Pebbles or Bam Bam??

Allyson has this larger than life personality and, sometimes, it's easy to focus on all of the wild and funny things she does. And she's a pretty tough cookie. Even as a baby she would be swinging a toy and accidentally hit me. Or the worst...a head-butt while playing. Before she was a year old I'd had two black eyes and at least one fat, bloody lip.

Here is her latest casualty. She just took a plastic cup and, I think playing, split this dinner plate right down the middle. Not a chip, not a hairline fracture. Huge, San Andreas-type faultline sending this dinnerware straight to the trash.

The part of the story that's not often told when it comes to Allyson is her sweet, loving and gentle side. Just when I want to pull my hair out it seems she volunteers a hug and a kiss or I watch her run over to a baby and want to give it "loves." Granted, she did put her doll in the toy microwave oven the other day. But usually she loves to push her babies around the house and cuddle her stuffed animals.

For some reason I started to think of the Flintstones and how this little girl is as cute and sweet as Pebbles one minute but the next can have the strength and determination of Bam Bam. She makes us laugh, sometimes cry in pain, laugh some more and then beam with pride at the strong and loving person she is starting to become.

Watch out world: Here comes Allyson!