Dear Livia,
Here are some more stories about you.
We used to do a lot of exercises that we called “homework,” even though it was assigned by me, not your teachers. Now that Marshall is in Kindergarten and gets real homework several times a week, you want to do his homework, too. So we photocopy it for you. You’re very quick at it. Sometimes you even give him the answers!
You like to sit at my desk and color while I’m working. When I took two weeks off for my gall bladder surgery, you were upset that I wasn’t at my desk. I felt bad for you, so I sat at my desk for a little while each day during my recovery so that we could “work” together.
You often decorate your stuffed animals with your hair accessories and jewelry. Among the animals to be awarded this honor are Puppy, Hippoey, Duckie, Apricot, and even your cat-shaped coin bank.
We went shopping in the toy aisle at Target to spend some money that Marshall had gotten as a present. You were wearing a red shirt that says, “I put ketchup on my ketchup” (see Teenage Mutant Ketchup Turtle picture, which was taken during that trip). Several people commented on it, saying that they really liked ketchup, too. You loved the attention. Later you went up to a woman and said, “I like your shirt.” I thought you were being polite, until you asked her, “Do you like my shirt?” Ha-ha! You just wanted another person to compliment your shirt.
From my journal, written on vacation: “Livia saw me sitting on the swing, writing. So she came over, sat down, and took my notebook away. I let her, too. She was being so cute. I could not send her away. I did not want to hurt her feelings. She sang to me as we sat there swinging. Lovely little songs, each different and precious and now lost to the wind. I can’t record everything.”
Love,
Mom