Mary is, by far, my busiest child. She is always buzzing about preparing, arranging, collecting, and always, always talking.
I cannot keep up. I try, but I have to be honest with myself about my physical limitations. I cannot breathe underwater, I cannot see into the future, I cannot wear my pre-pregnancy jeans. I cannot keep up with Mary Virginia in conversation.
The only person who can keep up with a little girl is another little girl.
Enter: cousin Gabby.
During our visit, Gabby and Mary spent a lot of our time together playing, arranging, preparing, and talking. They would curl up together on the couch and Mary would narrate a story to Gabby. They swam together, they played horses, dolls, and family. And they talked.
My mom bought a bunch of swimming rings that all had animal faces, and Mary and Gabby loved playing with them in the pool, creating a family with them.
Gabby: Let’s pretend this one is the mommy, and this one is the daddy, and the mommy is sitting on her eggs.
Mary: Let’s not have a daddy, they can both be mommies.
Gabby: No, Mary, you have to have a mommy and a daddy to make babies.
Mary: That’s not true. I have a unicorn mommy who has babies and I don’t have a unicorn daddy.
Gabby: [looks at Mary suspiciously] But is it a REAL unicorn or a pretend one?
Read the first episode of these cousins being cute here: These Cute Cousins
