My first baby

It seems like Molly JoJo has gotten the lion's share of blog attention from me lately. There is no good reason for this other than that Molly gives me so many naughty things to document and she is in that just-learning-to-talk phase that provides such ample fodder for laughter (this morning she was very incensed when I poured her some Raisin Bran and insisted that I remove all the "beans" from it "No like beans. Only cereal.").

But I am doing such a disservice to Frankie by not writing enough about her. She is, plainly speaking, a delight. Seriously, I don't know how to say this without sounding like I am trying to take the credit for it, or that I am speaking through a mother's rose-colored glasses, but she is just such a really really nice little kid. Oh, she has her moments, don't get me wrong. When she's overtired she can be counted on to start aggravating her little sister until the latter has no recourse other than to turn and bite her on the scalp, which is frankly no less than she deserves. And sometimes she melts down and becomes intensely unreasonable and cries louder and louder the more you try to yell above the din "Just tell me what is WRONG!," but for the most part, she is a really really nice little kid.

I think one of the things I like the most about her is that she has the most tender little heart. Even when she's in the middle of a meltdown, half of the reason she's crying is that she's upset that she's making you angry and so she's wailing "Mama! Mama! MAMA, I'M JUST SO SOOOOOORRRRRY!." How can you not like a kid like that? She's also one of the most unselfish people that I know. If you're out with her without Molly and you give her a sucker, she wants another one to bring home to her sister. If she and another kid both want something at the same time, she can be counted on to back down and say "He can go first." In contrast, Molly Jo will polish off her cookie and take a large bite of Frankie's when Frankie isn't looking. Maybe it's just the age difference, but I don't think so. I think God has given Frankie a gift of being thoughtful to others. And I want her to know that I see it in her.

There are lots of other things I like about her, too. Too many to write down, but here are just a few:

I like that she prefers whale sharks to princesses.

I like her two french braids and her big brown eyes and crazy eyebrows, that it turns out are EXACT replicas of my own childhood eyebrows.

I like that she is such a nice big sister and tells Molly things like "Molly, do you like that I can teach you to know about things? You know how I know so many things, Molly? Because when you're getting older, you can hear people talk about things and then you learn about them. Did you know that, Molly? Molly? MOLLY? ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME, MOLLY?."

I like that she works so diligently in her "office" (her desk in her closet) during quiet time, producing drawing after drawing of sharks that she asks to mail to "everyone that I know."

I like how her upper lip forms a little beak when she's proud of herself.

I like that because her fish had babies she refers to herself as a grandmother.

I like how her fingers get really tan just like her dad's.

I like that when I go to work for a grand total of five hours a week, the next morning she wants me to read a book to her instead of her dad because "Mom hasn't seen me in a really long time."

I like you, Frankie Pau.