Girls and dolls

WANT!

The summer I turned ten, after begging my parents for two years, they ordered me an American Girl Doll for my birthday. I waited what seemed like forever for UPS to bring Samantha and when she arrived I gleefully ripped the box open to unveil my perfect doll. She smelled sweet and her hair hung in loose curls. I dressed her up, tucked her into bed at night, and carried her everywhere. I also read the books, which discussed historically relevant happenings. In the end I collected four of these dolls, but I never loved or played with the subsequent three as much as I did the first one.

Fourteen years later, we are visiting a large Georgia mall and I spot the American Girl Boutique and Bistro. I had no intention of buying anything (I am too old, Suzi is too young) but I had to take a look. My disappointment surprised me. There was nothing they didn't have, but I had to ask myself: Do girls need all that? Will it cripple a child's imagination if, instead of letting her build a doll treehouse with her father, we buy her one for $250? Is it necessary for a girl to have not only Victorian era Samantha, but her friend Nellie as well? When I started collecting these, there were five historical dolls. Now I've lost count!


I will definitely be buying one or two of these dolls for Suzi when she gets older. Why? They let a ten-year-old girl be a ten-year-old girl. They are not curvaceous, don't wear any makeup, and encourage reading and learning rather than teaching girls how to attract boys. But I don't know about the boutique. As we approached it I thought oh, I can't wait to bring Suzi here and buy her a doll! On our way out I was contemplating whether I'd ever take her there. Is it good for a child to go into a shop and leave ten minutes later with a doll? Wasn't half the fun waiting for the doll to arrive in the mail? When we were in the shop I saw several mother-daughter pairs and wondered, are these the same moms who are taking their "tweens" for a $300 spa day? Because that is so not me!

What do you think?

Suzi's first swim & I'm tagged

Kelly tagged me, so here goes!

Two names you've gone by: Jenny and Jennifer (but I don't prefer it)

Two things I’m wearing right now: Bravado Essential Nursing Tank (I am pretty much always wearing one, except when I'm in the shower. If you are breastfeeding you should buy at least one. Commercial over. Also wearing the matching shrug.

Two things I have in a relationship (with Jordan): A best friend. A sweet best friend who doesn't mind me blogging on his MacBook Pro from a hotel room.

Two of my favorite things to do: Hanging out with Jordan and Suzi, and babywearing. Sometimes at the same time!

Two things you did last night: A little laundry and cleaning. I want us to come home to a clean house! Then I went to bed early.

Two people you last talked to: Jordan and Suzi

Two things you’re doing tomorrow: We're taking Suzi to the aquarium and then the Centennial Olympic Park! I'm excited but she doesn't much care. I think she will tomorrow.

Two longest car rides: There was the physically longest car ride to Disney World, which I've done three times in my life. Then there was the ride that seemed the longest, which was the cab ride from the airport in St. Lucia to our resort. We were on our honeymoon. It was about an hour but it seemed like three hours; I thought we were going to die. They drive crazy!

Two favorite holidays: Christmas and Easter

Two favorite drinks: Water. My second favorite is coffee with a little ice cream in it. Instant latte. I'm not a Starbucks guru (could you tell?).

Two things about me you may not have known: Up until halfway through my freshman year of college, I was planning to go into the Air Force. I did AFJROTC in high school and after four years just couldn't imagine my life without it. The only thing I missed was the esprit de corps. I'm also afraid of the dark. If I wake up in a dark room I panic; in the dark everything looks like something scary. It's even worse if I'm in a hotel or someone else's house.

Two jobs I’ve had in my life: Counting pills in a pharmacy. I hated it! After graduation I moved on to Impressions Appearance Shoppe where I was going to learn to fit breast cancer survivors with prosthetics, bras, and wigs. I was thrilled to get that job, but then decided to move over to Jennie G's when it became available.

Two movies I would watch over and over: Harry Potter, and it doesn't matter which one. My favorite is #4 because of the Yule Ball and I think the Beauxbatons girls are funny too. Also The Office. If you've had a bad day at work, this one will cheer you up.

Two favorite foods: Chocolate and Chick-fil-A (chicken nuggets, fries, Polynesian sauce). I just had some Chick-fil-A and it was yummy!

Two places I’d rather be right now: I'm happy here. In a minute I'm going to go cuddle with Jordy but he's right across the room. I'm also looking forward to the aquarium but that's for tomorrow.

Two people I tag: Memoirs of a Mommy and Knotted Apronstrings (my mom). It will be interesting to see Mama's answers so I hope she does it!

Coming soon: Pictures of us and our perfect purple ring sling, which really is the last carrier I'm buying... for a while. If possible, there will also be video of Suzi learning about ocean creatures at the aquarium.

In the Night Kitchen

(Remember this, Mama?)

This night reminds me of one of my favorite almost-forgotten books, Maurice Sendak's In the Night Kitchen. My mom bought it for me when I was five or six but it waited patiently in the top of her closet for years due to nude illustrations of the little boy. (The nudity bothers librarians, principals, teachers, mothers--not children.)

From what I can remember, Mickey floats out of bed and into a huge kitchen where he falls into some dough that bakers are making into bread. He has a grand adventure in which he fashions a plane out of dough and flies into the milk, and then he falls right back into bed as though nothing happened.

Working at night has always fascinated me. I get distracted so easily, and during the day when I have people calling me on the phone, Jordan telling me a story and a whiny baby chasing me around, it's hard to get anything done. At night there is no one to sidetrack me; I can turn my music on and zone out. Jordan fell asleep and I slipped out of bed. He and Suzi are cuddling in a deep sleep and I am taking a break from laundry and picking up toys. When I'm finished I'll slide back into bed and no one will have noticed I was missing. In the morning when they come downstairs it will look as though a winged fairy maid has picked up after us. I will drink a cup of yummy coffee we bought at Whole Foods and go to work.

