It's Not Easy Missing Green

I don't remember when Berit's obsession with the color green started. My mother-in-law claims it was when she took Berit to Hallmark a year-and-a-half ago and let her pick our her own Crocs, and she picked green. My mom thinks it's because of oh I don't know, something that she bought Berit, which has slipped my mind because really I think my mom made it up to best my mother-in-law in the green-love department. I personally think it was just there in Berit, and she never had the chance to voice her opinion on colors because she was a baby, and then suddenly there was a wall of Crocs in front of her and she could point and be heard.

Anyway. Berit loves ("loves-loves-LOVES") the color green. There has never been another choice for her; and when she has said she liked another color to get the popsicle I had or because her blanket is blue and she loves her blanket best, she always added: "But I love green."

She sometimes dresses in all green. She needs green food, if possible. If something green is presented to her, she makes an impressed face, where she opens her eyes into circles and gives herself a double chin by pushing her face back while keeping her shoulders forward. When other people wear green, she likes them. When other people who are close to her wear green, she says, "Thank you for wearing green for me." I think you get the picture.

The Green has crept into our lives like slime, oozing into our own choices. I saw a green diaper bag at the store, and had to have it, where two years ago I may not have looked twice. When we shop, we have to be careful not to buy too much green for ourselves, because it's the first color we reach for. I deliberately dress Marta in other colors, to keep green special for Berit. It's weird, I know.

A few months back Berit became interested in Cinderella. I'm not sure why (I have a sneaking suspicion the grandmothers pushed it, but no harm done), because we don't watch the movie really and we never introduced it to her ourselves. Recently, however, her interest has grown into an all-out lovefest, where she has to wear the same Cinderella outfit every day and EVERY NIGHT and the same old blue headband because she thinks it's Cinderella's and prefers that we address her as Cinderella.

And she has started asking for blue things. Not more than green things, but she is choosing another color occasionally, and it's so strange for me. I don't like it. I'm a little mad at Cinderella. I was quite pleased that Berit wasn't being all pink-stereotypical-girly-etc. 

And now Trevor's rushing me to end my computer time and I can't think of a proper way to close this post, and it will seem meaningless and a waste of your good reading time. Maybe I'll think of something profound to add to it later, but until then, the green girl is still reigning, just in an imposter's blue dress.

Family Jewels

I have a very large jewelry box given to me on a Christmas some years ago, that's filled with jewelry from some years ago. By that I mean the jewelry I wore before kids -- long earrings, glittery necklaces, baubly bracelets -- things kids would rip off, chew on and pull at all day long if they could. I've never actually been much of a jewelry kind of girl -- I have my standards; my wedding and engagement rings, my tiny diamond studs, my pretty watch my parents gave me for college graduation. I also have a few thin necklaces that I occasionally wear, and an eternity band Trevor gave me when I delivered Berit, a black onyx bracelet he gave me for my 30th birthday, and, for fancy occasions, a huge blue zircon necklace from Trevor when Marta was born (her birthstone). So now that I write it all down, I guess it sounds like a lot, but I don't wear it all at once. And now you know what I own in case you were thinking about robbing me.

Anyway, those are the only things Berit ever sees me wear. But today, when Marta was sleeping, I took her into the bedroom and took out my giant jewelry box. I said, "Berit, now that you're a very big girl, you can look in this special box. This is not for babies, this is for big girls. I know you're going to take care of the things in here." She was very serious. I opened the top, the side doors, the big drawers, and watched her face light up in awe and joy. "Can I play with them?" she asked. I took a big breath as she looked at me with pure hope -- "Yes."

So while she touched every single piece and laid them all out carefully for inspection, I got dressed, pleased that I found busy work for her that made her so happy. And when I walked by her she said, "Mommy, these are GORGEOUS and WONDERFUL."

I let her wear a necklace all day, and she loves it. She was impressed that the necklaces and bracelets were "cold, very cold, and very-very cold!" And when I called her to come get ready to go, she took a few minutes then came out very casually and said, "Mom, I cleaned it all up." And she did -- hung the necklaces, put bracelets with bracelets and earrings with earrings. I'm so happy to have found something new to bond with her over -- something that no grandmas are doing; something that makes me a little different for the next few days, at least. 

"I'm Cinderella, You're Belle, Daddy is Sleeping Beauty and Mosey is Jasmine."