It has begun.

When Abby was about 3 she loved all things frilly and poofy. Ruffles? check. Sparkles? check. Plastic jewels? check. Ready for the day.


At the same time, my most-fun sister was living half a continent away. Boo! We still kept in touch, but it wasn't the same as having her right here. One of the ways that she kept in contact was by finding fun stuff on ebay that she thought we needed. Raincoats, clothing, flying batman monkeys...you know--the necessities!



(Really. Two of them. My first response was, "Holy Flying Monkeys, Batman!" They're actually pretty fun, and when another sister found out that Lara had bought them for only the younger cousins, she was kinda jealous.)


So when Auntie Ebay found out that Abby loved frills and ruffles, she set to work and found something wonderful. (I've looked all over & can't find a picture of her in it, or one of a friend's daughter lying in a toddler bed wearing it, while Alex, dressed in Superman jammies, was leaning over to give her a Sleeping Beauty kiss. So priceless, and so elusive.)


Anyhow--Abby was thrilled to open the package that came in the mail. Before it was even all the way out of the padded envelope, she happy exclaimed, "A ballet!!!" Alas, it stank of cigarette smoke, so it hung on the back porch for about a week. (The previously mentioned friend's mom thought it was a mid-pregnancy announcement that Lee was a girl.)


Abby loved her 'ballet', and it was a great dress-up dress until she grew out of it.


And now--

--it fits. Enough.

Cora has started being picky about what she wears, but it's no surprise that she loves this dress. It doesn't match her jeweled sandals (I kind of have shoe envy over these), but who cares? When she's dressed like a princess and elicits admiring smiles wherever she goes, batting her beautiful dark lashes at smiling strangers, all I've got to say is, "Bring on the floof!"