Burgh Baby

Everywhere I look, there are signs. The signs that's she's growing up are like confetti falling from the sky. Everywhere, falling to my feet in a colorful puddle of reminders.

She buttons her own fluffy, white coat.

The diapers are gone, replaced by a rainbow of tiny underwear.

A Dora obsession is a dark figment of my memory.

The jars of baby food in the pantry wait for a cat's tongue, rather than the toothless grin of a chubby infant.

She spends more time planning her fifth birthday party than she does talking about Bert and Ernie.

And now, an era has ended. Where once a list of Disney Princesses meant chatter about Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Cutey, now it has been replaced by a more grown-up choice of words.

Cinderella.

Snow White.

Sleeping Beauty.

So long, Sleeping Cutey. I will miss the smiles you brought to my face each time Alexis incorrectly uttered your name.

I'll just stand here, continuing to watch the confetti fall, knowing that "makery books" will eventually transform into "cook books." I just hope it doesn't happen too soon.

In retrospect, I was looking for excuses. If I had just asked Alexis in the first place, the answer would have been a resounding, "YES."

A new semester of dance class started last week. Enrollment for the semester started months ago, but for whatever reason, I kept ignoring it. And ignoring it. And ignoring it. I truly wasn't sure if I wanted to sign her up again or not. Now that I've got my 20/20 Hindsight Goggles on, I know that it was because I wasn't in the mood to keep sitting in that room with those people and feeling those things any more.

Alexis loves the class. She doesn't always participate fully, but the only person who has a problem with that is me. She's totally fine with it. Alexis doesn't care if some of the people watching the class have voices shriller than Dora being shoved through a meat grinder. That's on me, too. Alexis has no qualms about her listening skills sometimes resembling those of a deaf dog. I'm the only one who gets embarrassed about that. It was all me, me, me.

Today I picked her from daycare with the intention of taking her to dance class and signing her up for spring semester. There was just one catch; I had learned that this time the teacher is the one teacher Alexis doesn't like. I couldn't decide if my further hesitation based on that fact was because I was still looking for excuses to not put myself through torture or not. I decided I would just ask Alexis what she wanted to do.

I started with asking her if she wanted to go to dance class. Enthusiasm burst from her mouth so fast I felt like a jerk for ever doubting that I should take her. Then came the moment of truth; I told her the name of the teacher.

Alexis started whining. "I don't want to go to dance class," she wailed. "I don't like that teacher," she continued. "Waaaah, waaaah, waaaaaah."

Hearing Alexis summon the waaaambulance was exactly what I needed. I decided right then and there that enough was enough. It was time that Alexis learned that you don't always get to hang out with people you like. I drug her out the door, stuck her in her car seat, and started in with a lecture.

I told her all about how sometimes there are people in your life you don't like and how you still have to be nice to them because it's the right thing to do. I told her that sometimes you have to listen to people and do what they tell you, even if you would rather run away. I might have slipped in that there will be days when she won't like me, but she had better still listen and be respectful because that is what you do when faced with people you don't like. I added that sometimes you have to be extra, extra, extra nice to people you don't like because it's the best way to make it through a situation.

I was certain she caught almost none of my meaning, but I figured if the only thing she got from it was that you should always be nice to your mother, it was still a success.

Then we got to dance class and this happened:

ZOMG! I created a monster! Not only was Alexis extra nice to the teacher, she even did everything she could to kill her with kindness. She was extra annoying towards the teacher, but always stayed on the side of Good and Nice and all that. And? She had fun doing it. Too much fun.