One child lighter

Tonight Samantha gets to go stay at my parents house. And I'm totally excited. Will she miss us? Maybe, but she'll get spoiled by Papa and Gammy. She'll milk them for ice cream, Mickey D's, and whatever else she can.

Is Alyssa jealous? Heck, no. She really can't understand the concept of spending the night away from home yet. She's just thinking about the undivided attention she'll get from Mommy and Daddy. And I'm thinking about all the snuggling I'll get in.

I don't know about the rest of the world, but sometimes I worry about how much less undivided attention Alyssa gets being the second child. Take for instance yesterday--Samantha got to spend a few hours with Papa learning to ride her bike without a training wheel. Alyssa did not want me to go get Samantha. She wanted me all to herself. I can't blame her. I want her all to myself sometimes too. Just like I want Samantha all to myself.

So today I took Alyssa while I got the car washed. We walked to the pet store and stared at puppies. Two of them just bounded over when they heard her voice. "A child, a child. I wanna play."

I can't wait for tomorrow morning, when I don't have to be at the beck and call of two kids, but I get to show Alyssa what it is like to be a true princess for a day.