Missing My Daughter

I don't work but I go to school full-time. It's tough. I am in an accelerated program and it is busy as busy can be. True, we are in class only 2x a week from 5:30-10p but when you've got two tests in one week, each covering 10-14 chapters EACH, you better be hitting the books in between. Those 2 days, I already miss dinner, storytime and bedtime. Those other days when I'm with my study groups, or I'm in a library or book store studying all by my lonesome, I miss a heck of a whole lot more.

So I miss Mina. My husband, yes I miss him too but he doesn't go around preferring someone else when I'm not around as much (I hope hehe). Mina does. She's Daddy's girl. I want her to be my girl because she is the absolute most adorable thing in my life.

Yesterday I took her to the park to make up for it. We brought food to feed the duckies and she looked so funny trying to throw it to them and having it land only a few feet in front of her. The ducks would go nowhere near it. Then I had her on the swing for a while. And she did the slides a few times. But her favorite part was the sand in the playground. She just sifted through her closed fists again and again, fascinated. She was barefoot, insisting I took off her boots and socks. This girl does not like playing in shoes anywhere except the house. I know some parents would have had a fit at the thought of all those germs in such a common area as a playground. But what the heck, I wanter her to play. I followed her, and played with her a little bit while messing with the sand but mostly I just watched. I wanted to take a picture of her but I remembered that I forgot to bring it. So the image of her just rolling the sand through her fingers will just forever be in my mind. Her hair in a ponytail, her pink tracksuit smudged with dirt and chocolate, her bare toes peeking out from under her bottom. It's all in my mind. And I hope to never forget it.

Dressing A Daughter

Things have been a bit crazy for us this past well, couple of years. What with my change of career and going back to school, and Woody's joining of the Army. Finances have been tight, schedules have been hectic. Vacation's been scarce (Waaaah! Enough about that). I used to have money to buy not just practical outfits from Target and Old Navy, which are cute but let's face it, a bit uninspired, to more stylish baby clothes from Baby Gap, Ralph Lauren, Lucky Kid, and Baby Dior (kidding about Dior). See, Mina for the fist 1.5 year of her life had no shortage of cute outfits. We had clothes galore from my baby shower, from gifts for her first birthday given by relatives and friends. We had a huge birthday party for her 1st one so that comes as no surprise.

Behold, an absence of pink!










Her second was a bit more understated. We got mostly cash. Her cute outfits are dwindling. Most of the stuff in her closet are proudly marked Target and Old Navy. Both stores like a lot of pink and I vowed to NOT dress her all pink before I had her. I tell you, it's hard!

I've been delegating her care to her Dad a lot more these days, since I'm so busy with school. Once he's gone, care will go to my Mom most likely, who has no problems with pink. But I was inspired lately by Sweet Fine Day's Jenna, who dresses her kids in stylish, low on pink fashion. I love it. I must admit I whipped out the credit card and just dropped a little over a hundred dollars on 5 pieces of clothes and shoes for the little one over at Crewcuts and yes, Baby Gap! This after already dropping some cash for more (pink!) stuff at Target the other day.

No, I didn't buy her Stella McCartney's new collection for babyGap (Lord, they are expensive!). I noticed most of the stuff I ended up buying were still in the pink family, but they call it guava, and light flamingo. I bought her pink shoes too. Ok, so that was a fail in no pink. But they were the only cute things on sale. Crewcuts isn't in the vicinity of Old Navy pricing.

Anyway, what's my point? My point is, I am overly concerned with how my daughter dresses. I secretly gloat that she is one of the best-dressed kid in her class. I love, love, love that she's a girl. Cause no matter how many cutesy things they try to come up for boys, it's just not as fun. For example, look at this cute picture:



I think that picture says it all. She insisted on adding the flower and tutu to the outfit by the way.

Mina, when you're older and read this, I hope you appreciate how cutely I tried to dress you.