Best Friends

Tara's best friend? That we can put in a six letter word: Carter. He's a sweet natured surfer dude, a bit older than Tara, a bit bigger than Tara (Tara: "No, I am bigger!") and as happy to play with Tara and the babies or the dolls house as Tara is to build bricks and roads and houses with him. When Carter is at the door, Tara comes running, shrieks with joy for longer than just a few seconds, and there may be hugs too (any direction she can grab a hold of him). That scenario would be the same whether she's not seen him for a while (days/weeks) or just hours, as since this week, and for the whole next year, they will meet each morning at nursery, and with a bit of luck on Saturday mornings for dance class as well. Carter all around... all a girl can wish for!

Taking their babies to Dr. Mummy. The silly babies just kept falling off the roof and eating... (what was it, Rebecca?)... something or other indigestible, despite Dr. Mummy's stern address to the young parents after the first incident (mustn't give out mini marshmallows for medicine again...).

Eating yummy ice cream with spoons in the garden, tapping their feet. Tara: strawberry, Carter: chocolate, Baby Sophia: too young for ice cream.*

Choosing toys - what shall we do next?

Of course, the biggest downside to such a hugely desireable playmate is the obvious: too many other girlfriends, too little time! An average of five other girls will enthusiastically wave him good-bye when he leaves nursery, and there's an older blonde in Broadstairs as well... Well, well, Tara has another older friend too: Zack. It's funny observing her with the two: She will delight in their company in equal measure but act totally different. With Carter, she is the Big Girl who makes tons of suggestions as to what's next, whereas with Zack (who sadly is four and unfortunately off to school now - a proper loss), she follows him around and does what he does. Zack runs, Tara runs. Zack hops one one leg, Tara hops on one leg - you get the drift.

I love seeing her with either, and marvel at the difference in my girl, but somehow it's with Carter and Tara that my motherly heart goes to mush, I swoon and coo, declare my delight at their interaction at half hour intervals, call for cameras and videos and go generally a bit soft in the head while trying to maintain an adult conversation with his lovely and interresting mum (it's gotta come from somewhere...), who must think I'm a bit of an imbecile. Ah, never mind.

Just for the record, of course, Mum and Dad still come under the Best Friends category as well!
Can we just be clear, Tara, that at Gracie's party only two loving mums went in the (large!) maize with their girls, and only one of them was rather pregnant (yours!), as you even wouldn't go in with Zack.


And, of course, when it comes to play time at home, there's a few things that only Papi will do, and do well. Quote: "Mami, I don't want to play with you, I want to play with Papi!"


That, of course, is before night time, when only mummy will do (and Papi gets kicked and howled at), or early morning at nursery, when mum is often quickly sent off to work ("And remember to bring me those sweeties!") cause Zack is there to hop off with, and Carter will soon come to play.

PS.: She also plays with the girls, I'm told.
* Must remember to ask the neighbours for the spoon back that the boy threw over the fence.