My Brown Eyed Girl

Middle Daughter is a rock star! Actually, she’s more of a defender of the underdog, environmental crusading smarty pants, who happens to look like a super model-with a flair for fashion! She is kind, creative, hopeful and loving. She is pertinacious in some things, while remaining respectful and open-minded in others.

©1999 JT's HAND-A Neonatal Fund

When Middle Daughter was born, she was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for 10 days. For a long time, I felt that she was so fragile-as if, like a helium balloon, if I didn't hold on tightly enough, she would just float away.  I quickly learned that M.D. would have no part of my tight grasp.

When M.D. was 5, we were in Chicago celebrating Firstborn Daughter's Birthday. We were walking down Pearson Street and came upon a man who was (rather aggressively) soliciting. My instinct was to pull everyone close and keep on- keepin’ on (I know, I know-I'm not proud). The two oldest moppets grabbed onto my arms and started giggling nervously. As we continued to walk, Middle Daughter kept looking back at the man. After several steps, M.D. said, “Mama, that man needs some money, can I give him mine?” as she ran back and handed her money to him.

While in 2nd and 3rd grades, she learned 2 very valuable things from teachers. I really think these two lessons have molded how she sees the world!

Her 2nd grade teacher taught her that it is icky to lie to your apartment manager and say you don't have a cat when you do; and if you get caught with said cat, it's even ickier to try to guilt your students into taking your cat because you don't want to pay the pet deposit! 

 (Also known as the year M.D. learned how not to behave!)

In 3rd grade, her teacher taught her that it is a beautiful thing to give your lunch to another, but also that it is okay not to give away your lunch-especially when you're hungry! Nourishing yourself is not selfish!

Middle Daughter is one of the most determined people I have ever known. She doesn't let other people define her-if someone tells her she can't do something, she will prove to them that she can!














She has a fabulous sense of style!

M.D. wants to save the world! She is specifically passionate about the environment! I love that she is the #1 fan of the Director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality! She gets all flustered and swoon-y when she talks to him-it's adorable!

(P.S.-M.D-thank you for letting that woman with one item go ahead of you in line at the store the other day! I saw that-way to go!)

As Long as I'm Living... My Baby You'll Be

I can't figure out if Baby Girl is so yummy because there are so many of us "raising" her-so she gets our best (least exhausted) selves; because, since birth, she has been schlepped around to everyone's activities- exposing her to all kinds of fabulous; or if it's because I'm tired and old and not as uptight as I once was! It's probably a combination of all these things, or has absolutely nothing to do with any of them-either way-Baby Girl rocks!

She says things like this:

"Mama, it's really hard to become a star. Seriously, I've been trying for years!"


"Ahhhhh! The paparazzi is trying to take my picture! Can you help me hide?"





"Mom, you need to remember that when I don't bring my lunch to school, I still need to pack a snack. I was starving today. I was so hungry, I seriously thought about eating my crayon!"


And does things like this:  

Wears white gloves on the 1st day of school

B is for Brady Bunch! Of course!

           


                    
         Places a candle on her head
             and one on each hand.
         And proclaims that she is
     Lumiere from Beauty & the Beast
                                   

They were completely overwhelmed by their brilliance!

                                               


During a 5 hour road trip, she convinced her big sister's bestie to form a rock band!
They are called
The Glowettes!



They worked very hard and made lots of big decisions.
Most importantly, all of The Glowettes merchandise will GLOW!
                           

                                                         

                            
BG's The Glowettes band mate is 
from Oxford, so this just seemed right!
                

                               

          And sleeps like this:

Or sometimes like this:

Now if she isn't that cat's pajamas, then I just don't know my feline loungewear!

Please forgive me, I'm having a moment...

Most mornings I wake up and turn on The Today Show. Oftentimes the news makes me sad, annoyed, uneasy or flabbergasted- I don't really love that, but The Today Show serves as my daily calibrator (that plus a yummy cup of coffee and being the only one awake!) which I really do love/need.

As I am watching, I often wonder, "what kind of crazy train did these people bungee jump off of?" (Then I start singing Crazy in my head-the Seal version, not the Alanis Morissette one). I envision them as babies, in the loving arms of their mamas and papas, stockings pulled firmly over their itty, bitty heads to conceal their little baby identities, and think how did they get from there to here? (And, really, shouldn't the stockings have been a red flag?)

 ©Anna Bond

But then I think that's ridiculous and of course there are bank robbers and other assorted bad persons who were held in loving arms. So then I decide that they must not have realized that someone in this world thought they were the cat’s pajamas. (Because how could you be a bad guy if you knew someone thought you were the cat's pajamas, right?) I start singing Feed the World, because I heart Sir Bob Geldolf and I know the words to that song. Oops. No I don't. So I sing “The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire-we don't need no water, let the,” but I stop because I remember that I have children in my house-sleeping children and I need to be quiet or I can kiss my sweet, sweet solitude goodbye.

And yes, it really is exhausting being me!

Then I get all sad thinking that perhaps they weren't held in loving arms. Maybe that's how they got from there to here-at which point I start humming "We are the World" because I think all babies should be held in loving arms and it makes my heart ache to think otherwise. And because “We are the World” just feels right.

This morning as I was meandering down this mental flowchart, enjoying my coffee and the house party in my head, I started wondering if the moppets know how amazing, kind, and rockstar-ish I think they are. Hand on chin, finger tapping cheek, eyes looking upward-Things that make you go hmm... (Nope, don't know the words to that song either.)

So I've decided to share some things that that blow my mind (in a good way) about my children over the next couple of weeks! Because everyone should know that there is someone in the world who believes they hung the moon!