Butterfly

When you were in my tummy, I worked at a mall customer service counter. It was a temporary job I took to get by between jobs and when I found out I was going to have you, I decided to wait it out until I was ready to go back to work full-time again.

It was the most boring job I've ever had and there were days I did not get to go to the bathroom for hours on end (which, to a pregnant lady, is no small feat). I stood (yes, STOOD, no sitting allowed) there for hours doodling and perfecting butterflies. I can't quite remember how to draw them in the detail I did back then, but just drawing this one reminded me of the anticipation, the excitement, the utter joy I felt at the prospect of meeting you.

Coconut Lime Verbena lotion from Bath & Body Works has the same effect.

I Think I'll Move to Australia

The days are getting longer and the end of the school year is near. I know I've said that before, but today I printed out May's lunch menu and the last day of the menu said "Goodbye, see you next year!" and it hit me all over again. You are almost finished with your first year of public school.

There are people who think Kindergarten is a glorified, government funded daycare; that there is no value to it whatsoever. To those people, I say PSHAW! They haven't watched you grow this year. They have no idea.

Zoo Day!

I am so happy I took the time to chaperon your field trip; I did end up getting you in my group of three wild beasts boys. I absolutely loved walking you into class, watching you start a typical day and standing up with my hand on my heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Yep, it's been a while since I've done The Pledge! But guess what? That's like riding a bike. I could pick out the morning kids from the non-morning kids (I am one of the latter) by the way Mrs. S did role call. "Good morning, J!" she would say. And J (our example student in this case) would reply "Good morning!"; but the kids who scoff at mornings would merely grumble something that sounded like "meh" and Mrs. S would have to do a double take. You are a total morning person and tend to pop out of bed with a smile on your face, a laugh in your heart and a bounce in your step. You are like a little ray of sunshine.

The zoo was at it's best. Most of the premium animals were out and about, unlike previous trips that left me feeling like I wasted a lot of money (and this trip was free!). The two other boys were not really your friends because apparently, they are a little bit evil (your words). I thought it interesting that Mrs. S would put them with me, perhaps believing that since I already turned out one really well-behaved small person, I might be better equipped to handle two more not so well-behaved small people.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

The first hour and a half was great and fantastic with three well-behaved little boys; but then we had lunch and that should have concluded the field trip. The additional hour and a half resulted in a lot of stern motherly type statements to the two other boys regarding hitting each other with water bottles and staying with the group; which eventually turned into a stern motherly warning to you because you just couldn't help yourself with all that fun misbehavior going on!

We eventually met up with a couple of other groups and the mom's in those groups were so at ease and TOTALLY not worried about losing their charges; so I thought, man, I must look like such an amateur; because me? I kept a hawk-eye on those boys who were not you (I trust you to stay near). I just assumed they were professional chaperons or mothers of more than one.

It was a lot of fun though, and I very much enjoyed riding the bus with you and getting to know the other kids and their (mostly) mothers (there was, one dad?). Since I plan on keeping you in this school for the duration of elementary, it is important that I get to know our surroundings and now I can't wait for the next chaperoned field trip!

I'm Going to Sneeze

This is from another book that survived childhood (Patricia Thomas, Wallace Tripp), multiple moves across multiple states and the great childhood "stuff" clean-out of '06. I was 31 when your grandma finally handed me all of this stuff and I got to say: "oh mom, really, you didn't need to keep this" about a hundred times. I hope you'll do the same to me some day; because you will relive some of the most whimsical days of your life through those memories.

I don't remember actually reading this book, I just remember having it and when I decided what was going and what was staying four years ago, this felt nostalgic in a big way, so I kept it.

When I read it to you last night, it was like I was reading it for the first time and lo and behold, it's quite a charming little book, with rhyme and lots of silliness - like a subtle Dr. Seuss. You absolutely loved it.

"Stand back," said the elephant,

"I'm going to sneeze!

I hate to alarm you,

But I don't wish to harm you.

My friends, I fear

It's clear....

Oh, dear,

You'd better stand back, I'm going to sneeze."

The Family Minus

This is from a book from my childhood, one that makes me nostalgic, and one that you now love.

The day you've been waiting for finally arrived. Today, we discovered your very first loose tooth. You were very excited about it until I told you (so that you wouldn't be surprised) that the tooth will probably have a little blood on it when it comes out.

You asked me to glue it back into your mouth.