Our budding ballerina...

Saturday, April 5, 2008
We finally saw The Little Princess yesterday after a week or more of missing her. She and Mommy have been a bit under the weather, though you would never know it from all the things that baby gets into.

Her newest fun thing is to climb onto the arm of the recliner, stand tall, and then fall straight backward into the chair, and then dissolve into a bundle of laughing little mass of a sweetie pie. She knows nothing about how harmful this can be. She just knows it's fun. I don't know if she loves the shocked look on our face, or the sheer thrill of the fall, but she sure enjoys something about it. Poor Mommy. She has a handful of energy to chase after constantly to keep her out of harms way in addition to her normal routine.

Little Princess just yesterday discovered my glasses and wanted to pull them off. Finally I decided to take them off so she could see what I looked like without them on. The expression on her precious little face was priceless. She looked at her Mommy as though she was totally embarassed that she had gotten me to take them off. She couldn't quite figure it out. I wasn't the same person I was before and she didn't know how to react to that new-found knowledge. It deterred her for a very short time, but not indefinitely from pulling my glasses off. It was a battle trying to keep little hands away from my face. I recall a few years ago when Little Free Spirit was maybe around her age and was fascinated with my glasses and once when I took them off to scratch my eye, he promptly reached over and poked me in the eyeball causing severe pain, both to my eye and my pocket book! It required a doctor's visit or two to have it checked out and medicine to prevent an eye infection. I didn't want a repeat with this grandchild.

Mommy had to replace her vacuum cleaner and decided to give it a whirl yesterday while we were there. It required some assembly so Granddaddy got out the trusty screwdrivers and they went to work putting it together. It was a very short time before they were joined by The Little Princess. She went straight over to Granddaddy's tools, chose a couple of screwdrivers her size and took them over to the vacuum and helped him put it together. She had watched very closely. She knew she was supposed to put that screwdriver into the holes and do something. She is so very smart and observant! She doesn't miss a beat.

I have to give her mommy lots of credit. If it isn't harmful, she doesn't try to stop her from exporing her world and doing what she needs to do to progress in her little life. It would be so easy and a lot less work for Mommy, if she took things away from her and kept her from doing things, but lucky for Little Princess, Mommy is selective about saying she can't do something. You do a wonderful job, Mommy, and I'm proud of the way you handle The Little Princess, although I still contend she will get kicked out of day care if you ever chose to put her there. They would have to hire several other workers just to keep her out of things! So, don't even think about it!

While Mommy was using her new vacuum, I suggested to Little Princess that I put her into her crib so we could watch Mommy from a safe distance. She agreed. She watched her for a while and then she decided she was ready to get out. She didn't cry or fuss, she just figured it out by herself.

Straight out and up to the top of the crib she went with that leg! I didn't know her little leg was that long! She hiked it over that crib ready to escape, until Mommy saw little Houdini. It won't be a long time before she will retire that crib for something her Mommy won't be able to keep her in at naptime or bedtime! Ohh, I'm feeling so sorry for poor Mommy.

I could not believe how flexible that little stinker is, although I shouldn't be surprised because she is constantly climbing onto everything, everywhere. No, really, she is not your usual climbing child. This kid is very unusual. I know everybody believes their baby is the exception, but this one really is. She is a boundless energy of climbing, one place to the other. Up, down and all around. If you don't believe it, spend a few hours with her.

It's not bad for her to be so adventuresome to one unless you are having to follow her around all day. Then you wish for a little more normalcy in the child. Or a nice long nap. For you or her! Or spending a few hours away from her. Maybe a root canal would be less stressful. But it's impossible not to just love her to pieces when she breaks into her silly giggles and laughter because of her antics. Oh, she is such a challenge and that is putting it mildly. We would never change a thing about her...most days. She's perfect, just absolutely perfect...most days.

Maybe her profession will be a ballerina. She's certainly getting plenty of practice these days. She's already limbered up, and she's stretching those legs to their limit. She has stamina and determination and she's constantly practicing. Not to mention,she has a wonderful charm and grace about her...especially when she's asleep.

I love you, sweet girl, and it felt like forever since I'd seen you.