Underwear!!

Drew took Rachel clothes shopping today (although he may as well not have bothered -- the forecast tomorrow calls for rain and mid-60 degree weather. Ugh) and they came home with a very cute pair of jeans that Rachel picked out, with hearts on the butt for pockets. She also wanted UNDERWEAR. (She had earlier expressed an interest in white underwear "just like you, Mommy.") So Drew bought her bunch of pairs colored purple, multicolored, and turquoise. She raced to show them to me as soon as she got home and then insisted on pulling OFF her Pull-Up and putting ON her underwear. She put the purple pair on and looked so cute, prancing around and bending over into yoga positions.

I suppose it's only a short leap to racier dainties, but for now it's just fun to watch this latest manifestation of girlhood. She wet herself while she was napping, but otherwise she was very good about telling us when she needed to go to the bathroom and kept herself dry before bed. I think we'll transition to underwear during the day and Pull-Ups/diapers at night until she gets a big-girl bed and can get herself up and to the bathroom at night.

***

Tonight Drew and I had yet another in our series of Serious Financial Discussions; this time the topic was how to replace our aging cars since we have such monster commutes. We were discussing the merits of gently used vs. new cars when he realized it was time to wake her up from her nap. After he'd done that, he came into the kitchen and said urgently, "Lisa. Come in here. You gotta see this."

I tiptoed behind him to Rachel's bedroom door and saw her in the glider, her back against the pillow I use for an armrest on the right side, her feet dangling over the armrest on the left side. And on her lap was a Madeline book! And she was "reading" it! (murmuring the Rachel version to herself). She looked for all the world as if she was relaxing in a hammock on a sunny summer day, reading the afternoon away. I could feel the tears rushing to my eyes and I told Drew, "that was me at her age. Well, at least at a young age."

At those moments, all our money worries seem to fall away and I look at my daughter and think how lucky I am and happy at the way she's turning out, and I can't wait until it's winter and Drew builds a fire and we all curl up in various places in the living room, classical music on the stereo, ensconced with our books.

***

I made lemon chicken and noodles tonight, one of Drew's favorite dishes, which he'd been missing while he was away.

"This is a very good dinner, Mommy," Rachel said politely at the end of the meal.

"Why THANK YOU, Rachel!" I exclaimed. "That was such a nice thing to say!"

***

Sometimes I attempt to ask Rachel very serious questions that are way too big for a little girl like herself to handle. She knows exactly what I'm doing and deflects it as much as she can.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" I asked her tonight.

"I don't know," she said in that "duh, Mommy," tone of voice. "I'm just little!"