Tiny Dancer

I can't seem to get this song out of my mind today....I wonder why...

Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand

All You Do To Me is Talk Talk

It seems like only yesterday my baby said her first word. "Daydee" (no not Daddy, but Zaidy, our dog). It was such a joy to hear her say a new word almost every day. We were amazed at how smart she was and how fast she was learning.

Cut to 3 years later.....Is it possibly that she can literally talk ALL day!...12 hours straight (that's 720 minutes or 43,200 seconds)! I am not even sure if she took a breath.

At about hour 4, I turned the TV on, figured I could get at least half an hour of silence, but she just talked to Dora the Explorer instead of me.

Hour 5 we went to Target where she talked to the sales people, customers passing by and continued to ask me 100 more questions.

Note: I was very shy when I was a kid, ask my mom. Instead of talking to people, I would just stick my tongue out at them. At this point, a bratty, but silent kid would be a nice break.

Hour 6 we played in the backyard. She talked about the garden, the grass, the trees, golf, soccer, the dog. Asked about 100 more questions.

Hour 7 just more talking (I can't tell you exactly what about because by this time I had started to tune out) and 100 more questions.

Hours 8 and 9...Barbies, Polly Pocket, mommy can I have a...mommy can we go to... mommy what is a....blah blah blah....about 100 more questions.

Hour 10 we were headed off to swimming lessons! Half an hour of peace for Mommy. I dropped her by the side of the pool and headed off to a near-by chair with a good book. I looked over at her every time it was her turn (she was talking to the boy next to her the whole time). When it was time for the kids to float on their bellies and put their faces in the water and blow bubbles, I looked over and Bella's face was in the water and yes, there were bubbles, but I wondered if she was blowing bubbles or talking about blowing bubbles. My guess is the latter.

Hour 11 she told me all about swim class in the car, and then I heard the repeat as she told it to Daddy we got home. About 100 more questions.

It's now hour 12 and she is in her room laying in bed. I can hear her talking to her stuffed animals through the wall.

In a few minutes I will go into her room and she will be sound asleep, exhausted from an entire day of questions and talking. I will give her a kiss and whisper I love you. And we'll do it all over again tomorrow.

How Many, How Much
How many slams in an old screen door?
Depends how loud you shut it.
How many slices in a bread?
Depends how thin you cut it.
How much good inside a day?
Depends how good you live 'em.
How much love inside a friend?
Depends how much you give 'em.

~ Shel Silverstein
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Renaissance Girl

Today Bella said, "Mommy, when I get grown up I want to be a Mountain Climber and a Space Girl and a Hockey Girl." The kids' got big dreams. And I hope they all come true. What was your dream job when you were a kid? Are you doing it now? If not, why?

About 5 years ago, I got laid off from my job (that was definitely not my dream job). A week later I found out I was pregnant. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. The thought of dropping my child off at daycare on my way to a meaningless job that I would probably hate, was enough to inspire me to take my business (that was then a hobby) to the next level. Sure, for a while we had to give up HBO, dinners out, shopping trips to Target where you come home with $100 of stuff in one bag....but it eventually paid off. Today I have a business that is thriving and it is something I love doing (yes, when I was a child, I wanted to be an artist. I colored and cut paper, created art projects all the time). I now am able to spend a beautiful Colorado afternoon at a park overlooking the Rocky Mountains, watching my daughter laugh and play. I'll have to work until the wee hours of the morning to get my jobs finished, but knowing tomorrow I can do whatever I want makes it all worth it. I couldn't be luckier or more blessed. We've added back the HBO, go out to dinner occasionally and I think Target is our second home now. But when it comes down to it, if you are happy every day doing something you love and spending time with the people you care about most, you don't really need any of those other things. And anyway, who needs HBO when there are mountains to climb, stars to explore and hockey games to play?

America's Next Top Model, Part II

The girls' got attitude....

Le Ballon Rouge

As Bella's red balloon floated up into the sky last night, she looked at me, lip quivering, and said, "Maybe we could get a really big ladder and climb up into the sky."

Who's the Mommy?

Last night when I was putting Bella to bed, I tucked her in and was about to lean over to give her a kiss, when instead she sat up and kissed me on the forehead and said, "Goodnight Dear." Then laid down and went to sleep.

The $64,000 Questions

I have two questions that I ask Bella almost every day.

The first is "Do you know that I love you?" To which she always replies, "Yes." (and hopefully she will always answer the same way)

The second question is "What are you thinking about." Now this one is a great question to ask a preschooler. Because you never know what the answer is going to be..."Turtles", "Cinderella", "Candy" (this is a common answer - wouldn't you love to have the time to just daydream about candy). But it is always a great way to start a conversation and usually good for a laugh or two.

So next time your kid looks quiet and contemplative, ask him/her what he/she is thinking about. Whether your kid is 2 or 16, you might just learn something.

Enchanted

My grandmother is dying. We don't know when she will go, but it will be soon. All day today I thought of her and some of the funny things she used to do and they made me smile. And then I would cry. It is never easy to say good-bye to someone, no matter how old they are or what the circumstances are. Last night, my husband had tried to explain the situation to Bella. He told her that mommy's grandma was very old and sick, and she wasn't going to always be here, and that made me sad because I would miss her. So tonight, Bella and I snuggled up on the couch before bed to watch a movie and she leaned in close to me and asked, "Why is your grandma old?" I tried to explain to her, with a lump in my throat and a few tears. I didn't know if she would understand, but when you hear her response, you will know that she did.

She gently leaned into my face and gave me the softest kiss and said, "True Love's Kiss Mommy." (sob).

In all the Princess movies, True Love's Kiss is always the solution to breaking the spell or solving the problem....and you know what? It really works.

12|22|1919 - 5|2|2008 Good-bye Grandma. I'll miss you.

The Birds and the Bees...Not Quite Yet

Over the weekend, good friends of ours had a baby boy. We have been talking to Bella about it for a long time so we were very excited to head off to the hospital to see the new baby yesterday. As we were driving, Bella asked me why we were going to the hospital. I told her that that is where Keely and Steve had their baby. She thought for a moment (to which I was thinking in my head..'what am I going to tell her if she asks how it all works?') and then said, "I had a dream about the hospital the other night" (not what I was expecting). I said, "Really? What did you dream about the hospital?" "I don't know" she said. "Do you know what a hospital is?" I asked. "No" she replied.
So I explained what a hospital was instead...whew!

Weekend at Bella's

On Saturday, Bella came up to me in my office and said very seriously, "Mommy. I need to talk to you about something." "What?" I said. "I need to tell you about love.", she replied. So I said, "What would you like to tell me about love, my dear?" "That I love you Mommy" she said, and went back to what she was doing.

On Sunday we were sitting in a line of cars at McDonald's, behind a big stinky truck. Bella said, "Yuk Mommy, that truck has bad breath. I can smell it in my mouth."

Smart Kid.