Meet Brownie.  Brownie is Brandt’s much adored animal that I purchased on a whim.  He (Brandt) was having a bad night.  Elena was gone.  He wanted to be with her, but he was stuck shopping with mom (me) and it threw him over the edge.  In a moment of weakness, I tried to make things right and let him pick out an animal at the Hallmark store.  It was a good investment.  His tears dried up, and he spent the rest of the evening hugging this guy. And chewing its nose.  And dragging it around on the grubby Goodwill floor.

Of course things are never that easy, and when Elena finally got to meet Brownie, she was less than pleased.  Because it is just not fair!  That Brandt got a stuffed animal! And she did not!

Since I am never short on “mom-guilt” I tried remedy the situation.  I gave her an incentive. Sleep in her own bed for five nights in a row… and I will buy her a stuffed animal to sleep with.  Like a trouper she attacked the incentive, she never missed a night, and five days later she was begging to go to the store for her own stuffed animal.

Well, in the meantime Madelyn had been born, and I, being one day postpartum, sent my mom with Elena to Target to buy a stuffed animal.

I prepared myself for an animal that I probably wouldn’t like.  Because naturally Elena would pick something that I wouldn’t care for.  Can you guess what it was?  Here’s a hint:  It is white.  With pink curly hair.  With lots of bling. And her own pointe shoes.  And a patch on her hind quarter that shouts: GROOVY GIRLS!

Elena had spoken and chose her very own ballerina-horse. I don’t want to be remiss, and not mention that it also whinnies when you press her belly.

Meet Lindia (lin-dee-uh) Yes, Elena is also in a class of her own when it comes to names.

This horse has brought me so much joy.  I look at it and laugh.  I was never into girly-girl colors, I never played with dolls, and I hated carrying babies around.  And now I have a girly-girl daughter whose color of choice is always pink, her toy of choice is dolls, she would spend hours holding Madelyn if I would let her.

I am loving watching her being girly-girl.