I want to read this book to Suzi in a year or two. I hope we can find our old copy.

Cosleeping and new carriers!

The other day I got an email from a friend saying she was selling several choice baby carriers for a super-low price. (In case it has escaped your attention, I love babywearing. Carriers are now like shoes were to me in college.) We got an Ergo, which was previously cost-prohibitive; I'd never even thought of buying one. She also sold us an Ellaroo Podaegi, which Ellaroo no longer makes and is nearly impossible to find. Right now Suzi is breastfeeding in the Ergo as I blog. (Did you know you can breastfeed in an Ergo? I didn't!) If I can breastfeed Suzi hands-free I can get all kinds of things done. I could probably mow the lawn if I wanted to (but I'll leave that to Jordy).


I haven't had a chance to do much with the Podaegi, but did achieve a front carry with straps. Suzi wasn't in the mood to try a bunch of new things.


Grandma and Grandpa kept Suzi last night while Jordan and I attended Julie's class on Nighttime Parenting. The most important thing we learned was to trust our instincts. Julie told us that every behavior is undoable, but should be changed gently. So for instance, not like this. I once loved Supernanny but now that I actually have a child I'm seeing that many of her techniques wouldn't work for me. (However, I do love that she forbids parents to hit their children and that she talks to kids as though they are people.)

I feel so much better now about our nighttime situation despite ugly remarks from a few people. What I've most often heard is that cosleeping is for the good of the parents, not the baby. Heh, no. It would have been simple for us to let Suzi scream her head off and hyperventilate through the night until, finally, her spirit was broken. My maternal instinct said no. Some babies are able to sleep in a crib fairly happily; Suzi is just not one of them. She sleeps in our bed and that works for us.

Dear Computer Desk, It's not you, it's us.

You were a good computer desk, but it's time. The fact is you were just too big to fit in the living room! We got tired of running upstairs every time we wanted to check our email, and you cluttering up the guest room? That just wasn't working. Sorry.


If anyone wants this free computer desk, email me (the_other_alice_ (at) yahoo.com). We'd prefer if you could come over and pick it up. It's in good shape, and you can use the shelves on top or take them down. We'll clean off our hot mess first! The chair is not available; I think it's going to Jennie G's. If the desk is not taken in a couple of days I'll post it on Freecycle.

Speaking of Freecycle, the Clemson group will be four years old on July 4th! My brother Paul told me about Freecycle when I was in college, and when I found there wasn't a group in Clemson, Jordan and I started one. I sent emails asking my friends to join, and we even wrote "freecycle.org" all over the sidewalk at the University and put up fliers to spread the word. I remember being so excited when we hit 40 members! Now the group is at nearly 1600 and it makes me happy to see how it has grown. It's been a long time since I've posted any items, but I still moderate the group. I need to do some decluttering and offer some stuff!

Anyway, I am now happily blogging away down here in the living room from our quirky stool we bought at Goodwill today. It may look funny but it beats being isolated in the guest bedroom upstairs! We repurposed the table, which we bought at a yard sale a couple of years ago. It first served as a kitchen table in the house we rented, but when we moved we put it out on our balcony, thinking we might go out there to eat breakfast sometime. Yeah, right. We will probably paint the top black later to match our bookshelves. The beauty of it is the table has two plain stools, which I can recover and put at our counter! Then all I'll need to do is buy one or two similar ones and cover them with the same fabric. That shouldn't cost much.

Ahh. This is so much better.

Weekend pictures

Today my copy of BOBB arrived and Jordy watched it with me! I'd already seen it once but that was on my computer screen (thru Netflix) so this was better. Once again, if you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant soon, you need to watch this! Let me know if you live around here and want to borrow it.

Friday: Vicky, John, the boys, her parents, and my mom met Jordan and me on the square to listen to bluegrass music. Suzi clapped to show her appreciation. She also enjoyed playing with Nolan and Braydon and walking all over the grass barefoot.



Suzi says: Uncle Brad, I am enjoying that tambourine you and Aunt Cortney sent me for Christmas! (She is stepping over my pile of Saturday's yard sale loot. I got a bunch of clothes.)

Daddy's hat on Suzi's little head never ceases to be funny.

By the way, you must see I Can Haz Cheezburger. I laughed so hard it ought to qualify as exercise. Thanks Carey.

Milestone (and a few little extras) video

1) We bought this for Suzi's birthday, and at first I hated it because it wasn't the quality I'd hoped for (like mine from 1985) but Suzi loves it. She doesn't differentiate between this phone and a real cell phone; when you hold it to her ear she gets the same expectant little grin on her face.

2) She's walking! Yay!

3) I'm going to go ahead and predict that she'll ask to take dance lessons in a few years.

4) "NO!" This is adorable now, but I'm guessing the cuteness will continue to deteriorate as we approach the teenage years.

5) I'm pretty sure she's bluffing here--I keep telling her she's cute.

6) Watermelon = more wet diapers to change!

7) She's been picking her nose for the past couple months, after she figured out (as my dad phrased it) "her nose has two holes in it!"


Today was my day off with Suzi. Carey, Tallulah and Clementine came over to play! Carey and I talked while Clementine attentively mommied a doll and Tallulah played with Suzi and ate some goat cheese. Suzi showed off her new walking skills. Jordan and I went to the farmer's market on the square and hopefully tomorrow night we will be going back to listen to bluegrass. Suzi enjoyed it last time--the music and the attention she got from the people around us!