You're so vain...

...you probably think this blog is about you. - Gabrielle "Carly Simon" Lutz

Yes, much of life revolves around you, Little Lutz. Grandma might turn down my cooking, but she sure as heck will come over to hold you while you scream. We all may have toothpicks holding up our eyelids, but if you 'talk' to us, we'll do cartwheels.

Which leads me to my story for the day. So yesterday, Gabrielle is having an extensive happy time, and I'm standing over her crib watching her and talking to her. And then it happened. We had a conversation. It went like this:

L: Hey, pretty girl!
G: Ahhgghh.
L: Yyyee-aaah!
G: Aah aah aaaahhh.
L: HIIIIII!
G: Guh gaaah. Llll.
L: YEAH! Are you talking to me?!
[pause]
L: Can you talk to me, Sugar Bear?!
G: Oouh oouh wouah.
L: Yes, ma'am! You're such a sweet girl.
G: Hiopzr pousfzjkl;...
L: Ooooh, I love you so much!!!!!!
G: Zhioperzlruaw ujas asreuoia j auseoir slsj s mnvmiq.

This went on for at least 30 seconds, maybe a minute. Now - I am, admittedly, a little too self-aware. In fact, I think I was much more confident and less scared of looking the fool when I was 14 than I am today. Regardless... I went bonkers. I'm surprised I don't have new lines on my face from grinning so hard. You probably haven't heard anyone lose control of their voice lately the way I did unless you've been hanging out with pubescent boys. Of course, this could not be recreated for the video camera. Oh, well. Probably a good thing for my students as I would have made them watch it repeatedly today.

So as Erin Ussery and I discussed today, any new parent flips out when a smile is really and truly about us. We're so vain.