Eila went to Target today armed with a gift card and the freedom to choose anything she wanted (within her budget and the safety requirements of her parents). After scouring the dollar bins and finding nothing acceptable, she debated heading to the clothing department and decided that maybe she'd look at the toys first. In the toy section, she carefully examined the three aisles containing fancy things, dolls, and crafting items.
She had decided on a craft kit of color your own gems jewelry box, which she had added to her wishlist months ago when she thought about maybe getting a HSM craft kit and something else (as it was cheaper and she could possibly get two things...) However, on the return to the previous aisle she found the perfect thing. Eila decided on a wedding dress complete with veil headband. She was hoping to also get the matching shoes and bouquet, but that was over her budget.
In the end, she was very pleased with her decision but told me, "I can't get married yet." I replied, "True." Eila added "I don't have my matching shoes or flowers."
It's nothing new and no big surprise that Eila loves to be a princess - in all ways. She loves to dress up, dance, tell others what to do, have everyone admiring and paying full attention to her (at all times), make messes and have others clean them up, be served every meal precisely when she orders and as she desires. She plays the role very convincingly.
Eila also lives life very fully experiencing every extreme and all the in betweens. Eila laughs with wild, enthusiastic and very contagious laughter. She cries with wails that break the hardest heart and she screams with force that can be heard across the ocean.
Eila has lately been showing the range of her feelings and the depth of her passion when the princess does not get things her way. Her passionate expression of displeasure looks a lot like violent outbursts of anger that would scare away just about anyone. She has thrown all sorts of things from books to laundry baskets; she hits, kicks, bites, and lashes out at anyone who might get near her. Eila likes to be clear that she is unhappy and screams, yells and most often grunts with amazing volume. True to her passionate self, these outbursts come on suddenly and when she calms down, she resumes full fun. She lovingly dotes on Thaddeus, helping sooth him if he's upset or trying to engage him if he's awake. With Josiah, Eila invites him to play and will even join his games sometimes. She gives him "boy" things and they chase each other and laugh and laugh together. She will tell Mama randomly how much she loves me - in English and in French. Her excitement to show something to Daddy is loud and impossible to ignore. She screeches in delight when he comes home from work and jumps on him any chance she gets. Her name means life and we often talk about that and how life is meant to be lived fully. She takes this seriously.
