Well, do they?

I know one princess who wears hiking boots.  Fire and ice, piss and vinegar, sugar and spice...and everything wonderful, my niece, Ms. Liliana Cartier...but to me, she's just Daisy Goose.

I have met a lot of kids in my life but, never, have I met a girl with a greater mix of characteristics.  She's a complete dichotomy...with the best mixed personality traits in the world.

Meticulously Clean
While we were in the Antigua airport she got a baby wipe and wiped down every surface of the airport.  Tops of tables, all the chairs, and when she tried to do under the table Mom stopped her.  "Why don't you do the windows instead Lily.  Here I'll give you another baby wipe," and Lily promptly takes it and climbs her Aunt like a jungle gym to get the middle of the window.

Disgusting
If you ask Lily about her favorite things she will tell you...
Eyeballs
Fake poop
She steals my phone and makes videos of herself pretending to throw up

What a strange Bird!

Willing to Speak her Mind
We are all walking to the beach one day and she very firmly says, "Mom!  Aunt Katie keeps calling me Daisy Goose and I don't like that and I told her to stop and she won't!"  Aunt Katie, who is one foot away from her says, "Lily, I call you that because I love you and that's my nickname for you."
"Well I don't like it!" she exclaims all but stomping her foot.

Sidenote: We had a private conversation later and made an agreement that I could call her Daisy Goose in her birthday books and "only a few times in a whisper."


Another day we were playing dolls and we finished up and I went down the hall, or at least I thought we were finished.  She walks up, hands on her hips, "Aunt Katie. I'm upset! And you know who I'm upset with?  You!"
"You are?" I reply chuckling to myself, "Why?"
"Because.  Dad pways babies WAY longer than YOU"
"I mean, how you do you know that?  You can't tell time."
"I know.  All we did was drive in the car with them and that's it!"
"Well, actually, we brushed all their hair and got them dressed, we loaded each one in the car and all their food and toys, we fed them, we got to the camp site, we put band-aids on them, and then we got out of the car and we took a nap.  I feel like the babies did a lot and I played for a long time."
"Well you didn't.  Dad does more than that."

I scoop that girl up...Oh, that strong willed little girl certainly has my heart.

Girly Girl
She LOVES to have her nails painted and wear dresses.  One day, a random Tuesday, Danielle said she could wear a dress but not a fancy one.  She comes out in a beautiful, VERY fancy, flower girl dress.
"Mom, I got one." "
Lily, I thought we said not too fancy?"
"This isn't fancy.  I have to wear it." she says as she puts on her medal, her beads, and her purse.


No Emotion
I'm having a conversation with Danielle and her sister.  "Yeah, Lily, never shows emotion when she is happy or thankful for something."  I am floored.  What?  What do you mean?  I have never noticed it.  Danielle says, "Oh, she totally doesn't.  Watch her."

The next day I took her to get new earrings.  She went back and forth about whether to match mom's color or get pink.  She finally decided on pink and we got them in her ears.  No thank you from Lily.  Now, if you've ever been around my sister-in-law with her kids, you know that they are expected to say thank you almost before they receive the item.  Say it, write it, call, Facetime.  They ALWAYS say thank you and if they happen to forget, all their mother has to say is, "Excuse me?"  (Hashtag: best mom ever) and they abruptly come back with a huge thank you and hug for whatever they received.

So, back to Lily's earrings.  I wondered if she liked her earrings.  I mean, we spent a lot of time in that store if she hated them.  I said, "Do you like your earring?"  Without looking at me she said a dismissive, "Yes."  I say, "What do you say?"  She quickly says, "Thank you," and we move on.  I honestly wondered if she just didn't like them but I was assured by her mother that she loved them.

No emotion.

I'm still baffled.

Obsessive Compulsive Four Year Old
We're at the water park and it's time to go.  The park is closing but we have to wait.  Lily is rearranging about 20 chairs, lining each one of them up and we can't go until she has done EACH one.

Danielle tells me that when Lily gets in trouble, the worst thing that can happen is Danielle taking away the things she puts in neat rows-her seashell collection, her dolls.

Lover of Life
You know those moments where you catch yourself thinking, "I hope I never forget this."  I watch her tiny body climb up on the bow of the boat amongst a backdrop of crystal blue water and yell as loud as she can, "ONEEEEEEE, TWOOOOO, FREEEEEEEE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX," and she jumps into the ocean with a giant smile!  Some kids always jump on three but Lily jumps on whatever number makes her happy.



I used to say, simply, Philip looks more like his dad but has the personality of his mom and Lily looks more like her mom but has the personality of her dad...but I don't think it's ever that simple.

These kids...my favorite children, are each, in their own way, the perfect combination of Tom and Danielle.  I'm such a broken record because I say it all the time but those two are raising kids that people LOVE to be around.

And to you, my favorite Daisy Goose (remember, we agreed that I could call you that sometimes).  It's never a wonder why people fall in love with those golden eyes, blond curls and giant personality. You're simply perfect...perfectly you.   You are going to change the world Liliana and I'm so excited that I get to watch you do it.

I love you bigger than the sky.