I was able to take her to the 4C Party in the Park, where she got to drive a school bus and honk the horn.
She even got to run the bases at Bosse Field and meet some of the Evansville Otters players. This is Ricardo Lizcano from Toledo, OH who used to play for the Lake Erie Crushers near Cleveland where my girls were born.
Dad worked at 32 hour straight shift thanks to some hackers, but we got donuts out of it. Mayzie, like most kids, is convinced that everything is better with sprinkles.
On Thursday, Mayzie got to spend the whole day with her Papaw. They went fishing, and she now holds the grandkid record with 3 catches in a single trip. They had a great time together, and this is what they were doing when I pulled up.
On Friday, I got lots of cuddles from this lovely girl who actually slept until 7am. She never does that when her sister is around. I felt incredibly refreshed and thankful for this munchkin.
Monday finally came, with the fun 3 hour drive to the airport each way to go pick up Annika. My mom met us at the airport and then took us out to eat before we had to get back on the road. It was so great to get to see my mom, if only for a brief visit.
It was a good week. We had fun. I wanted to be able to give Mayzie that special one on one time, and I did. There were loads of extra cuddles and yes flowed out of my mouth more often. What I didn't expect was just how much she would miss her older sister. She'd never known the thrill of being the only kid in the house for an extended period of time. I think she was over it by Wednesday to be honest. She kept talking about her sister and would hardly put the iPad down every time that we skyped. Apparently Annika was the same way in FL. So I guess they actually like each other.
I love my brother, but I really don't know what it's like to have a sister. I don't know what it is like to be into the same kinds of things all the time or to be able to steal each other's clothes. I have no idea what is coming in the next few years, but I do know that they love each other very much. They are adorable together actually. I'm also the oldest of the 2 kids from my mother and father, so I don't know what it's like to be the second child. I never want her to feel like she is second place or that we don't love her as much. I consciously tried to take as many baby pictures of her as I did Annika. What I'm coming to realize now though, is that she doesn't view any of these as markers of fairness. So far, the only protests of fairness that we've gotten have to do with when Annika gets a treat and she doesn't (usually because she didn't eat her dinner). So we navigate the multiple personalities contained in our little family, and try to empathize with the differing positions that we inhabit. I have a feeling that little Miss Mayzie Faye is always going to surprise us, and we're just starting to see the real beginning of it now. I can't wait to see how she does in preschool in two weeks.
What do you think I should do with my time while they are both in school? (Apparently the preschool director thinks I won't know what to do. <bwahahahahaha>.) Any advice for how to get Annika to cut her hair before school starts? She seems to think the semi-mullet look is working for her, but I'm not so sure. What do you do to make your second child feel special?
