Monthly Archives: June 2011
Mommaday: those tenderhearted milestones
You know the ones I’m talking about. The first time you see your child, the first time they look into your eyes, the first time they tell you they love you. Well imagine the overwhelming pride and love you feel when that happens coupled by the genetic similarity of both of your children reaching it in the same way. As the parent of a child with special needs you often hear up and coming parents lamenting their fear that their child won’t know them. Will never call them Momma, won’t care for them anymore than anyone else. Well folks. I’ve said it before and I get to say it again. Your child will know you. You will have those tender moments in one form or another. And when you see your children reach it in a similar way, you’ll smile at your unexpected genetic prowess.
The milestone here I couldn’t have predicted, read about in a baby development book or dreamt of involves the first time my dears verbally recognized me as their Momma and a separate entity from them. When Zuzu was about 9 months old and dreadfully sick with an ear infection her fever shot up, as they tend too in the middle of the night. She snuffled quietly as we ran the cool tub hoping it would drop the raising temperature. The moment we set her hot little self in the cool water she shreaked out her very first “MOMMMMMAAAAAAA!” in pure unadulterated anger.
This past friday the Quail and I sat on the kitchen floor with an informal dinner that she was nearing the end of. I had a baggie that contained the 3 left-over chicken nuggets from a previous dinner. She had finished her first and I was reaching in to get the next when Zuzu sidled up and helped herself to the third nugget. The Quail hath no fury, like a woman whose stomach has been betrayed. She bellowed her newly acquired “TOPPPPPP!!!!!” and held out her palm ala crossing guard. When that ceased to make her sister return the nugget, she looked furiously at me chuckling at her outrage and turned the wrath of her palm on me and bellowed clear as day:
“YOU!!!!! TOPPPPP!!!!!”
Yes. your children will know you. And despise you.
gratitude journal
1. 2 year olds running and shrieking with laughter
2. 4 year olds explaining their expertise in drawing
3. 2 year olds telling me precisely what they think of me
4. 4 year olds drawing their first flower
5. 2 year olds getting normal results from a liver panel
6. 4 year olds trying really hard to cooperate
7. 2 & 4 year olds having very full dance cards
8. Lovey taking care of business
9. everyone liking ravioli
10. Trader Joe’s
11. the ordinary looking extraordinary
12. laundry done.
13. a new-to-us water table & little kid picnic table
14. lavendar
15. a cousin coming out with just a scrape
16. an Uncle that’s going to be ok
17. a package with treats for the whole family arriving unexpectedly. Thanks Uncle Greg & Auntie Deb
18. a 2 year old saying Tur, when she sees a turtle
19. a 2 year old chasing a ball around the house
20. a 4 year old enjoying gymnastics
21. peace of mind
See What I Saw Saturday
Fave-O-Lit Friday
The key to happiness is not to have what you want, but to want what you have - Anonymous
corner view: destination
I went to my favorite of our local libraries yesterday. Let me say, from the time I was a young pup I have LOVED libraries. I like the look, the smell, the feel, the routine and goodness of it all. I enjoy going to browse and see what there is to read. Not to mention if you want to really experience a cross-section of your local culture- just hang out there on a particularly cold or hot day. At one point as a young adult I thought I might want to be a children’s librarian. When we lived in Madison Wisconsin, the librarians were the hippest of the hipsters. Cool, stylish and utterly smart and cultured. I know that isn’t always the case. Young librarians today are not the old, sour, tight-bun-wearing, glasses-perched-on-bridge-of-nose, shushing and condescending stare type anymore. I still think they secretly judge. I can only imagine the conversations that go on around the breakroom water cooler over what random people wildly check out. But I digress. Libraries- love em. And nowadays my favorite ones have added on coffee shops and pleasant reading spaces to draw you in, presumably in competition with some large bookchains.
Long story short, Tuesday has become library lunch hour for me and a pal. We both tend to check out books and DVDs for our kiddos, which have a weekly due date. So it’s a nice break from the office and a good way to floss our brains. When we went in this week the librarian while eyeing my stack of Dora, Eloise and Hello Kitty literature asked if I needed wanted to join the adult summer reading program. The information sheet said I needed to read 3 novels by July 31 either the old fashioned way or via audio or e-reading device. Since I listen to a book on cd to and from work and could add Eclipse classic american fiction to my list I happily agreed to sign up. Synergistically speaking I was happy to note that the program is sponsored by both a local book and coffee chain. When you turn in your list you get a free drink coupon from the coffee store and are entered to win some nifty book and e-reading device prizes.
So while I have to tropical or fanciful destination plans this summer that will actually put me on a plane, I do have some happy plans to win me a coffee and possibly a Nook Color! Any favorite summer reads out there you’d like to recommend? The Help & Her Fearful Symmetry are on my nightstand right now and I’d happily stack your recommendations there with them!
Corner view is a weekly Wednesday post hosted originally hosted by Jane, currently by Francesca. A topic is given and you can see impressions; be it in photographic or poetic in form from around the world:
Jane, Dana, Bonny, Joyce, Ian, Francesca, Theresa, Cate, Kasia, Otli, Trinsch, Isabelle, Janis, Kari, jgy, Lise, Dorte, McGillicutty, Sunnymama, Ibb, Kelleyn, Ninja, Sky, RosaMaria, Juniper, Valerie, Sammi, Cole, Don, WanderChow, FlowTops, Tania, Tzivia, Kristin, Laura, Guusje, Susanna, Juana, Elsa, Nadine
Mommaday: finally in on the secret…
garden that is. Since we moved here 8 years ago I have eyed this tree suspiciously. It looks like a magnolia, but has never once bloomed. Then one day I walked outside and voila! Lovliness unfolds….
gratitude journal
1. an extra “homeday”
2. seeing the cute after the fact in the girls scrambling into the crib together
3. appreciating a hot day
4. being asked to help with the Fairlane
5. shooting my secret garden
6. a magnolia blooming that I was told wasn’t a true magnolia
7. Trader Joes
8. the first fireflies of the season
9. Happy Hour with and without kiddos
10. a car being fixed
11. realizing how lucky I am that the car didn’t breakdown when I was an hour from home
12. feeling like cleaning up
13. giggling sisters
14. a new photo challenge
15. being prepped & ready
16. a new house to see
17. iced coffees & latte season
18. realizing that come on over friends rank right up there with drop by friends
19. what looks like hours of food prep really only taking 2 hours
20. extra desserts- sour cream rhubarb pie & the best ever brownies
21. planning the Pie Social
See What I Saw Saturday
Fave-O-Lit Friday
From the Garden
by Anne Sexton
Come, my beloved,
consider the lilies.
We are of little faith.
We talk too much.
Put your mouthful of words away
and come with me to watch
the lilies open in such a field,
growing there like yachts,
slowly steering their petals
without nurses or clocks.
Let us consider the view:
a house where white clouds
decorate the muddy halls.
Oh, put away your good words
and your bad words. Spit out
your words like stones!
Come here! Come here!
Come eat my pleasant fruits.
Ordinary Afters... 