SELLING IT

The latest in Allegra's repertoire of tools for getting whatever she wants, is the pout. This is a professional pout too - none of those amateur tantrum screams or loud carrying on (that only frustrates a parent). The moment I have to raise my voice even the slightest, so that she knows I'm serious when I say she can't stab the wooden kitchen table with a fork (I know, I'm a jerk), this is about how it goes:

Instantly, she drops her head to facing straight down at her belly, and without a peep. She just let's it hang there, silently, in protest. After a few moments, she will very slowly start to wander off - away from the scene of the horrible injustice. Oh, and she sells it too - she keeps a perfectly even gait as she slooooowly exits left.

Should you try to run after her to console and explain the situation, she'll waive a dainty arm in your face and sadly say, "No dad." Nothing but a measured response to tug at your heart-strings (especially when you're the daddy that she has wrapped around her little finger).

If you go the other route, and let her wander off to have her own time for a few moments, and then go in after her a couple minutes later... Yeah, she'll be acting totally normal as you walk into the room she's in - that is, until she sees that you're there, and her head goes straight down again and the whole thing starts over.

This little two and a half year old princess knows what she's doing. I can only imagine how this will be perfected over the next 14 years. I shudder at the thought.

MOMMY DAUGHTER SHOPPING TRIP

As told by Kristen:

So After I dropped Tobin off for afternoon kindergarten today, Allegra and I went to do some shopping at Kohls. They were having awesome sales and this darling little outfit and jacket were down from $45 to $16. They had one left in her size and I loved it! It had a fuzzy coat over it with a large collar, ribbon waist and big crystal buttons.

I tried it on her, much to her dismay, and she told me it was too big. I persisted though and carried it around the store because I wanted this coat. After a little while I asked her again if she liked it. She told me, "No." I said, "Don't you like the sparkly buttons?" "No!"

A few minutes later I'm struggling with myself as to whether or not to buy this adorable coat. I asked her, "Allegra should I buys this or not?" "No!" "Allegra, will you wear this if I buy it? Because if you're not going to wear it, I'm not going to buy it." Yes, she's two and a half and she's that opinionated about her clothing already. Her response to my final question, "No mommy, I not!" I didn't buy the coat.

HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY PEETIE

Dear Allegra,

You've been changing our lives for two years now, and how quickly it's gone by. Old folks like your mom and I always seem to say things like that, "The time passes so fast!" but it's true. Though one thing that hasn't really changed much, is your size. You're a petite little thing - you've been 20 pounds for months, and nearly the same height. Hopefully you'll grow more. Maybe that comes when you start eating more than just snacks and sweets...

You're an artistic little thing. You color on anything and everything. You especially like markers, and reinvent yourself in colorful ways much more often than mommy and I would like. If you've disappeared in the house and are completely quiet, the smart money is on you having found a marker and then putting it to good use. You also like to sing, and can mimic the Little Mermaid's song quite well. Actually, you can repeat almost any noise we make - I Love when you growl at us.

You're a character too - and I'm sure it comes from you spending so much time around Tobin. You make soooo many faces. You've got shy faces, and smiling faces, and surprised faces, and angry stare-down faces, and many more that I can't think of at the moment. Rarely a day passes that we don't see something new. And you've usually got hand and body motions to further enhance the show. You're extremely expressive, and even though you only say a handful of words, we always know exactly what you're trying to communicate.

Some of your favorite words lately are "NoooOOOO!", "uh-oh", "duh-noe" (don't know), "ca-kek" (which is cookie or cake, usually). You also have sounds that are your brothers' names, 'mermaid', and you get out "beast" pretty well, to ask for Beauty and the Beast.

You're the sweetest thing we could ever have imagined. You're truly a peace-maker in our home. You smile constantly, giggle, sing, dance, and are always in a great mood. You go to bed easily, sleep well, and are agreeable in nearly any situation. Your mother and I were certainly blessed to have such an experience with a baby - because your brothers were WORK!

But you've also learned the power that you possess, and you wield it like a seasoned diva. I haven't done well in hiding that you'll get anything you want from me, and you're already exploiting that weakness. That was evident when in Disney World a month ago, you picked out a pink lanyard with Princess pins on it. You wouldn't let it go for anything, no matter how many times we tried. But when I finally told you I needed it so I could buy it for you, you handed it over without a fuss at all. This is bad Peetie, you can't keep that up!

This reminds me, of course we call you Allegra, but you also have some other names. You'll answer to 'Princess', but the nickname that seems to have stuck, is 'Peetie'. Mommy's southern roots brought about calling you 'pee-pie', which evolved into 'peetie-pie' and 'peetie-pidy'. These have given way to Peetie, which seems like it will stick around a while. I also call you 'sweet cake' and 'sugar pie', but usually only when I'm whispering to you while taking you up to bed.

Your beautiful hair is down to the middle of your back already. But it's got some serious curl around your neckline, so doesn't appear to be quite that long. And wonder of wonders - you've got the darkest hair of the lot! It's not exactly brown, but a dark blonde will do these days. I take what I can get. Anyway, Mommy is talking about cutting that beautiful, wispy hair - mainly because you don't have much growing on the sides, so unless you let mommy do it, you sorta look like you're sporting a mullet. It's a beautiful mullet, mind you, but a mullet nonetheless. I'm afraid I'll have to let mommy go forward with the haircut...

