She is also required to wear at least panties to the dinner table. Because we are fancy.
March 21, 2012
When Sophia turned out to be a girl, one of the things I was looking forward to about having a daughter was the clothes. After 22 years (combined) of sweater vests and overalls, I was ready for girl clothes. Bring on the ruffle butts and patent leather shoes!
And dressing her HAS been fun. But the subject, naturally, is larger than that. Sophia has a complicated relationship with clothes.
Some mornings she submits to my clothing choices for her with nothing more than an eye-roll and a route plea just to stay in jammies. Other mornings she is offended - OFFENDED! - that I should presume to pick her outfit and she flounces off to her room where she tries on everything she owns and flings it all to the floor in disgust.
Also, no matter what she wears, there inevitably seems to come a moment in the day when she decides she is done wearing it, and strips it off. Usually this happens at home. Yesterday it was at the airport, which was deeply amusing to a whole slew of people waiting to catch a flight to Milwakee. She so often turns up naked around the house that we have had to establish a whole new house rule: you may not answer the door unless you are wearing pants.
But best of all are the days when she cobbles together an outfit on her own, and then loves it beyond all reason. Not only because she is so delighted with herself, but because she is right. She looks AWESOME.
The other day she found a whole bunch of hair ribbons I made for her a couple of years ago when she finally had hair, but I had not yet had my will to put ribbons in it quite so beaten down. She thought the ribbons were brilliant, and this was the resulting outfit:
And this was her idea of a joke, because I asked her to smile:
Goober.
We went to the library right after this picture was taken, and as we walked in, Raphael asked under his breath, "Don't you think you should...tell people that it's HER idea to look like this?"
"Oh, don't worry, honey," I said, "when people see her, they will either know right away it was her idea, or it would take too long to explain." He shook his head, at both her extravagance and my lack of concern.
But I'm pretty sure it's immediately clear when you meet Sophia...
...she's got her own plans.
One of my favorite quotes of all time came from my friend's 4-year-old daughter who, witnessing the angst on her mother's face as they prepared to leave the house said, "Do you want to pin a note to my back that says 'We Tried'?"
Posted by: Vern | March 22, 2012 at 06:49 AM
I cannot believe that is the same little girl. So big now, and still as beautiful as the baby pictures you posted! Still praying for yall, hoping for peace! xoxo
Posted by: Dani | March 22, 2012 at 06:54 AM
She is completely adorable! I am so thankful none of my kids were strip downers because my husband simply cannot handle The Naked!
Posted by: Crisanne | March 22, 2012 at 08:12 AM
Was going to comment on your last post, but needed to comment here too, so combining it into one.
1) Hugs to you & praying for healing. Been there with two miscarriages...
2) My now 15 year old daughter often asks why we didn't dress her as a toddler (she's seen pictures & video of herself 1/2 dressed)... 'we tried dear, we tried, but then you'd take it off'. And any dreams (of mine) of dresses, tutus, and pink went out the window when she became verbal about clothing choices (about age 2). She will wear dresses & pink now, but not head to toe pink.
Posted by: Rachel | March 22, 2012 at 08:43 AM
First off, I'm so glad you're back. I've missed your wit and your warmth. You have been in my thoughts.
Second, at least (or hopefully) she hasn't stripped down in church yet! We had a young couple with a 2 year old who absentmindedly stripped down completely as they were walking in the church. It was hysterical (to the rest of us, not to the parents so much)!
Posted by: Amy1N | March 22, 2012 at 10:11 AM
Yes! You got a girl! :-) I have two :-) One will wear almost anything. The other currently wants to wear the same two skirts all week long, not any of her dresses or pants, just the same two skirts...I have to fight with her or send her to 1st grade with two rotating skirts.
Posted by: Melody | March 22, 2012 at 06:55 PM
She is adorable - nothing wrong with her own ideas - she's happy and independent.
Posted by: Pamela L | March 23, 2012 at 12:42 PM
Um, when did she get Big?
I worked in retail for years and years and I have countless times said, "Oh, how cute! He/she dressed their own self today!" Yes, Raphael, we know :)
All the outfits are my favorite, but the one that still stands out to me is the little girl in the bathing suit, pajama pants, and rainboots. She was ready for anything!
Posted by: Crista | March 23, 2012 at 03:08 PM
She is getting so big! And her adorableness grows exponentially. :)
Posted by: Linda Sherwood | March 25, 2012 at 08:11 PM
I love her! When my girl was this age, someone once said (in reference to her dress), "Don't worry, she'll grow out of it." I gasped. "Oh, I sure hope not!" I of course mean that I hoped she'd never outgrow being herself. :)
Posted by: Angela Giles Klocke | March 28, 2012 at 05:24 PM
I feel bad about my previous comment Kira because you too have two girls. It's just that only one is here with you now.
As to how your little princess dresses, I loved that age. When else can they completely be so free to wear what they want with no real reproach from anyone? And they feel so beautiful. I love that!
Posted by: Melody | March 28, 2012 at 06:53 PM