In pieces

S has turned out to be a great disassembler. I should have known, when she was about 4 months old she went through a phase of taking all the buttons off her clothes. It would get really quiet, and all of a sudden her jacket wouldn't close. Thankfully shes not one to put things in her mouth that aren't food. I keep finding ball point pens, the clicker ones, that don't work anymore because their parts have been removed.

S took apart one of H's small plastic figures the other day- one that has a brown pony tail AND purple pants. She was very popular with H, and in high rotation. J and I both tried to reassemble her tiny parts, under cover of darkness- I tried first and could put her back together, but she wouldn't stay. J couldn't resist the challenge and took his stab at reassembly while I stood there nay saying his every move. Again, she wouldn't keep her arms and legs from falling off. I couldn't bring myself to throw away the figure's body parts, (I need to have meetings and interventions with myself to throw away anything) inevitably H found her girl in pieces. Much wailing ensued. "Why didn't you TELL me?!" Indeed. I should have. She insisted I try and put her back together. I explained that Daddy and I had both tried and she wouldn't stay together. I tried to explain how glue is the enemy of movable parts. She gave me a long hard look, her eyes wide and full of tears, then pleaded, "Can't we use tape?" Ah, a girl after my own heart. We taped her. She looks like shes wearing a lifting belt to support her back. Her body taped shut holds in her head and extremities. She can still do a split. Brilliant. Why didn't I think of that?