A True Story

Mary had a little lamb,
Little lamb, little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow

When I was a freshman in high school I developed a habit of missing the bus to school, which would force my mom into giving me a ride, making her late for work. She finally got fed up and told me that if I missed the bus again she wasn't going to take me and I would just have to go to detention for missing school. I really didn't want to inconvenience my mom OR go to detention so I put forth an extra effort to not miss the bus, but try as I may to avoid it, I missed it again the day of fall finals. Of all days to screw up, it had to be finals.

Everywhere that Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went,
Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go

There was no way in heck I was going to ask my mom for a ride after how mad she had gotten the last time. Since I was one of the first people on the bus route, there was still over an hour before school started, and although I had never attempted it before, I figured I could walk the couple miles to school and my mom would never find out that I missed the bus. My plan was perfect, or so I thought, so I slipped out the back door quietly and started the long walk down the train tracks through the fields. I quickly realized that our faithful family dog, Cookie, was following me. She followed us on all our other outdoor adventures, why not this one? I knew that if I took her back home and closed her in the house she would start whining and barking to get out and my mom would see me walking to school, so I kept walking and urged, pleaded, and prayed that she would quit following me and go back home. Well, she didn't.

It followed her to school one day
School one day, school one day
It followed her to school one day
Which was against the rules.

I thought for sure they were going to call my mom and send me home. Instead, she accompanied me to each of my finals; one in biology and one in world geography. Biology went smoothly and Cookie was well behaved, but by the time world geography came she was getting restless and started whining at the classroom door in the middle of the test. The teacher made me sit outside with Cookie while I finished my test and she decided to take off running around the building. I used my multitasking skills to chase after her while finishing my test, then at long last the day was over.

It made the children laugh and play,
Laugh and play, laugh and play,
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school

Much to my dismay, the bus driver wouldn't let Cookie on the bus which meant I had to walk all the way back home. I passed by the front parking lot where I saw a family friend, Debbie Thatcher, who naturally inquired as to why Cookie was with me at school. I gave her a brief explanation, then I started my walk home.

And so the teacher turned it out,
Turned it out, turned it out,
And so the teacher turned it out,
But still it lingered near

When I finally got home, I was exhausted. The school was much farther on foot than it seemed and I had gone to school with no lunch money, but I did it- finished my finals and fooled my mom. I was quite content... until my mom called and, while attempting not to laugh, told me she knew what I had done! How did she know?! I went through all that trouble and thought I was so sly, but she found out anyway! Thankfully my mom has a good sense of humor and waived my punishments, knowing that a walk to Central West and back was punishment enough, but she wouldn't reveal her informant. After hours of contemplation, I realized that Debbie ratted me out. I guess it was just too funny to keep to herself.

And waited patiently about,
Patiently about, patiently about,
And waited patiently about
Till Mary did appear

After that experience, "Mary Had a Little Lamb" has a whole new meaning for me. I can sympathize with Mary in ways I never anticipated and I certainly wouldn't be surprised if it was based on a true story. Cookie passed away a few years ago, but I will never forget her day at school.

"Why does the lamb love Mary so?"
Love Mary so? Love Mary so?
"Why does the lamb love Mary so?"
The eager children cry

"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know."
Loves the lamb, you know, loves the lamb, you know
"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know."
The teacher did reply

Return of "Baby"

My husband and I struggle to get along more than anyone who loves each other should. Whether or not he deserves an "Outstanding Husband" award varies from day to day, but one thing remains undeniable... he is an awesome father.

Most fathers naturally love their children, but Art LOVES his Baby with every ounce of his being. He is downright crazy about her. You might recall my previous post entitled "Baby" wherein I described how devastated Art was every time my mom picked up Keira so he could sleep while I worked. As a means to ease the pain of separation, he took a stuffed animal ladybug that was, at the time, approximately the same size as Keira and placed it in positions that Keira would normally be. Occasionally I came home for lunch to find the ladybug laying on the nursing pillow in his arms, in the bouncer, or in the bumbo seat. When I asked him what he was doing with the ladybug, he explained that it was "Baby."

I hadn't seen "Baby" in quite some time and had nearly forgotten all about it, then last night after a visit to my mom's house I woke Art up for work and found "Baby" tucked in bed with him. I laughed and asked him what Keira's toy was doing in our bed and his response was, "I needed my Baby."

As I said before... What a lucky girl to have a daddy who has loved her so much since the day she was born. They are still absolutely inseparable.

Cuteness

Keira's First Ponytail!

Fun in the park with Daddy.

 

Just so cute today, I had to take a picture.

 

Dance Moves

Keira has some dance moves that could put even Beyonce to shame. There are a few songs that especially put a special hop in her step, one of which is "Pants on the Ground" which is just a clip from American Idol this year. She happened to have her pants on the ground one day, so I played her the song and took these pictures of some of her enviable dance moves. Notice the ice cream scoop in one hand.

Seen below is a video of Keira dancing to the Cops theme song. This is definitely one of her top 5 favorite songs to jam to. Who needs tv when you have entertainment like this?

Keira's Corner

I am learning that, when it comes to babies, you must choose your battles wisely and sometimes you must surrender entirely. Our most recent battle was purely territorial.

In my living room there is only one possible location that our couches fit and that particular configuration results in a big empty corner where the two couches meet at their 90 degree angle, hereafter defined as "The Corner." In The Corner is a small end table, a lamp, some blankets, and the occasional TV remote or empty glass, nothing more, nothing less. Despite it's lack of interesting objects, Keira had become obsessed with The Corner and would often dangle herself over the arm of the couch like a fishing pole in an attempt to gain access to said Corner. Sooner than later, she learned that she could make her way over the arm of the couch and stand on the end table and would do exactly this the moment I turned my back.

This wouldn't be such a problem if she wasn't over there knocking over the lamp and falling down and getting stuck. I couldn't so much as set foot in the kitchen for 10 seconds without her making a mad dash for The Corner and it was getting to the point where she needed constant visual monitoring. It was becoming hazardous and I knew that I needed to teach her to stay out of The Corner for her own good and for my peace of mind. Try as I may to convince her to stay out of The Corner, no spanking, no sharp words, no distractions, no nothing could keep her from throwing that little leg over the arm of the couch the moment I was out of sight. It was becoming a game to her, but it wasn't very funny to me.

At this point, I knew I had no choice but to surrender. She was determined to have The Corner so I let her have the stupid corner! I took everything out of The Corner and pulled the couches apart far enough for her to walk in, then I put a blanket on the floor and moved her toy bin back there to make a little play area. The results- No more climbing over the arm of the couch because there is no longer anything no climb onto. No more battle for the corner, she can walk right into it and it's all hers. A little fun play area for Keira with a view out the window. Her toys are not out in the middle of my living room any more. And now I can step into the kitchen to make a meal without wondering if she is going to break her neck on the end table... well, until she finds something else to break her neck on.

Even though I was forced to succumb to her baby will, I'd say that ultimately it was a win for both of us.

"EEE!"

Today Keira said her first alphabet letter! She was taking her bath and just as we were finishing up, she pointed to her foam letter "Z" and said, "EEE! EEE!" I realized she was pointing to the letter "Z" and I was so proud that all the hours we have spent reading Dr. Seuss' ABC book are finally paying off!

Now her alphabet bath toys are for more than just teething!

You Crack Me Up