Just because I am a girl....

...Doesn't mean I know how to do girl stuff.

I had 2 boys first. And boys are SO EASY.  Slap on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and some tennis shoes, and you're good for virtually anything. If the hair is getting out of control, put on a hat... good to go.

 Then I had a girl. And everything is different.  Even if I dress her in jeans, I have to be sure that her hair-ties match her shirt, and that she has a pair of shoes for every situation.  I find it exhausting.  On top of that, she has CURLY HAIR!  If you know me, then you know my hair isn't just straight.  It is the kind of straight people pay good money for at the salon. I can laugh at myself now because I care less about those sorts of things.  Anyway, I digress.  She has curly hair, and there is not a cheap product on the market that helps me take care of said hair.  AND, I have tried just about every expensive product on the market with limited success.  So when I'm out with her, and people compliment her hair, I just smile and say thank you. I don't bore them with the details of just how long she sits in the bath with her hair slathered in conditioner.  Or the 20-30 minutes I spend trying to comb out her hair while bribing her with TV and DS. Never mind the intense fear that I should just go and get my cosmetology license because in the end, her hair is going to cost us ALOT of money.  No, I just smile and nod.

That said, having a girl means there is never a dull moment. Not even one.  And watching her grow and learn things that girls should know is amazing.  Some lessons are easier taught than others. :) She made Double Chocolate Banana Bread with me this morning, and she reminded me so much of myself.... Asking for a taste of the batter, wanting to eat straight sugar... a girl after my own heart. I try to treasure every minute.. even the sucky ones, because I know they pass all too quickly, and then she will be a teenager that hates me and thinks I am stupid.  (I remember exactly when that switched for me, and I also remember when it switched back and I knew just how smart my mother was)

Now if she could just learn to tie her own shoes... LOL