Oversharing

Dear Laney,

Sorry for the lapse in blogging. I was laid up most of the weekend with a stomach bug and I will spare you the details, because they would fall into a category I like to call "oversharing."

Speaking of... I am often torn about whether or not to put certain photos or stories on this blog. I know that there's a fine line between great blog material and invading your privacy. Unfortunately for me, you seem to wait 'til you're totally naked to bring your best comedy material. I know that years from now, you might not appreciate that I put naked photos of you online. Also, Tex worries about the perverts.

It's probably hard for you to imagine, but we didn't get (dial-up!) internet in our house until the summer after I graduated high school in '94. I didn't get a cell phone until I had moved to Los Angeles and gotten my first real job. To this day, I rarely send text messages because I'm so ungodly slow that I find myself finishing the message, "We're on our way to your house!" as I'm already sitting in my friend's driveway. It's possible your dad is worse than I am, since he refers to the iPod as, "Mom's Hand Computer." All this to say that we didn't grow up with facebook or cyberbullying or (God help us) "sexting," and now as parents we're going to be faced with the challenge of teaching you what does and does not belong on the internet for worldwide consumption.

Though it's all one big grey area, here are some things that have happened at our house recently that I think fall more on the side of "cute," than "potentially embarrassing."

1) Potty training is going pretty well. Your favorite bathroom reading material? The Fisher Price Catalog. "Mom! Look at all da toys in my magazeeeeene!"

2) I was in the living room this weekend when I heard you yell from my bedroom, "MOM! Can you put this thing on me?!?" I walked into the bedroom to discover:

Mom: Hey Laney, whatcha doing?

Laney: Making a bottle for the baby.

Mom: That is so sweet. Let me know when you're done.

Laney: Is hard. I done.

Mom: I know just how you feel, sister.

3) Cedar came over for a play date last week, and when it was time for her to leave, you wanted to follow her out. "You're going to need some shoes," I reminded you. "Right!" you agreed. I figured that PANTS would go without saying.

In times like these, my strategy is to let you realize all by yourself that it's cold, and then hope you have enough common sense to come back inside. So far, this strategy has failed me. You had zero interest in coming back inside and were last heard yelling, "Bye! I walking to Grandma Sue's now!"

I told Peg Peg about this, and she told me there was an awful story in the news last week about some parents who forced their toddler to stay in the snow in only his underwear as a punishment. Around here, we would call that a "Don't throw me into the briar patch!"* situation.

Love,

Mom

* If you understood this reference, please e-mail me and let me know how the weather is today in Alabama.