2002-09-14 - 9:26 a.m.
My mother takes great pleasure in warning me about the power struggles to come with Baby Lou. For example, this morning, Lou was unrolling all of the toilet paper and then she began to eat it. When I stopped her, she shrieked and arched her back and threw herself to the floor in the middle of the piles of toilet paper. This makes me laugh a little because she's really not a tantrum-thrower yet, (she's only 10-1/2 months old), but it also causes me fear because it reminds me she is capable of a tantrum and they are not far off. My mom likes to say things like, "this is just the beginning," and imply there are big power struggles in our future. Am I naive to dream that there are not going to be big power struggles in our future? This is my biggest wish. I'm completely okay with little power struggles like her testing out her independence and me having to protect her. There will always be toilet paper that she wants to eat, and I will always only be okay with her eating just a small amount of tp. What I worry about is when she gets older. My dream is that we will have mutual respect for each other and our unique thoughts and ideas. I want her to be her own person. Isn't it possible that we will respect each other's individuality and not go through the big power struggles? Not according to my mother. My mother can't wait to introduce her to Barbie so she can watch me squirm. I warn her. Lady, I say, don't you introduce her to the Barbie if you want peace in our relationship, and she laughs like a maniac. Please don't let her love the Barbie. She will. Guaranteed.
These are the things I was thinking about this morning as I listened to Aimee Mann and laid on the living room floor on my belly with Baby Lou straddling me and bouncing repeatedly on my lower back....when I wasn't wishing we had decided to install carpet instead of sticking with hardwood. Carpet would provide a nice cushion. Now, there's a snippet of my life, i wouldn't have imagined a few years ago. She was overly exhausted before her nap this morning and was laughing hysterically. I'll tell you, her hysterical laughter is about the best thing I've ever seen/heard in my life.
Plans for the weekend include possibly going to the park to see some kite festival thingee when Sonny gets back from the soccer clinic and heading to Sonny's parent's house on Sunday to film my entry for this year's Super 8 Film festival. I wasn't sure i was ready to do one this year what with the baby and all, but I think I can swing it. Lou can hang with Grandma D and everyone out there is very mellow about acting in a film. The Super 8 film festival is something that friends of ours started a few years back. All the films are 3 minutes long, unedited and with no sound. You can add music, but can't film any audio. That definitely takes the pressure off. I figure i can't let my yearly opportunity pass by when I belong to a family (Sonny's side) where no one including the grandpa and even the great grandma would balk at my saying, "Okay, could you put on this hat and stand next to the garden gnome. Alright, now walk forward slowly." Good people, I say. They don't ask too many questions, and they appreciate anything that can be loosely slapped under the heading of creative. I'll say it again. Good people.
That's it for now. I'm off to dry my hair and survey the damage. This place is a pig sty. I might even work out later. I'm the kind of person that is more motivated to go to the gym because you can watch tv while you do the elliptical machine. Cool. Too bad there's no BB3 on the weekend mornings. I'd so be there.
