The Thing About Shoes and Harris Women

Last week when I picked Juliet up from school, she was barefoot and her shoes were in her cubby.  The teacher told us that the shoes seemed to be hurting her feet, so they took them off.  I was aware that they were on the small side, and I had purchased a couple of pairs of shoes for her the next size up.  So, I sent her to school the next day in a pair of shoes (with her thickest socks) that were the exact same style (though different color of course!), just one size bigger.  When I picked her up, she was barefoot.  The shoes were too big.  Since her birth, Juliet has been defying shoe makers by always having feet that fail to fit into any available shoe size.

So, I told Bryan that I had to get Juliet new shoes.  Despite his strong protestations that a child only needs one or two pairs of shoes and that Juliet does not need any more (showing just how ill informed he is on that subject), the next day when we were at Target, I checked out the shoe aisle, and while I found nothing too exciting, I decided to pick up a pair of pink tennis shoes and then threw in some flip flops because they were cute and cheap.  I went to find Bryan and the kids, and Juliet was the cart and was quite fussy.  In an attempt to get out of the store before a meltdown hit, I showed her the new tennis shoes.  She was immediately enamored, trying to put them on and giggling with glee.  That is, until we had to take them from her to pay, at which point the hysterics threatened to rise immediately to the surface.  But, she got the shoes back and was a happy camper again.

When we got home, she was ready for dinner, but we had to unload the groceries.  Of course, she was moving straight back into fussy mode.  I thought that the shoes would do the trick, but I didn't feel like going upstairs to get some socks, so I pulled out the flip flops, which she didn't see at the store.  The giggling phenomenon was ten times worse.  She was beyond giddy.  Bryan walked in on her holding the shoes on the kitchen floor and just bubbling over with happiness.  The dismay on his face was beyond priceless as you could see him coming to terms with the fact that like his wife and mother-in-law, his daughter at one already has a strong penchant for cute shoes.

Since then, Juliet has insisted on wearing her flip flops at all times when at home, though she happily is wearing her pink tennis shoes to school.  The picture above was taken right after bath time.  I had her in her pajamas and was working on getting Robby in his PJs when she came in holding her shoes and a bow and motioning with insistence that we finish getting her dressed.

The shoes are the first thing we do in the morning and the last thing we do at night.  It's the closest thing either of my children have had to a lovey.  I couldn't be prouder of her choice :)