Little Missy Two-Shoes Likes A Ladybug
Do You?
Six months before the car accident that involved my 2-year-old daughter and I, she turned two years old. Little did I know that it would be a very fortuitous thing to hold a Ladybug Birthday Party for her - due to our car accident, it would be the last one I could organize until she turned 16.
I colored pastel pages just like these, made up a book of rhymes about a ladybug, and baked a Ladybug cake. I had a print shop print this books as my sketch, not this professional cartoonist, and this book was a parting gift for each child (and any grown-up who wanted one):
How it Started
I love to garden outdoors, and when Madi was born, she stayed in the stroller while I brought her roses and ladybugs to view. Every day at sunset, we went outside and watched the picturesque sun hover then disappear over the palisades.
As she turned into a lively and very verbal toddler, she played under her favorite tree, singing with glee in that innocent way that only children own - no sense of time, no troubles, and only the moment before her.
Grocery Shopping
By the time she was almost two, she knew over 100 words.
People in the grocery store were flabbergasted as they saw her talking so much, using words a child would say, i.e., and not a toddler.
It started when people asked me how old she was.
I thought it would be easy enough for me to just tell them, but I wanted her to practice talking. I would say,
Ask her yourself! She can talk!
What’s your name? Marguerite Alexandra Ferrante. (Eyes got big)
How old are you? One.
It was amazing. She was amazing, like a little actual baby doll that could talk, a miniature, little human that showed everyone how good all God’s creations are.
Do you want her to answer some more questions?
What else can she say? People were excited. So at home, I practiced some questions with her, and she willingly complied so we could astound moms and dads at the grocery store.
Memorizing Answers to Questions
As we watched the news, we pointed out the President and other politicians. At home, I had her memorize the following answers to a series of questions. By the time the moms expressed interest in asking her more questions, she knew all of the following answers:
Who’s the President of the United States? George “dubbaya” Bush.
Who’s the Vice President? Cheney.
Who is Secretary of State? Condoleezaa Rice. (Eyes widened, jaws dropped.)
Who’s the Governor of California? Schwartzenegger. (People gawked.)
Who’s the Mayor of Los Angeles? Villaregosa.
By this time, the young mothers with little boys in their shopping carts were gleefully enjoying this little girl’s answers - many grownups also admitted that they didn’t even know who the Secretary of State was!
Then they paused to ask me more about her. Did she always talk so much? Could she read? Was she my first child? When did she turn two?
» Populating Los Angeles with Girls «
Many women would then exclaim,
I’m going to run home and tell my husband that I want another baby!
I want a girl!
And with that, Little Missy Two-Shoes populated Los Angeles with more babies.
Stay tuned for Ladybug Party recipes and treats! And get ready to order ladybugs from your favorite neighborhood nursery…
You’re full of surprises. God made you a fountain of ideas and talents....and instead of suppressing them, you’ve nurtured them. Inspiring!