Beautiful Blue

10/52

Its spring time around our house. I know this not because there are birds chirping outside my windows or my roses are blooming, not because of the amazing weather we are enjoying or even because of my freckled shoulders. I know this because there is a brooding animosity in my home. It starts out as a few snide comments and curt retorts. Soon there will be rolling of eyes and scoffing grunts, criticizing, mocking and bragging are to follow. And it is the same every year in the Grunau household. Ladies and gentlemen, it is baseball season.

This year the battle of beautiful Dodger blue and pukey Giant orange started off with an innocent child hurt in the wake. A few weeks ago Jeff was helping me get the kids ready to go to a doctor appointment and I was about to thank him for dressing Autumn when I noticed she was wearing a heavy sweatsuit. It was supposed to be in the mid 70's that day and I knew she would be miserable.

"Honey, its going to be way to warm for her to wear that."
"It's ok, I put something underneath it."

I could hear the mischievous smile in his voice. I glared at him across the room. He looked up and grinned with false innocence and walked her to the van. I shuddered to think about the hideousness that lay beneath that warm sweatsuit. I quickly ran back upstairs and pulled a beautiful sun dress from her closet and stashed it in her backpack. When we arrived at the doctor's office Mila had to go potty and I had to feed Autumn. As soon as Jeff and Mila disappeared around the corner I knew this was my chance. I gagged as I removed the sweatsuit. There it was, vile and wretched. A pink and purple Giants body suit.

"Oh, Baby Girl, what did your daddy do to you? You poor thing! Come here and let me take this nasty thing off of you!"

She looked refreshed and happy in her white sundress. Jeff and Mila came back just then.

"Where did that outfit come from?" he smiled with irritation.
"From her backpack? Why?" I smiled back.
"What was wrong with what she was wearing?"
"My daughter is not wearing that thing in public"

Mila was called back and so we dropped it. Nearing the end of the appointment Jeff, Levi and Autumn hung out in the waiting area while Mila took her eye test. When Jeff came in holding Autumn at arms distance I knew there was trouble. He grabbed her back pack and headed out. We finished a few minutes later and I found him back in the waiting room with the contents of her bag strewn about. And her poop-stained clothes in a pile next to her.

"Where are her wipes?!"
"Oops! They are in the van. You head down and I'll make the follow-up appointment."

When I joined them a few minutes later Autumn was again suffering in her daddy-picked clothes.

"See, Hun? She made her choice!"
"Eewe!!!"

I sighed, embarrassed for my baby. It's a good thing Jeff had his own doctor appointment to go to and we had some time to kill before Mila's field trip. As Jeff drove away I smiled to myself and headed straight for Target. Soon enough autumn had a beautiful, new, blue dress on and a few seconds later she spit up on it. No problem, I had the perfect spit up rag.