Iris “Mary Kay” – a Leader in the Making
We chose Iris’ middle name Mary to honor her grandmother Mary Kay and great grandmother Mary Alice. It seems as though she has taken that to heart, as her personality now exhibits signs of “the general” (my mom’s nickname by her siblings).
Iris definitely knows what she wants at all times, and is very good at making it happen! It’s hilarious to see what she gets passionate about, and I can see that my role is to let this little president-to-be practice her organizing and leadership skills as much as possible.
These past few weeks Iris seems to have moved on from Winnie the Pooh to two new attachment items. Unfortunately, neither is cuddly or easy to keep track of:
• Her Gymboree sticker nametag and
• Her hair barrette.
How does she choose these things? It reminds me of her first love, the helium balloon from her 1st birthday… the one she kissed each morning and waved to constantly. At least with the balloon, she didn’t ask to sleep with it or take it into the bathtub…
• Her Gymboree sticker nametag and
• Her hair barrette.
How does she choose these things? It reminds me of her first love, the helium balloon from her 1st birthday… the one she kissed each morning and waved to constantly. At least with the balloon, she didn’t ask to sleep with it or take it into the bathtub…
She points to her chest and says “I, I, I” (for Iris) to either show me her nametag or emphatically ask me to find it and stick it on her. Anyone have a suggestion for how to do this in the bathtub? The first time I let her bring it and watch it disintegrate in the water, thinking she’d learn from the consequences, but alas her memory is not that long. The next time I stuck it to the wall next to the tub where she could see it, telling her daddy would put it on her jammies when she got out of the tub. She was still almost in tears at the thought of being that far away from it!
Iris has never had a haircut and doesn’t need one, but she still feels it is imperative that she have a barrette in her hair at all times. It started when she wanted me to put my barrette in her hair – which I did but it fell right out. So we went to the drugstore and found her one. I had no idea what I was getting myself into! Now she will feel around her hair to make sure it is there at all times, especially in inconvenient places like the bathtub when I’m washing her hair.
And to top it all off, Iris is now also the “cruise director”. She’s learned some games like Ring around the Rosy, Hide and Seek, and Horsey (riding mom). And not only does she want to repeat them a million times – she also directs me on exactly which game and where. Even with the very limited number of words she now speaks, she clearly communicates her intentions by grabbing my hand and pointing intently. “mom, run over to the other room and hide around the corner!” or “spin me around and sing that song again!”
Somehow her charm and adorable smile manage to convince me most of the time that I should do what she’s asking. Her hearty laugh makes it fun again and again. Next, on to learning the skills of negotiation and compromise!