heart to heart blog

It started with shoes. Now, I’m just talking about soft-soled crib shoes, but shoes nonetheless. Now, I am not a “girly-girl” but I do love a nice pair of shoes, and was so impressed and excited that little Lovey had a definite opinion about what shoes she wanted to wear. Probably started around 12 months old, when I was just learning about what to look for in baby shoes…now as she quickly approaches 25 months old, I can say that her interest in my interests and day-to-day activities is growing rapidly; leaving me watching over my shoulder to make sure I am influencing her in the right way.

Soon after she began walking well, I began finding her slipping into my shoes and clomping around the kitchen. Needless to say, I had to remove anything with a heel for fear of a broken ankle. This actually worked out well for me too. As my pregnancy continued to progress and my center of gravity made its marked changes, it was time to put away the “high black strappies.”

Early last fall, “Aunt Esa” (Lisa) gave Lovey a box of princess dress up clothes that had a pair of “Cinderella slippers” in it…I never knew a pair of plastic slide-on shoes could provide so much entertainment. Oh, how she sails around the house in her shoes! (“Sails” may not be the most accurate term. It is probably more like step-slide-slide-slide, clop, clunk, whoops-it fell off…plop—need to sit to put them back on—“mommy” because we need help standing back up, and again, step-slide-slide-slide…) It makes me nervous to see her on the wood floors with those chunks of plastic on her feet…just not that much grip. Try as I might, I just can’t keep her on the living room carpet in those shoes.

We have reached a point now that Lovey picks out her shoes every day (some coordinate with her outfit well and others, well-not so much.) This is a decision I am willing to let her make on a daily basis (of course, I removed anything seasonally inappropriate from the selection group after a couple of rounds of disagreement!) I am amazed to see her taking care of her shoes…we remove them from the shelf, arrange them in a row by the breezeway door (I didn’t mention neatly? Good…because they are not!) She tells me which ones are dirty and need cleaned. Eventually, we return them back to the shelf (not so neatly again).

I just love having this little glimpse into her personality and hoping that her love of shoes continues…I am starting to daydream about Saturday afternoon trips to DSW when she is older…

Oh, before I forget…I mentioned that her interest in all of my day-to-day activities is growing rapidly…she watches everything and consistently asks “what’s that?” You should have seen the look on daddy’s face the other morning when his little Lovey came out of the bathroom while I was getting ready and handed him a tube and said “mascara!”