No. 1 Crush

First of all, you should know that I've been meaning to blog about this particular item for quite a while. See, I was waiting to get a specific picture of Maddie doing a specific thing, but about two days ago, I realized I was trying to achieve the impossible. Any sane person would know that trying to get a specific picture of a toddler doing a specific thing never works. Cameras are not that fast, and most importantly, toddlers are nevernevernevernevernever that cooperative. (Sorry, we've been having some "no" issues, lately.)


Anyway, it would seem that the Madster has developed her very first crush. No, it's not the four-year-old at daycare, her friend JJ, or even the little boy at Kindermusik with the huge eyes and ridiculously long eyelashes. No, no, Maddie is aiming high. How high? Quarterback high. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it would seem our girl likes a man uniform. Oh, and we're not talking some high school or juco quarterback. Hardly. Miss Thing has chosen to bestow her undying obsession and infatuation on none other than KU's former "big man on campus" Mr. Todd Reesing himself.

See, back in August, we attempted to go to a KU football pep rally (it was rained out, thus, attempted), and TR was going to be there, signing his new book. Jon decided to teach Maddie to parrot, "Todd, I'm a big fan," which 1) yes, she can say, but 2) she would never ever, ever, ever have said when faced with the man himself. Sorry, digression over. Moving on... Then, in September our friends, the lovely and magnanimous Jantzer-Wards gifted Maddie with a signed copy of Rising to New Heights, Mr. Reesing's new book. Maddie took one look at the blonde, blue-eyed, stubbly-chinned man on the cover and fell in luuuurv.



She carries the book, sorry, Todd around the house. She says goodbye to Todd before leaving for daycare. She greets Todd when she comes home, and if you ask her about the book she will tell you the following: "Dis' Todd. He smiwin' like *dis* [This is what I've been trying to capture for posterity, but no luck]. He frow da baw. He catch it; den, eveybudy go Wooooo. Rock Chawk, Jayhawk!" Oh, and there's also the hugging the book, I mean Todd, kissing book-Todd, and saying "I wuv you, Todd." Yeah...Miss Thing is totally crushing.

The best part is that, in pure little girl fashion, the crush does not work the way "big girl" crushes work. She doesn't just want to be with TR, she wants to be #5 herself. Occasionally, when faced with shirt choices in the morning, she will rule out all proffered clothing, and state unequivocally, "I want to wear Todd." (It's not as creepy and Silence of the Lambs as I may have made it sound right there.)

So, below, our little #5, proudly supporting her main squeeze:



We haven't yet had the heart to tell her he no longer takes the field for the Jayhawks...