So Pretty

Audrey is a very funny, smart, caring, and pretty girl. She tells jokes and laughs and laughs at them, she is quickly learning letters and numbers and words, she has a very special bond with both her sisters, and she was blessed with her daddy's big green eyes.

She recently went through a stage where she refused to wear jeans. She told me, "Mommy, can you take care of all my jeans?" I asked her what she meant by "take care" of them, and with a whisk of her hand, she said, "Just get rid of them. Give them to Charlie." So, I packed away her jeans which were just taking up space in her drawer, and got what she called "comfy pants" at Target. The comfy pants stage lasted a few weeks and then she decided all she wanted to wear was skirts and dresses. Lydia never went through a skirts and dresses stage, so I didn't have many. We took a trip to the children's resale shop and I got her about a dozen dresses, a handful of skirts, and leggings to wear with them. Now, she insists on wearing dresses daily or skirts with "pretty shirts" which means they have princesses on them.

I wasn't too concerned with the dress-wearing until she started to constantly ask me if she's pretty. She would get dressed and ask me if she was pretty. I would do her hair and she would ask me if it was pretty. I was a little concerned about the obsession. One day I asked her, "Audrey, would you rather be pretty or smart?" She replied, "Pretty!" without even a moment to consider the options. Lydia said, "No, Audrey, the right answer is smart." I told Jayson my concerns and he informed me that it's all because of one of Audrey's friends at the gym. Apparently, this little girl has told Audrey that jeans are not pretty. Then she started telling Audrey that she has to wear dresses to be pretty. My heart sank. She loves her little friend at the gym, but I don't know her mom and wouldn't feel comfortable talking to her about it, and I don't even know what I would say anyway.

I definitely want Audrey to feel pretty and know she is beautiful both inside and out. I keep trying to tell her that she can wear whatever she wants and still be pretty. Lydia told her, "Audrey, we're always pretty. We can wear anything and still be pretty." It might sound a little bit boastful, but that's the attitude I want them to have! I never want them to feel anything less than pretty, and I also don't want them to think that "pretty" is some goal that they have to strive to reach.

So, I'm kind of at a loss. Audrey will continue to go to the gym, will continue to play with her friend, and will continue to be told that she has to wear dresses to be pretty. On my end, I will just try to keep reinforcing that her friend is wrong, and I will keep telling her that she is smart, funny, and nice too.

Pretty Girls All in a Row

When I was younger, my mom dressed my sisters and I in matching dresses and outfits. I'm not sure what their feeling were on it, but I actually loved it. I loved how special it was to wear coordinating dresses. So, of course, I do the same with my girls, and they love it too. It's not every day, because I don't have that kind of money, and sometimes it's just outfits that are similar but might be different in color. However, I do love putting them all in identical dresses. I quickly realized that 1) It can be hard to find matching dresses in the sizes I need. Sometimes I could just find two in the smaller sizes or two in the larger sizes, but not all three. 2) Dresses can be expensive.

So, this summer, I set out to make dresses. It was surprisingly easy, and I definitely got better with practice. I also made matching diaper/underwear covers because my girls tend to sit like...well, not girls.

Here was my first attempt, a pillowcase dress. I had to mess around with the pattern a bit to increase/decrease the measurements as needed, but the dresses were pretty forgiving.

Here is the pattern:

http://www.nancysnotions.com/text/pdf/LittleDressesforAfrica_pattern.pdf

And a youtube video with instructions that I found easier to follow than the pattern:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQJwdEEsLog

And the diaper cover:

http://www.prudentbaby.com/2010/06/diy-diaper-cover-tutorial-with-free.html

My next attempt was a little more difficult. I found that the smocking was easier than I expected, but it was hard to figure out how big to make the dresses before the smocking, and then what I wanted to cut off would have made the skirt too narrow, but it worked out OK.

Here's the directions I followed for these:

http://www.marthastewart.com/266202/smocked-sundress?lnc=38f9cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD&rsc=search_tv

Finally, my wonderful friend Jenni made the girls dresses as well. First of all, they're black. GENIUS! I really don't care if they spill on their dresses because I know that happens and they won't last forever anyway, but it's nice to know that they can last just a little bit longer. Second of all, who the hell makes three handmade dresses for kids that aren't even theirs? I very good friend, that's who. Thanks, Jenni! The girls love these.

I'm done making new dresses this year, but I'll be back at it next summer. I'll be back at it until they're 18, actually.