"Sweet Baby Girl News"

Maia is getting to an age where she can joke and appreciate jokes.

A couple of days ago, she came into our room in the morning, sat on the corner of the bed, and announced, "I'm sick."

Something about the whole performance tickled me. "Is that it?" I asked. "Any other Sweet Baby Girl News?"

She laughed. "No."

"Well, you're still cute," I said.

"Yes, I'm still cute," she agreed.

For Valentine's Day, I got flowers for Kristina and picked up a stuffed animal for Maia at the florist's. It was a lady bug.

I gave it to her on the way home. She started playing with it immediately, and she wanted me to engage it in conversation.

"I'm Sarah," she said.

"Hi, Sarah, how are you?" I asked.

"Good," she said. "But I'm not really a ladybug," she said. "I'm really a bear dressed in a ladybug costume." And then she started to laugh, and I started to laugh, too, because it really was a bear dressed in a ladybug costume.

The other night, I was working downstairs. She's been asking me to sleep by her, but she didn't that night, I think in appreciation of the fact that I was working.

Later, I looked in on her to give her a goodnight kiss. She had tucked Sarah--now called, Bugbear--into bed next to her.

John, Wednesday, March 16, 2010