Delphi's Tricks: Old and New

I think she is on the verge of learning how to climb out of her crib. This always makes for difficult nap time. One of her other tricks is to get all settled in her bed and then take a giant poop. This was what she was up to today. And now she won't settle back down for a snooze. It's a matter of waiting to see who is more stubborn--her or her mother.

She delights her sisters with a new trick. When someone is mean to her she points her chubby little finger at them and says, "Mean!" Everyone squeals. The problem is that they enjoy it so much that they hit her--though softly--and annoy her to try to get her to pronounce them as such.

She is definitely at that stage where most things she does can be considered cute and her older sisters are enamored with her. She does, however, remind me of that little poem by Longfellow:


There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
She was very good indeed,
But when she was bad she was horrid.

It's all true except the curl. She can charm us first thing in the morning and then sneak into her sisters' bedroom and wreck all their Legos and Rainbow Loom creations. This is followed by wailing and gnashing of teeth. There are sometimes pronouncements about her existence--whether or not it is desired--and there is always another sister who gets blamed for leaving the door open. It is a vicious cycle.

The thing that I most appreciate about this sibling love, though, is how Delphina can inspire Stella to burst out into proclamations of love and devotion. "Delphi, you are the cutest!" or, "Delphina, I just love you SO MUCH!" I'm sure she will do the same for Dominic. However, it has taken her three siblings to get to the point where she can truly love with selflessness. It is a beautiful thing to witness. I'm especially thankful because sometimes Stella can be on the grumpy side and Delphina has the power to draw her out of her funk. I don't have to bribe her or send her to her room to pout, she need only be disarmed by the mere being of Delphina. By far the best of her tricks.