Katie Alert

Today is the tenth birthday of my number 2 spawn.  This child has made my life more interesting since the day she was born.  She makes me either laugh or want to rip my hair out every minute that she is awake.

Katie's mispronunciations have always amused me.  For dinner tonight, we had her favorite food, which she used to call "bazanya".  She used to call breakfast, "brecksticks" and I swear it still has a tinge of this old word when she says it now.  She counted "Zeeps" on road trips. Endlessly amusing to me is her habit of calling John's mom and dad, grandpa and grandpa. 

As a baby, Katie was either entertained by the big sister or crying.  We had a little song we sang, "oh, oh, Katie's crying" (sung to Janie's Crying).  Katie was also very fond of piano.  When Daddy was doing the ordeal of putting Rebecca to bed (and may I interject here that Rebecca didn't sleep through the night until her sister was born?), I would play the piano.  It never put Katie to sleep and probably kept Rebecca awake longer, but it was more entertaining for me that listening to Katie cry.

When Katie was a toddler, we had an early alarm system.  Rebecca would say "Katie alert" when Katie was headed for trouble (probably following the older sister.)  One day, Katie was headed up the stairs to the deck and announced her own "Katie alert".  This was probably seconds before the older sister tied her up in a chain.  Yikes!  At every one of her well-child visits for the first couple years, the pediatrician warned that the biggest threat to Katie's safety was her sister.  No joke.

For her 3rd Christmas, Katie required a hat.  She was dancing around the living room- encouraged by her older sister- and crashed headfirst into the coffee table.  Emergency room trip number one resulting in stitches in her forehead and a little striped bear that she still cherishes and dresses up.  Then for kicks, she cut off her bangs down to her forehead.  I wondered at the time how her 7 year old sister didn't notice that 1) there were scissors in the playroom and 2) that Katie had them and was chopping hair.  But fine, the hat that matched her dress was cute, the stitches healed, the hair grew.

To say that Katie is rough, would be an understatement.  She puts the "tough" in "tough love".  A favorite pastime of days gone by is "Climb every Mommy" (reference to Sound of Music).  A hug that doesn't involve glasses knocked askew or an elbow to the head, is just sub-standard.  A common phrase heard in my house?  "And a blow to the head."  The child has more elbows than normal and a couple extra knees as well.  She has yet to figure out that my feet are ALWAYS found at the end of my legs- either that or she enjoys toes squishing.  And those AREN'T handles!!  And why hug someone when you can tackle them?

Katie is moodier than a teenager.  God help me when she actually is a teenager.  I'll be leaving home.  One minute I am the best mother on the planet.  The next I am lower than dirt.  One day, I'm out of my mind for suggesting she could stay up late to watch a movie.  The next day (today, in fact), this suggestion is perfectly acceptable.  And holy cow, if I don't do the thing she thinks I said I would do- wowza!  One day a few weeks ago, she thought I promised to pick her up from school with her drum.  I did not.  Well, the next day, every person I saw at school had to tell me about the saga of this poor, unfortunate child waiting for me- and the beautiful fit she had.

Katie brings out the grown-up in her mother.  Church is probably not her best thing. (Katie is not an asset to the abbey.)  So when I'm brave (read stupid) enough to take her, it requires a little distraction.  We write notes or exchange pictures.  Her dad is not so patient with her, so I usually have to separate them.  :)  And I almost always sit in the balcony so fewer people can witness.  Well, a few weeks ago, Rebecca was singing in choir and I let John pick the spot- so we were at the front of the church.  Unfortunately, I was not an asset to the abbey that day and proceeded to write silly stuff to Katie and giggle more than she did.  (Rebecca was mortified- all to the good, in my opinion.)

Best thing on earth?  A hug from my Katie girl.  I may not survive it, but what a way to go.