My Little Gemini

For a few years when I was younger, I loved astrology. I can remember being in high school and my best friend Lindsay and I would spend hours reading about different signs. It was one of those things that I didn't take too seriously; but at the same time, I was intrigued. I don't think I've read much about astrology in 10 years or so.

Until now.

I've been trying to get some insight into my daughter. Is she the way she is because she's an only child, because she has enhanced chromosomes, or because she is a Princess? Because she takes after her mommy, or her daddy, or her absolute hero, Elmo? Is she half sweet and half, um, not-as-sweet, because she is in her wonderful and terrible two's? Probably a little of all, and a little of none - she's pretty much always been her own person.

If you asked me yesterday, I would have told you that she was driving me crazy. In fact, I wrote a blog about it, but decided not to post (it was definitely the end of a long day, and her mommy was at her limits a little as well). In this blog that I didn't post, I described at length the "flop and drop" - her version of a tantrum. When she wants to go somewhere and we try to stop her, she flops and drops. When it's time to go into her classroom and she doesn't want to go, she flops and drops. When she doesn't want to go to bed, she flops and drops. When we're out shopping and she doesn't want to sit in the stroller, she flops and drops. It's half adorable and half infuriating - especially because sometimes she's so overdramatic that she throws her head backwards and hits the floor. (She gets even more mad when she's sitting on the soft bed and does this move - because when she falls back in true "drama queen" style, she anticipates getting hurt - and when she doesn't, she gets even more frustrated.) We've gotten to be pretty good at anticipating when this is going to happen, and catching her before she hurts herself; but the real problem is that she's 2, she wants to explore, she wants her own way, and she will completely protest if she doesn't get her way. So yesterday, if you had asked me about my beautiful precious daughter, I would have said: Lilly is driving me crazy!!!

Lilly must have sensed this. Because this morning, she woke up in a wonderful mood. She was sweet and funny and chatty and adorable. She sat patiently while we got her dressed, and let me put her hair in pigtails. We ran to the bank and she charmed everyone. She went to school easily, and sat on the potty when she got there. We went to the park and she played nicely on the swing, laughing the whole time. We sang the ABC's (which usually she *hates* - don't know why!), and after she had "one more turn" on the swing, I told her it was time to get off and go back in the car - and she hopped off and jumped in my arms. She was pure magic today. She had music therapy, and charmed the class with her dancing and participation. She was an angel.

I can't help thinking - who is this child and what has she done with my daughter??!!

But then I remembered... she's a Gemini. She's the twins; the split personality. She is half completely charming and half tempermental. The following is a list of traits for a Gemini - she is absolutely the person described below:

Characteristics considered positive
Adaptable
Communicative
Inquisitive
Intellectual
Charming
Multitasking
Entertaining
Upbeat
Witty
Whimsical
Attention-loving
Creative
Energetic
Positive
Imaginative
Outgoing
Optimistic
Clever
Dynamic
Youthful

Characteristics considered negative
dualistic
self-interested
restless
over-stimulated
fickle/ inconsistent
impatient
vain
critical
playing of mind games
tricky
temperamental
"two-faced"
insensitive
mercurial

Ideal Careers
Architect, archaeologist, comedian, teacher, model, playwright, diplomat, public speaker, singer, author, psychologist, poet, musician, journalist, lawyer, movie writer or director, debater/politician.

Likes
Talking, the unusual, teaching, learning, different things in life, having multiple projects all going at once, traveling, making jokes, jet-setting

Dislikes
Feeling tied down, losing, being wrong, being in a bad situation, mental inaction, being alone, not getting credit for one's successes

So, while I can't say that I totally believe in "astrology," this is too completely accurate about Miss Lilly Lou to be wrong. My little Gemini.