I dare you to look into these big brown eyes, and respond with a firm “No!” It just can’t be done.
Daisy is only two years old, and she has completely mastered the art of making irresistible puppy dog eyes. Sometimes Ian and I argue over who has to do the awful, dirty job of taking her “bedtime-only” blankie and binky away from her after she sneaks in and steals them from her crib. Nobody wants to be the one to make those brown eyes well up with crocodile tears. My dad is so smitten with Miss Daisy that when she showed interest in fishies, he BOUGHT her two fish in a little bowl for her birthday. (Awful, stinky little creatures which Calvin has named Marco and Polo.)
Daisy’s puppy dog eyes are part of the reason I am miserably sleepy today. Babygirl had a sleepless night. She was up about six different times, and it’s never been my inclination to do the “cry it out” method. I soothed her, I picked her up out of her crib and cuddled next to her in Clara’s bed, I hauled my exhausted self down to the kitchen for drinks (first milk, then water at her request), I got very little rest, and I woke up with a stiff neck from sleeping so awkwardly. Of course, she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, only a couple hours before my alarm sounded. I’ll bet she feels fantastic today.
Since I’ve been away from home more than usual this month due to “Wizard of Oz” theatre duties, I guess I feel even more compelled to be there for my baby overnight. I know how quickly this phase will pass. In just a few years she may be just like her big brother, totally disgusted by the idea of being cuddled and babied by his mom.
Still, I do think I need to toughen up a little. Maybe I’ll print out this photo and stare at it while repeating “No!” – just for practice.
Except it will probably come out more like this: “N…n….nooooohkay, honey.”