What started out as a friendly game of magnets....

Every day, at some point in time, Alia and I end up in the laundry room and play with the magnets on the washing machine. This entails pulling the magnets off the washer, biting them, and attempting to put them back on. And mind you, this isn't as easy as it sounds for a baby...you have to manipulate the magnet to be face-out so it will stick...and that can be tough!

Now, picture if you will, me sitting Indian style in front of the above machine, and Alia going back and forth, from the dryer to the washer, pulling magnets down, trying to put them back up, and shrieking with glee. She butts in front of me to get where she needs to go, or goes around back of me. She toddles. She drops to crawling. She stands back up with fierce concentration. Proud of her accomplishment, she smiles her biggest, sweetest Alia-smile, and toddles toward me, step....step...step.... I feel love fill my heart as this beautiful, sweet, endearing sweetie pie of a little girl makes her way to me. Finally, she stands inches away...we look at each other, eye to eye, her standing, me sitting. I am totally glamoured by her her cuteness (yes, True Blood reference) And she raises her cute chubby little hand, still smiling, and smacks me square across the face. Hard.