Mini Me

I have been getting lots of comments lately that Nico looks like me. I can't explain how happy that makes me. After having Alexandra, who is a mini-Adam, it is strangely justifying to have a child who resembles me. A validation of sorts.

But while Nico is my doppelganger in male form, Alexandra is me in spirit. My mom tells anyone that'll listen the story of me exerting my independence right before kindergarten started. My mom had arranged for a car pool, and when she told me about it I told her, "No, I'm going to walk to school with the big kids. I am going to meet them and walk." And, sure enough, I did. I have never taken a car pool to school in my life. I always walked and arranged my own transportation.

Alexandra is currently obsessed with crossing the street without holding our hands. Of course, there's no way in Hades that is happening anytime soon, but she is obsessed with it. It comes up daily. Right now she's riding her new scooter (thanks grandma and grandpa!) to daycare daily. When we cross the street on the walk home, I use one hand to push Nico's stroller, one hand to hold one handle of the scooter, and she holds the other scooter handle (the scooter in between us). She thinks she is all grown doing this and beams at me while we inch across the crosswalk.

Last Friday, as we shared a mango Italian ice, she said:

"If I eat all this icee, I'll grow up and be big and I can cross the street all by myself. And I'll walk to daycare all by myself. And then, I'll go home from daycare all by myself and I'll pick up Nico and bring him home."

I just had to look at her and smile. Miss Independent already.

And, oh how I wish she could just stroll home from daycare AND grab Nico on the way!