Snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails?

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star has three verses. Three! I didn’t know that until I had a child.  I also didn’t know that Gerber makes these divine little corn puffy things that look like miniature Cheetos but come in about five flavors.  I didn’t know that Thomas the Tank Engine has approximately 67 close friends.  They're all Thomas’s best-est friends, and no Island of Sodor is complete without them. (For the record, we have currently adopted Thomas, Percy, James, Fergus, Hank, Gordon, Molly and a smattering of freight cars, tenders, and of course, a caboose. Additional adoptions are pending, conditioned only upon a successful day of potty training or a brave visit to the doctor's office. )

I did have some inkling that I would love my child. But, I didn’t know that I would fall completely in love with him.   I have surprised myself, and I suspect I have surprised a number of others by my devotion to my little boy.

I never planned on having a boy. I mean really, what do you do with a boy?!  I wear pink sequins to work, and I'm not fully dressed until I have a little sparkle on my toes. When I was six, I carefully placed my order for a baby girl--sugar. spice. all that’s nice. pink hair bows. sparkles. And, some ruffled bottom tights, if you please.

And yet, I find myself happiest racing a Hot Wheels garbage truck through the living room, “Rumble, rumble!” My little boy is not snakes, and snails, and puppy dog tails.  He’s a little sugar and a lot of spice.  He tells me he wants to talk about his day: “Mommy, I wanna taaaalk!”  He snuggles with me at night: “Wanna hold you!” He has fabulous hair that he lets me cut and style.  He pushes his Cuddles bear through the house in my old wicker doll carriage. He plays hard and hugs harder. And so, when occasionally I take out the pink kitten sweatsuit I've saved, and the white ruffled sweater, and strawberry print 'jamas, I smile. I put them back in the drawer. And, I shop at four stores until I find training pants printed with cars--just perfectly what my little boy wants.