Also, I already told him about how I didn't like the trickery of Target repackaging their brand of diapers and raising the price by a measly 20 cents while hoping it all would distract from the fact that the case now contains ten fewer diapers.  So today's topic must change from "Retailers, quit trying to trick me out of my money and just have the cojones to charge me what you're going to charge me" to something else (since he is a loyal reader and would be bored to have it repeated).
    
    Right now Hubby and Baby Duck are out shopping for a birthday present for me-- my birthday is tomorrow.  I am writing this and picturing what E must be going through right now.  You see, sometimes Baby Duck gets an idea of how something is or must be stuck in her head.  Hell would have a very popular ice-skating rink before you could talk her out of it.  For example, my mom recently got Chick-fil-A for my girls and was going to let Ladybug have some of a fruit cup.  Baby Duck became hysterical because Ladybug "is not allowed to have that!  Mom says!!"  My mom relented and did not feed Ladybug any fruit cup.  Ladybug is certainly allowed to have fruit.  She is just too small to have the grapes without them being cut up first; otherwise, they're a choking hazard.  Baby Duck apparently made an assumption somewhere along the line when I told her she couldn't share her grapes with her little sister.
    So I'm sure E has had three or four really good ideas by now (heck, maybe even a couple of really bad ones!), yet they have still not arrived back at home.  I can just hear her telling her dad, "No, Mommy wouldn't like some new silver hoop earrings.  She already has earrings."  Or maybe, "Daddy, Mommy doesn't need any new clothes.  She always gets mad and mutters bad things under her breath whenever we go in the dressing room."  She'll probably have him coming home with a new ironing board because she heard me say I needed to replace the one with the crooked legs.  That'd make a great birthday present.  Something I was going to buy anyway.  I would never be mean about it, though.  The thought behind it would be genuine.  But seriously, honey?  Don't let her talk you into anything too... domestic, okay?  How about a new book (and a few hours to read it)?  Maybe an appointment at the local tattoo parlor?
    I hope they're having lots of fun spending time just the two of them.  I think it's really sweet.  I'm looking forward to hearing all about the outing-- possibly even more than the present itself.  Life with the Duck is never dull.

CL

p.s.  They arrived home, and she is too cute!  She is attempting to carry out her very first surprise:  They decided to tell me they couldn't find anything.  They left the room, and a few minutes later my husband asked me if I had any boxes.  She realized this was fishy and quickly covered by saying "for the Suggestion Box."  Many months ago, I had talked about making a suggestion box for members of the family to voice their opinions-- so I wouldn't be listening to them at moments when I was, shall we say, less than receptive to new ideas?  The rest of the family jumped on that idea and had planned to actually make one; we just haven't gotten around to doing it yet.  I don't know which is more amazing: that she remembered it at all, or that her brain quickly made the connection in order to tell a lie to cover for her father in a split second!  If she ever gets less obvious with her delivery, I am in big trouble!