My little nurse

I went to the dermatologist recently and had 2 "suspicious" looking moles removed. They weren't the typical raised moles, but were flat. Astrid went with me and was fascinated. She kept staring at all of the equipment and asked a a lot of questions about what everything did and what it was for. And of course what the doctor was doing to me.

When we got home she wanted to pull up my shirt and show Papa and then tried to explain the procedure I had done. She wanted to see for herself too and kept pleading with me to take off my band-aid so she could see.

The next morning I had to reapply some Neosporin and a new band-aid, but the problem was the one spot on my back that I can't reach. I just barely was able to get a corner of the existing band-aid to pull it off during my shower this morning. What to do? Dilemma. Was hoping U. would be home to help me, but he left for work even earlier than I did this morning.

So I turned to Astrid and asked her if she could help me. She was an eager beaver to say the least. Following me around the bathroom, staring, asking question. So she wanted to help which was a good thing. One of the moles I had removed was on my tummy so I showed her how I applied the ointment and put a band-aid over it. She copied me and did the exact same thing to my back - perfectly. She followed my directions to a T.

She had so much empathy for me that she kept asking "Does it hurt?" When I told her that it didn't really hurt, and only just a little bit when you touched it, she remarked, "It looks like it really hurts mommy" and gave me a big hug. I received the best bedside manner from my little nurse. She was just so sweet and caring. And she did a great job!

Tissue vs. Napkin

"Do you need a tissue?" I asked.

After I heard the "Yes" in agreement, I handed Astrid what I thought would do the trick (as I was driving).

After a second Astrid said, "This is not a tissue! It's a napkin."

I had to laugh at that one. She actually knows the difference. When I shared this with U. his comment was, "It's not because she's smart, it's because she's spoiled. I didn't know the difference until I was 10 years old." Haha. Kids these days - pampered and all.

Mr. Rogers Neighborhood

Sitting here watching Mr. Rogers Neighborhood with Astrid. I was channel flipping when I came to the show that was just starting and I had to stop.

"I used to watch this show when I was a kid," I told Astrid.

"Really? When you were little you were watching this?" Astrid asked.

"Yep. It was my favorite show," I said.

"But it's over," Astrid said.

"No it's not. It's just starting. Watch he's going to sing 'It's a Beautiful Neighborhood'," I said.

And lo and behold Mr. Rogers starting singing his signature song as he put on his sweater and sneakers.

Now he's taking us on a field trip to meet Itzhak Perlman, the great Israeli-American violinist and conductor who contracted polio at the age of 4 and uses crutches to walk.

I still love Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.

Astrid's wish to blur the gender lines

"I wish I could be like that," said Astrid this morning while watching Angelina Ballerina.

(After each cartoon they feature real dancers, many of them children.)


I thought she was referring to being a ballerina.


Instead Astrid remarked, "A boy."


She was referring to the boy dancer.


"Someday I'll grow up to be like that," said Astrid.

I've always tried to steer her away from stereotypical female toys, costumes, and play. Last Halloween while most of her friends were Fairies & Princesses, Astrid was a Firefighter. Once she told me she wanted to be Nurse and I said, "Why not a Doctor?" I hope this helps strengthen her self esteem and self resolve to go after what she wants in life and dream big (without the gender limitations that have plagued woman over the years).


"Become the man you always wanted to marry," is one of my favorite quotes for women made by Cher.

Don't get me wrong - Astrid is just as girlie as others her age and loves to dress up and play with her dolls. But it's important for me as her mother to show her that there's more to being a woman than just taking care of babies and looking pretty. You can be feminine and be intelligent, strong, athletic, and successful.

Astrid's hooked on phonics

Today Astrid was proud to show me that she can sound out letters to form words. She was so confident.

R-A-T - RAT!

C-A-T - CAT!

M-A-T - WATERMELON! (HA!)

P-A-T - PIG!

"No, no, no," Astrid immediately said as she quickly realized she made a mistake.

"Don't laugh!" Astrid shouted.

I can't help it. It's fun to see her learning, but so cute when she makes mistakes.