Babysitter Available! Will Work for Cheap!

Some of you may be familiar with Baby Misa. For those of you who aren't, this is a baby doll that Ella was very attached to for quite some time. She named it after the daughter of her teacher at daycare. Actually, there are two Baby Misas. Each completely identical now that the doll clothing has mysteriously disappeared--presumably never to be seen again. Those of you who know me well, will know that the missing clothes really, really bother me. As do puzzles that are missing their pieces, stacking toys that are missing their rings, and Legos that are randomly scattered under the radiator instead of in the Lego box (which is where they belong). But that's neither here nor there, and even the most anal Virgo must realize that with two little terrors (Did I say terrors? Surely I meant angels....) on the loose, nothing is going to be where it should be. The box I designated for shoes (because we could never find a matching pair of shoes when there was call for such) has a Lego in it, a few shoes missing their mates, and some doll clothes (which sadly do not belong to either Baby Misa). This is a metaphor for my life.

But I digress. There was a time when I considered donating the second Baby Misa to charity (the Vietnam Vets are always on my ass) because it just didn't seem necessary to have two identical dolls. But it is now. For, you see, Sadie has discovered the joy that is baby dolls. And Ella--who stopped playing with dolls at the exact moment we brought Sadie into the house, at which time babies suddenly stopped seeming like fun--had to have a Baby Misa if Sadie had one. So dear, sweet, naked Baby Misa with the chalk on her head from when Ella used to give her "owies," is experiencing a renaissance of sorts.

Anyhow, for some reason, Sadie "plays" with Baby Misa by picking her up, then throwing her back down on the ground. She finds this more effective if she happens to have possession of both Baby Misas. Sometimes she shouts "baby" over and over while thrashing the living daylights out of the doll. This is in stark contrast to how Ella plays with Baby Misa, how Ella has ALWAYS played with Baby Misa--feeding her, covering her with blankets, etc. I find this rather interesting.

The Potty Report: Ella pooped on the potty yesterday for Laura. And once again required that it be saved so she could show us. It was cute the first time, but I'm wondering: Will she still be saving her poop for us when she is 15? Actually, as long as she is going in the potty, I don't think I care! Of course, later, she wanted to go in a pull-up, but this is pretty much in line with my prediction that she'd do it for Laura first. We are going on vacation in a few weeks, and I'm thinking of talking to Ella about how we'll only do it in the potty while on vacation since she seems very preoccupied with the idea that pooping in the potty is reserved for "special" days.