MP

Next Tuesday marks MP's 31st birthday.   On Marshall's second birthday, three weeks before she was born, the doctor said she could come any day.  That was a pretty long three weeks.  I had fretted over her during most of my pregnancy.  I did not tell anyone at the time, but I was convinced she was a boy, and that "he" was not going to have arms and legs.  "Limb reduction" was a side effect of medicine I took while pregnant, and, of course, in my irrational, dramatic, hormonal mind, that was the side effect I was certain my baby would suffer.  Imagine my great joy when she was born with 2 arms, 2 legs, 10 fingers and 10 toes.  A friend at church who had 4 boys before she had a girl, said to me, "I don't get you people who get variety on 2 tries."  Me either, but I was grateful.

I thought myself the luckiest girl in the world.  I had a precious son, and now a most adorable little girl.  And, what a girl she was.  She loved wearing dresses and hair bows and English sandals.  The little doll slept all night at 2 weeks, and continued to do so...well, until she turned a year old, and then things changed.  She did love her paci.  I remember my dad saying to me one day when she was about two, "don't you think it's time she quit using that pacifier?"  I told him anytime he wanted to take it away and come spend the night with her he could be my guest.  After she turned 2, we made her keep it in her bed, and not walk around with it.  When she was in "Miss" Faye's 3 year old class she would keep her paci in her cubby, and when she was feeling insecure or upset, she would go sit in her cubby with her paci for a minute or two, and than all would be well. 

Her real name is Mary Pullias.  She is named for her Nunny and Mr. Lincoln's grandfather.  What a name to put on a little kid, but she made efforts to explain it to people, to inform them that, "no, I do not answer to Mary," to slowly help them pronounce it correctly until she finally began to just go by MP.  Both names suit her.  She has lots of nicknames.  Her husband calls her Pullias.  Her dad calls her Paloma.  I'm not sure why.  I often call her Mary PP or just P, but mostly, these days she is MP.

She never crawled.  She just rolled all over the house until at age 9 months, she stood up and started walking.  I tried to tell her to sit down she was too young to be walking, but to no avail.  Growing up, she played softball ~ never swung at a bad pitch ~ didn't swing a lot.  She swam.  She began swimming on a swim team when she was 4.  She wore her hair in dog ears with huge green ribbons.  It was okay to hang onto the lane ropes when competing, as long as you did not pull yourself along or touch the bottom.  No problem with her touching the bottom, she could not reach it.  She would stop and rest, as I cheered her on from the side.  She would shoot me an expression like, "really, Mom, stop yelling."  That was just the beginning of her letting us know when we pleased and displeased her. 

She has always been a very good student.  School has just been her thing.  She likes to learn.  She likes the challenge of being tested.  Anything less than an "A" and her normally easygoing disposition takes a bit of a turn.  In nursing school, she made a "B" on a test.  Her then fiance, sent her flowers and other gifts because she was so upset.  He called me, somewhat befuddled.  I told him not to worry, she would be okay.  MP was notorious for having one "fit" a year.  Just one.  When she was 3 it happened at school with "Miss" Faye.  I remember Faye calling me, literally in tears, because MP had come unglued at school that day.  I told Faye to relax, that must have been her fit for the year.  Frankly, I was not disappointed to have missed it.  One cannot get too upset with a person who only wigs out once every 365 days.  The other 364 days, she is very capable of working life and problems out in her head.  I greatly admire that about her.



MP is so fun.  She is willing to try most any adventure.  A trait she and her brother both have. She is quick witted, and can be sharp tongued in a witty way.  I love it when she and Marshall get into deep conversation about something, or when they make each other laugh.  They are both very funny...well, at least to their mother.  MP is like Mr. Lincoln in a lot of ways.  She has his coloring, although, she still looks a lot like my side of the family.  She thinks like him too.  Josh, her husband, once told me, "she is the most logical person I know.  Not the most logical female I know, but the most logical person."  It is true.  She does not beat around the bush.  She calls hogwash hogwash when she hears it.  There is nothing passive-aggressive about her.  She does not let others determine how she feels about herself.  She is efficient.  She is creative.  She is one of those rare people who has both her right brain and left brain working pretty much equally.  Marsh is a lot that way too.  She has a can-do spirit.  She is not a drama queen.  She does not wear her feelings on her sleeve.  She is wise about so many things. 

Mary Pullias a.k.a. MP has brought great joy and light into our lives.  I feel most blessed to call her my daughter.  Like all of us, she is not perfect.  She keeps house like her mother, which does not fall into the perfection catagory.  She can get very frustrated by what she perceives as others' stupidity.  She is kind and compassionate, fun and funny, dependable and responsible.  I enjoy every moment I spend with her whether it is just the two of us, or, better yet, the whole family together.  I love her.  It's as simple as that.

So for today, I wish you joy in your family, and I wish you

blessings