A handful

That is what she is. It's so hard not to compare her to Ian and I try not to, but he's my point of reference. Other friends have said that they thought they had this parenting thing down after their first, but then their second came along and blew them out of the water. I have joined them in that realization. Lia is nothing like Ian. At. All. She is a total drama queen and she screams at the top of her lungs the millisecond something doesn't go her way. Lately, she has been screaming like she's being abducted by aliens when Jeff picks her up and she wants me.

Oh, but she is funny. She is always making us laugh. Last night, we were chasing her and Ian around upstairs as we were getting them ready for bed. Jeff and Ian were roughhousing and whenever they do that, she gets anxious and wants in on the action. She yells, "Uh! Uh! Uh!" and reaches towards them. I always worry that she will be crushed or get a foot in her face in the fray, but she always manages to come out unscathed and if she is bashed, she never cries and just dives right back in. She runs so fast we really have to keep an eye on her. In a blink of an eye, she's around the corner or up the stairs. And she is not cautious, so we really have to watch her. She also loves throwing things into containers -- garbage cans, shopping bags, my work bag (I found a plastic rock from Ian's dinosaur set in my bag one day when I got to the office), toy bins. I think we've lost a couple of socks that way. She also loves to hold socks in her hand. She can play with a pair of socks the way she plays with the dishtowels. Speaking of which, I usually hang the dishtowels on the cabinet handles in the kitchen. Perfect height for her to pull them down. All of them. Then drag them behind her all around the kitchen.

She was a terror last night, probably because she was hungry because they had their baths before dinner. Had to fight her to get her into the high chair, me pulling her feet and bending her knees, Jeff holding her upper body. The screaming and the twisting and the head shaking! She was more human after she ate, thank goodness. But all is forgiven when she comes up to me and hugs my knees or throws her arms around my neck. Last night, as we were going up the stairs, she leaned down and kissed my bare foot! Crazy kid. And after we turned out the light, she planted her little lips on mine and gave me a long smooch. She does that every night. Before she falls asleep on my shoulder, she gives me kisses on the mouth and cheeks and hugs my neck. Oh, yes, this one is going to be trouble.