Boy Crazy

It's official. My girl is boy crazy. I've noticed it when we're out and about. She makes eyes at the fellas in the grocery store. She coyly bats her eyelashes at the guys at the gym. She can be found hugging the other boys during play dates. This girl is going to be trouble with a capital T when she gets older.

The last few days, since the weather has been nicer, I've been taking Sophie out to the Back 40 (actually it's more like Back .25) to do some yard work. We have a fenced in yard, so she can run around with her ball or whatever while I do my thing.

The first day, the two boys that live behind us came out and we started talking. They are 7 and 9 and very eager to tell me all about their lives, sometimes in embarrassing detail. It's especially charming when they give me little details about their 12 year old sister, like how she put her new training bra on backwards or how she cried on Sunday because she couldn't get her hair to work. I am quite certain she would be mortified if she knew they were spreading this information, and I always tell them to mind their sister's feelings. On the inside, I'm roaring at their candor. The boys stayed on their side, but spent the entire time playing catch with Sophie over the fence and patting her head while she cooed, giggled and babbled for them.

Since then, if I even point myself in the direction of the back door, she goes running to it, hollering in Russian or whatever it is she speaks, banging her little hands on the door. I'm pretty sure if I had a Toddler to English translator, it would be something along the lines of "Take me to the BOYS!" When we go outside, she heads straight for the back fence, ya-ya-ya-ing the whole way.

Today, the boys came over the fence to play with her in our yard. The three of them ran around and the boys took turns picking her up, swinging her in circles and trying to make her laugh. They were especially delighted when my delicate little flower tooted while one of them was holding her. The 9-year-old tells me he loves babies and he can't wait to babysit. Cute, yes?

Meanwhile, her speech has been kind of slow to develop. She says a few words fairly clearly: Mama, Dada, Kitty, Hi, Bye; but hasn't really begun to mimic words back to us yet. Today, the older boy, as he was swinging her around, said "My name is Nick, say Nick!" And I'll be darned if she didn't say Nick.

Yep, we're in trouble.