If I had a title. I'd put it right here.

Monday, September 21, 2009
Jo: Um, yes - Mommy? I love you. Now... can you please get me a snack?
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Eve: Will Josie be upsided to see me?
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Jo: Mommy. Hear this. Um, it's a joke - okay. Why didn't the bear eat his food? (dramatic pause) 'