Raaa!

The story of Raaa. Leah has always been our wide open, full of energy, climb on anything child. Before she was a year old she was pushing chairs to the counters and tables so she could climb up there. I have video of her at ten months do that exact thing. It took our third child for us to have to put locks on the cabinets! She one day learned how to open the refrigerator and her and a little boy I was babysitting at the time would team up. Leah would open the fridge while he would take the stuff out. After a few cracked eggs and continuously running back into the kitchen to get them out of the fridge, I needed help. The little boys mommy had a plan. She brought me a scary mask to put in the fridge. So that morning before Leah got up, I stuck the mask on top of the milk jug. When she went into the fridge she jumped and said a very simple, "aahhh!" I know that must sound mean, but it was too funny, and by golly it worked!! She named the mask Raaa (as in running up to someone with it on and yelling "Raaa"). She quit going in the fridge b/c she didn't want to see him, and to make things even easier, I could take him out of the fridge and move him to the laundry room where she was beginning to cause trouble. It kept her out of there too! I loved Raaa, but it took a very long time for Leah to even look at him. We've tried for a long time to show Leah that it is just a mask, but she has been terrified of him. Well, about a week ago we finally convinced her to touch it. Then she even put it on. Now she loves it and wants to run around the house wearing it! It is too funny! Here is a picture of her wearing Raaa.