A trip to the mall with Hailey

This is a typical look for Hailey--tiara on head, mirror in hand.


So today I didn't want to sit around all afternoon playing with Hailey and Sophie on the floor like I usually do (when I'm not cooking or cleaning or apartment-hunting in San Diego) and Cory was at school, so I did something I haven't done in months. I took the girls to the mall. The weather has been in the 20's lately, so an outside walk was out of the question. I seriously haven't taken Hailey to the mall more than once since she turned two, so I have not trained her to be this way.

Anyway, we walk into Macy's (Hailey calls it the"pretty store"), and she literally starts gawking at all the manequins. She has to stop and stare and smile in wonder and touch their pretty, shiny boots. She told me they were wearing such pretty shoes as she stroked them. Then we proceed to walk through Macy's when she points and giggles with delight and glee at all the evening gown dresses and fancy coats sections. Her eyes are lit up like stars. She has walked into Paradise. (If any of you have seen "Confessions of Shopaholic" just picture her face when she would walk into stores.) Perhaps the funniest comment came when she pointed up at a manequin wearing skinny jeans, shiny boots, a fitted pea coat, with lots of accesories and says, "mommy, she looks like you." I busted out laughing right then and there. I mean, yes, she's a two-year-old, and I guess it did make my day, but trust me, it couldn't be farther from the truth.

Then on our way out of the mall, she saw the little girls dresses section. Oh dear. We stayed there for THIRTY minutes because she had to make sure she had seen (and touched--I made sure her hands were clean) EVERY single dress in store. I have to admit, they were beautiful dresses--I believe the cheapest dress was $30--and that was 50% off, but she wanted to "try them on", which just meant to hold them up to her to see how long they were. She kept pointing to dress after dress saying she wanted them for her birthday (coming up this month). When I told her it was time to go, she almost started crying because she wanted to keep looking at dresses and making their skirts swoosh back and forth. I told her we would have to come back someday. (Yeah, like in 5 years!!)

Okay, so don't get me wrong, I was a little proud of my daughter to be such a girlie girl, but STILL. I got a little nervous. I mean, she's not even 3 and she's already this aware of fashion? I know I like to shop and I love buying clothes, but since Sophie's been born, I have gone shopping for myself maybe, two times--neither of which time I had Hailey with me--so I know she can't just be copying how I am! It's truly just in her genes! I'm a little worried for when she's a teenager!