of a third. I was talking to a friend about it and telling him that right now everything was so contained and maintainable and he told me that he always wanted three because it seemed a little chaotic and he liked things being a little chaotic. I liked that. It resonated with me. And it's why we decided to go ahead and see what happens.
At the same time, we have always talked about getting a family dog one day, especially after the break in. We've had dogs before and ended up giving them away. Of course, circumstances were much different and life was much less stable back then. It seemed like the stars have aligned. A mutual friend was fostering a rescued boxer and we tested her out for the weekend. We dropped her back off on Sunday afternoon and spent the rest of Sunday and Monday talking about it. We decided that we would stop trying for a third human baby and instead, adopt one of the canine variety. After all, we all need a little chaos in our lives. And she is the sweetest kind of chaos you can imagine.
... I would have picked a moment this morning to do it. It was one of those moments you want to last forever. I was putting my makeup on in my bathroom and Livi walked in and asked if she could help me. I kneeled down, handed her the brush, and closed my eyes. She was stroking my eyelids with the makeup brush and when she moved onto my cheeks, I opened my eyes. That's when it happened. I was staring at this round face with wide open, concentrated eyes. She was concentrating so hard that part of her tongue was sticking out the way I do when I am concentrating. It hit me that this is one of those times I am gonna look back on when I am teaching her to drive or put on her own makeup. I started tearing up as I watched her carefully cover my face with imaginary makeup. When she was done, she beamed with satisfaction. I gave her a big hug and tried hard to solidify the moment in my head so I could look back on it. And then it was over.
The last couple of months have brought a welcome change in the way my two kids interact with each other. As each of them blossom into little people, their relationship has begun to evolve. Livi is becoming less of a bother and more of a friend to Liam. It's the single greatest thing I have ever witnessed. They crack each other up and have their own little inside jokes. They play this game called "Sha Sha" where they run after each other and yell.... well, Sha Sha. I don't personally see the appeal in it, but they can't get enough of it. The give more hugs and fight a little less. On the rare occasion one of us is with one of the kids and not the other, they spend that time wondering aloud when they will be back together. It's a welcome change and I'm hoping this lasts for a while.
My favorite thing so far. Obviously, a portrait of our family where we
are all holding our favorite things. Liam: his nutcracker, Livi: her
doll, Mommy: her computer, Daddy: his tools (ha!). The house next to
ours is Cameron's "because he lives so close" and the blue dots above is
rain. I love how snug we are in our house and I especially love the
big, full heart. ❤
It's no secret that Livi has grown to love all things princess. It's also no secret that I have not been so willing to oblige with this recent fascination. I suppose it's silly, but the feminist in me winces when I think about Barbie and her size 0 waist. If only there was such a thing as a Hillary Clinton doll. But I know that even if there was (and there probably is), she would still pick the frilly, pink Barbie. I do find solace in the fact that she calls her "Barbies" all by the name "Jessi". I have actually never heard her say the name Barbie.
I have a few friends with older daughters and I have asked all of them if their daughters were into princesses and girly things when they were younger. They almost all said yes and they almost all have independent, strong young women as daughters and so I decided that maybe it was ok to indulge in my daughters love for pink.. just a little. This Christmas, I gave my daughter a mermaid Barbie, some lip gloss and nail polish. I learned quickly there was no such thing as indulging just a little. Family quickly followed my lead and she soon had lots of pretty dresses and accessories. It's been a learning experience for me, but I know I just need to let it go and enjoy the ride. She is after all, a very cute princess.
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