little miss perfect

I have posted before about our efforts to get to 'music together' class once a week. Semester has started again and we made it through the first class unscathed last Wednesday. We actually had a really nice time, Geekygirl is one of the older kids now, so dances and sings along, and geekybaby is enthralled by the novelty. Though he hasn't yet grasped that each prop (egg shakers, scarves, tamborines) are brought out for one song, then taken away again. He is delighted with each new item, then appalled when it is taken from him so quickly!

Each semester there are some new babies and some familiar faces. I'm always on the look out for kindred spirits, whose children sport the 'dragged through a hedge backwards' hair and clothing look, but yet again, the class seems to be favored by the impossibly well turned out. 'Little Miss Perfect', of the beautifully ironed (ironed! Who irons kids clothes? I won't even buy things that need ironing!) floral frocks with matching bows and pristine clean white sandals, is still in attendence, accompanied by her mom, a woman who still manages to look gorgeous seven months pregnant with twins. I'm secretly hoping that the arrival of her twin boys this fall might throw a spanner into the air of fabulous ease that this family exudes (yes, dad is handsome and well dressed too). But I just know that it won't. She will be back in her size 4 Chanel suits three weeks after giving birth, the babies will be adorable moppets that never spit up on their Petit Bateaux sweaters, and Little Miss Perfect will have learned to french braid her own hair. I've decided to stop being envious and just to hang around with them (they are extremely nice despite their perfection) in the hope that some of their gilt rubs off on us.

This weekend we attended a birthday party for one of Geekygirl's classmates. With last week's contrast between my urchin and the perfect girl fresh in my mind, I really wanted Geekygirl to look adorable. I remembered to wash her hair the night before, I offered her three acceptable choices of dress (all no iron cotton jersey, but dresses nontheless), remembering that she will only wear a dress if she can have leggings on underneath, and even snuck a cute pink and blue fabric butterfly clip into her ponytail. The overall effect was pretty and practical.Just how I wanted her to look, the picture I had in my head when I thought about what she could wear to the occasion (as if I don't have enough to think about).

The party was great, a low key affair with fine beer and great cake at an amazing local playground. And watching Geekgirl run and shout and play, in her pretty frock, almost matching leggings and her favourite bright blue crocs, with the sun fanning her messy but clean golden curls into a halo around her face I felt a glow of pride that this gorgeous child was mine. My very own little miss perfect in every way.