Wednesday, September 7, 2005

She's got style

I never know what I'll encounter when I come home from work. 

Some days, it's like a whirlwind has made it's way thru my living room, with games aplenty, popcorn, kids everywhere, and dishes in the sink.  Laundry stacked and unfolded, and a chorus of "Mommy's home" to greet me.   Mr W hiding out in our bedroom, just holding the fort.  It alternately bugs me and charms me to see it.

Imagine my surprise, on Monday, when I came home, and things were relatively picked up.  No chorus of "Mommy's home" although I got hugged ferociously by Ryan and Ben.  I head down the hall, and peek in the bathroom as it sounds like Audrey is in the tub.

Nolan was giving her a bath.  Cute!  A Kodak moment.  Mr W came around the corner, and was surprised to see me standing there taking it all in.  I convinced the Princess to get out of the tub, and we put her new lotion on, and I got her dressed. (Sundress, turqoise polka-dots)

I'm in my bathroom, touching up as I'm heading out the door again, when she comes in and points at my shirt.  "You need to change, Mommy."

"What?  Why?"

"We don't match."  Oh, fabulous.  No, no, I don't want to do it.  I don't want to match.  Sometimes, we do match, by accident, that's ok.  But....

Let me back up a minute.  Years ago, one of my friends that was getting married had us wear these Laura Ashley cotton dresses.  They were cute for her midmorning wedding, I felt very proper with my matching hat and gloves.  While I was in the Laura Ashley store, picking up said dress, I looked around, and saw all the cute prints, and <gasp> matching Mother-daughter ensembles.  Oooh, I daydreamed, wouldn't that be cute, to match my darling little girl's dress to mine?  Wouldn't we be just so "tea and crumpets" dahling, as we went to church or something?

Yes.  Right. 

However, as I tried on said dress, I realized I am not built for that particular style of clothing.  Nope.  Although I did wear the dress a couple of more times, hoping to transform myself into a WASP-ier version of me, I came to realize that the two of us were not meant to be, and I gave it up.  And realized that I don't want to match my darling daughter, should I ever have one.  And now that I do have one...

I can't understand how some women do it.  Maybe it's cute, on some level, and maybe I'm just getting old.  It looks great in pictures, but it's just not me.

And here we are, just the other day--in match-land.

How do I disappoint a three yr old, so excited to match her Mom? 

I don't.

"Sweetie, I don't think I have that color, or at least that color clean, in my closet..." I begin to protest as she marches off in that direction.

She opens the closet door, and I'm so amused, I'm giggling.  "There, Mommy," she says, pointing up, up, up to the top shelf of my closet.  Oh.  Yeah.  I forgot I washed it.

On the top shelf, there sits my turqoise sweater.  She knows my clothes, and where to find them, and knows her colors, too.

I put it on (it's not a heavy one) with the cami underneath like I always do.

"Now we're ready to go,"  she says to me, beaming.

I look up helplessly at Mr W, who is also quite amused by the exchange.  He doesn't say it, but I know he's thinking "You wanted a girl."

I got a girl, alright.  It appears she's a stylist-in-training.  I could do worse.  I mean, at least she's not colorblind, and I'm not wearing anything with a Barbie on it.

Yet.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Too Darn Cute!!

Ro and I don't have matching outfits :(

But if we did, I'd only wear them at home ;)

lol... j/k.  Mom's will do anything for their
precious little ones!

~Jennifer~
http://journals.aol.com/perkysgrl/APickleForYourThoughts

Anonymous said...

I agree with you! Sometimes child and I wore the same color t-shirt or something while she was little, but that was about it. Yours will probably develop her own style soon enough and not want to mach any more. Enjoy it, it won't last long.

The mother-daughter dress up things? I think some of those mothers have big issues....dressing like their daughters in complete outfits - hey lady, that won't make you younger! Your child is an individual, not you all over again!

OK, I am off my soapbox.

xoxo

Anonymous said...

ahhhhhh, I see a Barbie Birthday cake in SOMEBODY'S future.   Anne

Anonymous said...

In just a couple more years you can both go in for the matching sacral tribal tattoo.

Anonymous said...

every time the disney catalogue comes i get the old - "look mom, matching dresses, can we get them"   And you're right, they're never a style that look good on normal people :-)

Anonymous said...

Your little Angel seems very organised in the styling department, sounds like you're best off doing what you're told! Little girls are a bit of a nightmare (at least mine are) because my 2 and nearly 5 year olds, are so fussy with their outfits - I can put away a nicely ironed, sweet smelling pile of clothes one minute, and later to my great "dismay" (to use a polite word!) I'll find them all scrunched in a pile in the corner!! Grrh.
Tilly x
http://journals.aol.co.uk/tillysweetchops/Adventuresofadesperatelyfathouse/

Anonymous said...

oh, if my WHOLE family would humor me ... JUST FOR ONE DAY AND DON'T EVEN HAVE TO LEAVE THE HOUSE ... i would match us ALL !!  of course, hubby thinks that matching spouses is corny, so that takes HIM out of the equation! lol ... my 17 and 15 yr old daughter's also thinks it's sappy, so, i lean on my 10 and 6 yr old daughter's to humor me ... and they GLADLY do it, beaming "Look, we're all twins!"  *sigh* luvvin' the stories ... refreshments with my coffee is ALWAYS welcome!

sue