My Girly Girls

Being a mother of two girls is really fun. Of course, I haven't had the opportunity (yet) to be a mother of boys so maybe I can't compare. But lately it has been really fun to see Clara Anne and Chloe grow and develop, and show their definite girl-ness as they do so.

Are you wondering how my girls show their girlyness? Well, take Clara Anne for example. This child loves shoes. It's funny, because I have never gone wild over shoes, but Clara Anne is really fascinated by them. She loves to play with her own shoes, try on other people's shoes, and even has attempted to put her shoes in her mouth on occasion! This has been going on for quite some time. The photo on the left was taken in February of this year, and the evidence is clear: just like any girl, she loves shoes. (In this case, Mommy's shoes.) Happily for her, in this Asian culture we remove our shoes when we are inside, so if guests come over and leave their shoes by the front door, Clara Anne has fun exploring other people's shoes!

She also loves to have her clothes changed and to try on outfits. We have an abundance of clothes for her, thanks to the generosity of friends in the States, and occasionally when sorting them to see which ones fit, we help her try on numerous outfits in a row. To Clara Anne, this is a really fun way to spend an afternoon! She has also attempted numerous times to get into her dresser drawers by herself and put on more clothes over the clothes that she is wearing that day, though now Mommy has restricted the playing in dresser drawers activity. Too bad.

But the most fun way lately that we've seen Clara Anne act like a girly girl is in the use of lotion. Here is where her mama has led her astray--I love lotion. Bath and Body Works is my favorite; I love their yummy scents and enjoy using it everyday. I also love to put baby lotion on my girls so they can smell all yummy. We live in a very dry city, particularly in the fall, winter and spring, and so lotion is really and truly an essential! Lately Clara Anne has picked up on my love for lotion and continually wants to play with the lotion bottles, asks to have it put on her tummy and especially her face, and wants to help me put it on Chloe. But then the other night, as Clara Anne was being changed by Daddy for bed, she was playing with the lotion bottle, managed to get it open, and then managed to squirt it all over her face. "Eye, Eye!" she said as John wiped it out of her eyes and rubbed it onto her skin. Oops. Now the lotion has joined the ever-growing list of things that are not ok to play with. Sorry, Clara Anne!

What about Chloe? Well, she's still working on all her girly characteristics, but the most evident one right now is that she sometimes gets "emotional" and cries for no reason. :) It's ok Chloe, sometimes girls are that way--and you might grow out of it. But if not, in the meantime mama will cuddle you until you feel better.

Further proof that I have a pair of girly girls is this picture in their girly dresses, taken when Chloe was 6 weeks old and Clara Anne is 19.5 months.