Obsessions

My two year old daughter is always obsessed with something. About a year ago it was her baby doll, Sha Sha. An odd name, I know. Her name is actually Felicia but was quickly changed to something the two year old could actually say. Sha Sha and her dingy pink one-piece outfit went with us everywhere. We even have Sha Sha in the 18 month Sears portrait.

After Sha Sha came her 5 year old brother's Steeler's hat. She insists that it is her hat. She wore it everywhere, backwards, and even slept with it at night. I'm still not sure how my husband convinced her not to wear the Steelers hat to church.

After the hat came an old cell phone, various books, and then and old firepates (translation - pacifier) that she found in her dresser. That one lasted until the dog ate it.

I am sure you are all wondering what could possibly be her latest obsession. It is an old, beat up helicopter (translation - calculator) that barely works. It goes everywhere with her - even to bed at night. The best part of this one - it is easily lost in the middle of the night when it falls under her bed. Fortunately, she cries for Daddy, not Mommy, to come and find it.

Where Does the Time Go?

My oldest is now 5. Actually, 5 1/2 as he often reminds me. He still says some of the cutest things. Aminal instead of animal. Hangaburger instead of hamburger. Headyache instead of headache.

I know that he is at the age where I need to start to really crack down on these last few words that he says incorrectly. After all, he sets the table for me, dresses himself, makes his bed, and can almost tie his shoes. He's not a baby anymore.

So, the other day when he said "aminal", I gently told him that the word is actually animal. We worked at it a few times and suddenly he said animal perfectly for the first time in his life. I should have been excited and proud, and I was - sort of. I was also sad. It's the end of an era for my oldest. He's no longer the cute toddler but instead a young man growing up right before my eyes.

I might need to wait awhile before I start to work on "hangaburger" and "headyache."

The Terrible Blog

I live in Pittsburgh. If you follow professional football at all, you know that the Steelers are in the Super Bowl this year. What you may not know is that my city has gone insane.

On my street alone, there are large banners declaring this is Steeler Country along with large inflatable footballs and inflatable Steelers in several yards. When the Steelers won the AFC Championship, there were fireworks going off all around my house.

The news each night for the past 4 weeks has been 20 minutes of Steelers news followed by 10 seconds of other news, 20 seconds of weather, and then right back to more Steelers news. I'm not even sure if we still have troops in Iraq it's been so long since I've seen an actual newscast.

Instead of working, most companies have turned Fridays into informal tailgating parties. The Pittsburgh School District has announced a 2 hour delay for all schools in the district the day after the Super Bowl. I guess so all children have plenty of time to celebrate the big win.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Steelers and love watching football each Sunday. There is nothing that would make me happier than to have the Steelers win the Super Bowl. I even have the required Steeler legacy - my mom has been a season ticket holder since 1973 and once went to a Steeler game when she was a week overdue with my brother. Believe me, I understand devotion to the team.

I still think the city has gone crazy.