No News Yet

We're still waiting to hear from the shelter. Sigh...

Have you met my better half, Doormat? I mean, Husbandguy?

I told Husbandguy that he could stop the whole puppy thing if he really wanted to, and, although I think he feels kind of railroaded, he agreed to go to the animal shelter, knowing full well that we would end up with a dog if we did. All he had to do was say no. It wouldn't have been easy. It wouldn't have sounded like this: HG: "No." MN: "Okay." But he could say it and win, eventually. He actually still could because we've applied for a dog and bought a book about dog training, but we don't have the dog yet. Keep your fingers crossed for us, okay?
She's not a puppy, but she might be one of those dogs that pees when she's excited. She's actually pretty sweet and calm. She's just the right size for our little life. Pete and I dreamed about her all night last night. And she's got a cute little underbite. The other sweet, little dog we visited with, who was just a little bit bigger, had scruffy wiry hair, and was measurably more energetic, sniffed Pete in an awkward place twice. Moomie said she wouldn't come visit us anymore if we got a dog that did that... Fortunately the Jack Russel terrier puppies had all been adopted because we're not ready for a puppy and they would have been hard to resist.

So today we're going to put our toys away and make the house dog-ready to show HG that we're serious, and maybe he'll let us go buy a crate and a dog bowl and a leash and a rubber bone so when they call us and say, "Come get her!" we'll be ready.

Lulu's Future?

During a recent conversation, The Grandpa mentioned that he had considered commenting on my post about Mini-Me and the Vacuum. What he thought about saying, I believe, was, "So what are you teaching Lulu about women's roles?" I believe he was implying that, by vacuuming and encouraging her to imitate me, I was limiting her as a female. After some thought, I decided I'd like to respond.

Lulu, even at 2, is one of the most empowered females I know. She has such control over her environment and is already learning already knows how to manipulate it. Whether it's the people around her or the situations she is in or the tools she is using, Lulu knows how to work it. While most of her influence comes from being very smart and very aware, some of it comes from simply being female, from being adorably female.

She has an effect on people that I hadn't witnessed before her. Everyone is drawn to her. As a baby, she would use this by searching a room full of strangers for the one person she was certain would play with her and engage that person, while seated securely on my lap. She would have total strangers, from children to teenagers to moms to old men, playing peek-a-boo before they knew what had hit them, before I had even noticed them. Now, when we are out somewhere, strangers are still taken in by her. Servers at restaurants, other people's grandpas, children at Pete's school, and others have stopped what they were doing to "play" with her or to simply comment on how cute/sweet/adorable she is. Pete is often overlooked, which concerns me, but that's another post...

Lulu is aware that she is a girl and that that makes her different from people like, for example, her dad, and that those other people who are not girls have their own bathroom. She is also aware that she is young and that people who are older than she is can do things she can't do (she says, "When my grow up, my have vitamins!"). Beyond that, though, I don't think she is too concerned yet with what anyone else can do that she can't.

When she does become concerned about it, she has many examples of strong women around her in roles that were traditionally considered "Man's Work." Her doctor is a woman. Pete's principal is a woman. Although, I admit, not as often, she sees men doing "Woman's Work," too. HG cleans the kitchen and vacuums, as do you. He changed her diapers and puts her to bed. We meet lots of dads volunteering at Pete's school. She also sees women doing traditionally female things, but I don't think this is to her detriment.


For me to tell her at any stage in her life that what she is doing is or is not "Woman's Work" isn't exactly my place. It is my place to help her to become a strong woman, whatever she chooses to do and to teach her that there really isn't such thing as "Woman's Work" or "Man's Work." As her mom I can guide her away from situations that are dangerous and even block her way when necessary, but vacuuming isn't one of those situations (HG might disagree...).

Pete Says:

This morning, Pete told Pete's mom to, "Ply it off! Use the pliers and ply it off." Pete's mom doesn't think she has ever heard anyone use the verb 'ply' in that way before.

More Minuet

Pete played the Minuet twice yesterday, the first section anyway - I haven't finished it yet. It sounded great, but she seemed hesitant to play it more than twice ("Aw! [[SIGH]] I'll do it tomorrow, Mom. [[SIGH]]"). I shouldn't have told her I arranged it because for some reason that makes her less than enthusiastic about playing it. Even though it's really for the Grandpa! What's the deal?

Bach's Minuet in D minor

The Grandpa is learning Minuet in D minor, and when he was talking to Pete on the phone the other day, he asked Pete to learn it too and play it for him so he could hear what it should sound like. That's what Pete says. So yesterday at her piano lesson, Pete asked her teacher for the music who gave it to her. So my newest project to postpone writing my novel is to arrange this pretty little piece for easy piano, and I really think I can do it. When it's done and Pete has learned it, I'll try to remember to post a sound file for you to hear (remind me if I forget).

Superbaby

Lulu sat in her stroller for 2 hours this morning at the dentist while Pete and I got our teeth cleaned and she was really good. This morning she was Superbaby.

Help, please!

I need a new book. Any suggestions? I just finished a couple if Ibsen plays and had to return the book (otherwise I might have read a couple more) and am going to clean off the desk today and find an essay the Grandpa suggested I read that's at the bottom of the mess, but after that, I don't have anything lined up. What would you recommend?

Denial

Lulu was in the other room, and there was this sort of rude sound, like a little trumpet (youknow?), and I said, "Excuse you?" and she said, "That was the chair!" Uh-huh...

More About the Dog

Husbandguy has that look on his face now that says, "I really don't want you to get a dog, but I think I'm losing that battle." He's not putting his foot down, but he's not really a putting-his-foot-down kind of guy. He did seem a little relieved that I decided not to take Pete to PetSmart this afternoon to see if they had puppies for adoption and that I told Pete we really needed to take her daddy with us when we went to look at puppies anyway so there would be someone there to say no and that I realized that right now is the exact wrong time to invite a new family member because we're trying to spend a little time at the Grandpa and Meme's house and it wouldn't be fair to a dog to bring it home and leave it with HG while we're away. Actually, that wouldn't be fair to HG, either. And I don't want to be the type of person who would be comfortable saying, "Hey, can we bring our new puppy with us?"

But the animal shelter has puppies. Sweet, little, 2-month-old, fuzzy-face Jack Russell Terrier/ English Springer Spaniel mix puppies RIGHT NOW. Three of them! And I want one. Wouldn't you?