You're a sweet little spirit Allegra. (Though you're a wild one sometimes too!) You bring such a light to our household, and you are such a pure pleasure to be around. We are eternally thankful to have you in our lives. It's been a wonderful two years, and we can't wait to see what the coming months and years have in store for us all, with you around. But I hope we don't get there too quickly - I'm just trying to soak up all the little Allegra time that I can.

We love you Princess. Happy Birthday.
Daddy

BEST AGE

I don't think any parent is ever a professional, regardless of the number of kids they've raised. But after 3 of my own, I'm pretty comfortable in saying that the 15 month old age is pretty much the best. Of their sub-two years at least. Allegra solidifies this stance for me, as she can only be described as an absolute pleasure right now. (Yes, I even felt that about the boys when they were this age!) Not a day has gone by as of late, that I worry I'll forget the what a joy they are with Allegra.

She's an angel amongst angels to begin with, but just to watch her is about as blissful as it could get. She smiles at everything, happy with her little world. As if her beaming smile wasn't enough, her tiny body wiggles with excitement and glee too. She's a fiend for Peekaboo, and I'm all too happy to comply. She explores everything, yet she's not to the stage of being a menace, so it's still cute and exciting to watch. And her gentle nature is just so sweet as she attempts to communicate her needs and desires (like dropping the remote control on our heads in the morning when she wants to watch Handy Manny).

Typically she doesn't go to sleep until sometime in the 9 o'clock hour, though it's not stressful when she's still awake. She giggles, and loves on us, and makes life perfect, regardless of the day.

I desperately want to remember these days. Her little toothy smile. The wispy, silken hair in her face. The pure love and contentment she has when she's got mommy and daddy all to herself. These are good days, of which I know there will be many more. Nonetheless, I hope they're among the ones that flash before my eyes when I'm old and my time's almost up.

MONKEY SEE MONKEY DO

Allegra has quickly taken to mimicking everything we do.

We'll huff, and then she'll huff.
We'll dance, and then she'll dance.
We'll clap, and then she'll clap.

Whatever it is, she can duplicate it, or at least tries her darndest. I like her dancing the best - a little head sway from side to side. Too cute.

HER FIRST REAL CRAWL

Last night Kristen and i were watching Lost after the boys went to bed, and Allegra was moving her way around the family room floor. I say 'moving', because it's not a crawl yet. It's a roll, a sit-up, turn, roll, get on hands and tip-toes, inch forward, roll, sit-up...you get the idea. But last night she finally got some traction when trying to move with her hands and knees.

I saw her do about a half motion forward this way and drew Kristen's attention to it, but that was all. Then later in the evening, Kristen saw it first, and Allegra took 2 or 3 'steps' forward using her hands and knees in a crawling motion. It was so exciting to see. But 8 months later, it's impossible to deny that she's growing up so quickly.

INCHWORM

She's already on the move! I wouldn't go so far as calling it crawling, but Allegra's gotten the hang of wriggling her body around to move across her crib, or the floor. We'll lay her in her crib at one end, and by the time she falls asleep, she's inched her way across the whole thing until her head is nestled against the opposite side. I keep telling Kristen that it'll be no time at all before she's running around...It's going too fast.

ALLEGRA SITTING IN A TREE

My baby girl has begun to give kisses, and it's the most wonderful development yet. Truly, it's little more than an open gummy-mouthed drool on the recipient's cheek, but the kind that you refrain from wiping off for at least 10 seconds. The real news here is that it's clear when there's real intent on her part to give a kiss.

She gets a huge smile on her face, mouth-wide-open, and leans as much as she can toward you. You of course have to meet her half way (or more so she doesn't fall over) and place your cheek in her path, but it's just better than anything else you could do all day.

She's such a little sweetheart and I can't get enough of her - at least between the hours of 7am and 11pm, I mean, we have to be civilized and get our sleep! - when I'm home. Which speaking of, I've ben traveling a bit recently. When Kristen would put the phone to her ear to hear me talk, she - according to Kristen - would get all wide-eyed and looking around for Daddy. I really don't like leaving her or the rest of my family, mental note: avoid traveling as much as possible!

OUR BIG GIRL

Taking the title away from Niki, Allegra is getting to be our Big Girl awfully fast. Too fast for us - especially Kristen. Being the last little one for our family, Kristen wants to cradle this little baby as much as she can. It's amazing how she's already outgrowing the things we brought her home in just over 4 weeks ago.

Her face is getting a little pudgy, and she's already doing so well at trying to hold her head up. It's so wonderful having a baby that's so easy to care for and enjoy. We definitely didn't know the joys of an easy baby on the last 2 rides on the merry-go-round. I don't know if it's because she's a little girl and doesn't have the chutzpah that her brothers were born with, or if she just knows she's the last one. Whatever the reason, she's an absolute pleasure and we are so very blessed to have her in our family.

Now operation protect-her-from-her-brothers-who-are-going-to-love-her-to-DEATH must continue...