Nothing more healing or incomprehensible
On Saturday my Aunt Lola had her second mastectomy. We joined my mother and step-father in her recovery room just as she was coming back from surgery, and as three nurses tried to lift her from the gurney to the bed she flashed us her bare back side. "HEY, LOLA," I yelled, "WE CAN SEE YOUR ASS."
One of the nurses almost dropped her. "Your family is ruthless," she said as she rushed to cover Lola's butt.
"Are you kiddin'?" Lola laughed. "They know I'll get 'em back by lettin' the rottenest fart they ever done smelled right as they're leanin' down to give me a hug." I took that threat very seriously.
My mother had been at the hospital for almost 12 hours waiting to hear if everything was okay. She looked almost as tired as Lola, tired of being the only sibling in her family who is willing to take care of the others. When we walked in the door with a hopping, happy Leta I could tell my mother would have rather seen no one else on Earth, and Leta ran straight to her and clung to her neck like a heavy piece of jewelry.
We couldn't have asked Leta for a better performance. She sang her ABC's and danced to imaginary music, stopping frequently to hug my mother's knees. At one point she swirled into the middle of the room and began belting out a possessed rendition of "Baa Baa Black Sheep" complete with manic head jerking as if the spirit that had taken control of her body was having a coughing fit.
My mother called the next day to say that Leta had successfully taken her mind off the depressing situation, and that she had done nothing but sing "Baa Baa Black Sheep" in Leta's voice since we had left the hospital the night before. Good work, Team Armstrong! This morning I taped her singing it and stopping dead in the middle of the third line because she forgets the words, except she totally tries to play it off like she meant to do that all along.
Leta sings "Baa Baa Black Sheep" (Flash movie)
Leta sings "Baa Baa Black Sheep" (Quicktime movie)
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FM Living
kate folsom said:
She is sooooo cute. Ohmygod my uterus...
05.22.06 - 07:50 AM / 1Natasha said:
What a little darling. She is beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
05.22.06 - 07:50 AM / 2RzDrms said:
muw-hahahahahaha! that is the cutest thing *ever*! love it. moremoremore!
05.22.06 - 07:50 AM / 3ByJane said:
thank you thank you thank you...it's grim and gray up here in northern california and leta brought a chuckle to my day...
05.22.06 - 07:50 AM / 4Marella said:
Oh my... this just made my morning even better! She's an angel!
05.22.06 - 07:50 AM / 5Holly said:
I'd like a lyric sheet so I can sing along Leta-style
05.22.06 - 07:51 AM / 6sarahekite said:
That is the cutest thing I have seen in a long time! Best of health to your family.
05.22.06 - 07:51 AM / 7plantain said:
That is some cuteness right there....
05.22.06 - 07:52 AM / 8Jujubee Jenny said:
Beautiful ;) I know that would cheer me up if I were stuck in the hospital. Children have a way of making everything seem just fine, don't they? Well, maybe not ALL of the time.
05.22.06 - 07:52 AM / 9Nat W. said:
That hurt my uterus.
05.22.06 - 07:53 AM / 10mehrunissa said:
Eeeek, she is NOT allowed to be that cute! My plans to remain childless forever are being foiled! Gaaaaah!
05.22.06 - 07:54 AM / 11Sandy said:
I hope that your Aunt is recovering well...I'm sure your mom & Aunt enjoyed seeing Leta's performance..she's a cutie!
05.22.06 - 07:54 AM / 12Holly said:
I'm with Nat W. and Mehrunissa.
Dooce: Helping to populate the world, one cute Leta post at a time.
05.22.06 - 07:56 AM / 13AnitaBonita said:
My God(dess) that is adorable.
05.22.06 - 07:56 AM / 14JeremiahWasABullfrog said:
Has the world stopped turning? I've been Doocing since before Leta came along and never have commented, but for the first time ever i saw 0 comments, so i felt now is my chance! Of course by the time i finish there will probably be 64 comments, but oh well...
Just wanted to say thanks for all the laughs and so much cuteness over the years. I never thought i wanted kids, but watching Leta grow up has certainly made me reconsider. Is there some kind of special dance or prayer to get one that cute? I know we don't get to see all the screaming and kicking, but when you see those eyes, or when she crawls up to you and lays her head on your chest, it has to be all worth it. Anyway, thanks for sharing. :)
05.22.06 - 07:57 AM / 15littlepotatoes said:
Holy Moly, that was cute. my little boy just turned two and our main song is "It's Elmoooo's Woooorld!" Except "world" is often replaced with "pickle" or "butt". I bet Leta and him would get along swimmingly :)
05.22.06 - 08:01 AM / 16Alissa Szarek said:
That's certainly the best version I've ever heard.
05.22.06 - 08:01 AM / 17cate said:
growing....up...soooooo....damn...fast.
Look at that face. Where's our baby?
05.22.06 - 08:02 AM / 18Tiggerlane said:
Leta could help infertile women all over the world by inducing ovary-exploding adorableness!!
She is really starting to look older in this clip - shedding some of the "baby" look and getting closer to "kid."
Thanks for sharing her. I really miss mine being that age...
05.22.06 - 08:04 AM / 19Sarah said:
Glad your Aunt Lola made it through the operation...hope her recovery goes as smoothly as possible. I will be thinking of her.
Thanks so much for these Leta videos...they make my day every time!
05.22.06 - 08:06 AM / 20Melanie said:
Prayers for your family. And, can you send me a Leta? I could use a little comic relief. My babies aren't nearly as young or cute. Well, they're cute, but in an older, more annoying sort of way.
05.22.06 - 08:07 AM / 21Nifle said:
1) I hope all goes well for your Aunt Lola...she sounds like a "hoot" ;)
2) That kid is adorable! More Leta please. Though, when she turns 16 and sees all of these people commenting on her formative years, we'll need to establish a fund for the therapy.
3) I LOVE DOOCE!
05.22.06 - 08:08 AM / 22Trouble in Mind said:
Kids are the best reminder that things need to stay as normal as possible, even in the roughest of times. My best to your Aunt.
05.22.06 - 08:08 AM / 23lane said:
Heart-stoppingly adorable. And jeebus she's gorgeous! That freeze-frame offers a hint of the heart-breaker hottie she will grow into.
05.22.06 - 08:09 AM / 24Wicked H said:
Sending many good thoughts and prayers for Aunt Lola. Please pass on to Leta that we are very proud of her for temporarily distracting her GrandMother.
05.22.06 - 08:11 AM / 25jacks said:
That was so darn cute! She is adorable!
05.22.06 - 08:12 AM / 26Leon said:
Good Lord you are going to have your hands full when this one gets older.
I mean, not that you guys don't have your hands full now with her.
I'm just saying. If the amount of personality she has now is any indication, God help the Armstrongs for I see a rumbling and rolling landslide of sass on their parenting horizon.
05.22.06 - 08:12 AM / 27kerri said:
"Ruthless" is indeed quite the compliment, in my opinion. It's a nice change of pace from "brutal," which is a word that a few of my kin (did I just say that?) have taken to calling our family's (mostly hilarious) antics.
Glad Lola is well. And I definitely see red carpets and lights and maybe even a few feather boas in Leta's future. ; )
05.22.06 - 08:13 AM / 28oromat said:
Your mother is on to something. How could that not lift a person out of any funk? It certainly made my day!
05.22.06 - 08:13 AM / 29MomO'Grace said:
Have you been training her with the Britney "Star Search" episodes? There are some serious theatrical skills being displayed.
05.22.06 - 08:15 AM / 30