Showers of Happiness

Maria has started to take showers and it is HILARIOUS.  She is so funny.  Last Saturday she went to her friend Paige's house and she went swimming in Paige's indoor pool.  Apparently, she and Paige took a shower afterward - it is like pulling teeth to get information from that girl, but finally she told us the whole story and it seemed fine.  At first I was like, you took a shower?  WHERE?  But the good thing about someone like Maria is that she always says what's on her mind, so I don't worry so much that anything would happen to her and she just wouldn't tell me. Anyway.  At first it was weird but now I'm excited that she is taking showers because maybe she can do it by her damn self some day soon.

But for now, we go up and I run the water and make sure it's not too hot and then she steps in.  I give her the poof with her bathwash on it because if we use mine, it burns her (poppycock).  She scrubs up and rinses off and poof! it's done and it's so cute.  She seems like such a big girl at the same time as being a little girl.

She has a friend at school named Tori, and she has loved her the whole year.  Lately she has made friends with another girl and I feel like this girl might be kind of bossy.  If she is bossy compared to MARIA, you can imagine, right?  That's pretty bossy!  Anyway, this morning Maria said how she wasn't playing with Tori anymore because this other girl said that Tori's skin smelled.  Since Tori is black, I started to get a little freaked out but I was trying to be cool because I thought if Maria sensed that I was worried, she'd not be honest or something.  I told Maria that Tori's skin certainly did NOT smell and that I didn't want to hear that she wasn't playing with anyone.  I told her that the point of preschool is to have FUN and PLAY with EVERYONE!  She came home today and told us that she DID play with Tori today and everything was okay.  Then she said, kind of quietly, "Tori's skin is brown and mine is white, right?".  AUGH.  She is not even five years old!  I said yes, Tori's skin is brown and your is white and that doesn't really mean anything in preschool, so don't worry about it.  Worry about being nice and kind and playing with everyone.

The school she's going to next year is like 50% African American so it's not like she won't notice that some people are black and some are not but man.  I just hate the thought that some little kid is talking about some OTHER little kid's skin color and saying it smells!  I hope we said the right thing, sheesh.

Breaking News

Maria is sick!  Ay yi yi, this poor baby!  I worked last night and texted Mike to ask him how it was going, I always do shortly after bedtime and he said "not good.  M has thrown up twice".  Since it's not common for him to call himself M or talk about himself in the third person, I figured it was Maria, even though I was SHOCKED because when last I saw her she seemed fine!  She played on the playground after school and then went to her friend Paige's house.  Paige's mom brought her home right after I left for work and Maria said her head hurt, then she threw up all over the couch, took a bath, moved to the chair and fell asleep, and then threw up all over THAT!  Sheesh!  Mike fixed her up and put her in bed and then cleaned the cushions from said furniture and went to bed.  She asked for water when I got home and then she threw that up very soon after.  She came into my bed and I slept with her, while Mike got some rest in her room.  She kept bugging me and bugging me for water and I felt so bad for her I gave her some, and then I felt bad for ME, since she threw up all over both of us and my damned bed, ha!

I think that was it for the night and we had hopes that maybe it was out of her system.  She wasn't warm anymore and when Anthony had it, he got better quickly.  I dressed her for school, she really wanted to go as it was picture day.  Also, she only sees the Love of Her Life, Samuel, on Monday and Tuesday.  She picked out her clothes for Seeing Samuel on Monday on SATURDAY.  She is VERY SERIOUS about him!  So she wore an adorable pink dress with gray and pink argyle tights and then BOOM, she threw up again.  She cried and cried when I told her that she couldn't go to school.  Veevsy seemed fine, so she went and boy were we jealous!

She's been off and on sleeping today, then she woke up from a late nap and asked for water so we gave her a sip, first one, then another, and it seemed okay so she ate a hot dog for dinner and, um, sure it was probably DUMB to give her a hot dog but she was so hungry and she seemed okay but NO she wasn't because she threw that up, too.  THEN she threw up the Advil we gave her before bed so basically we're not giving her any more food or water, ever.  Kidding!  But come on, man!  I hope she is better soon.

I'll say this about old Maria - she is the toughest girl I know.  And when she tries to take deep breaths to not throw up, she is so serious and cute I can't stand it.  She hasn't whined at all, she did cry about not going to school, but she took it like a champ.  I love her so much and I told her today, I would rather take that sickness than have her have it.  And not just for the weight loss, ha!

Halloween

Today I took Maria to ballet, then to Starbucks to see our friend Ali who works there.  The girls had an apple juice and a treat and then we went to my friend Marta's house, where they made and ate their own pizzas, played dress up and had a high old time.  Then we raced home so we could go to our neighbor's house for a tea party playdate, where she stayed for a few hours.  She had to come home at 4:00 and she came into the house, shlumped over and whined and cried about what a terrible day she had.  She didn't do ANYTHING, she said, and then she LISTED all the stuff that she had done today! INGRATE!

She's okay, though.  I mean, she doesn't know she's an ingrate.  She just thinks four things in one day isn't too much.  She's not an INgrate but she is INsane, I fear, ha!

She had a good Halloween, she went sort of crazy when we were trick or treating.  She ran so hard and so fast between houses she kept breaking off her Batgirl boots.  But she had fun, although I hope that next year it's all a little calmer.

She is doing great in school, she's so smart.  Lately she likes to do her math, she'll say "plus two plus two is ... FOUR, right?  Plus three plus three is .... SIX!  Plus two plus five is ... (she counts on her fingers) SEVEN!".  She is writing well and has friends and seems happy.  Not to talk toilet talk, but she is having some trouble staying dry at night so she has to wear a pullup.  I've told her not to worry about it, I just can't keep up with the laundry if I have to wash and dry all her bedding every day.  We have a deal that if she wakes up dry three days in a row she can start to wear underwear again, I guess we shall see.

She's a good girl, I can never get over how crazy she makes me and how great she is, all at once.  Here's some pictures of her on Halloween and from the fall.  I got out my real camera and it's been great, Maria is a HECK of a poser.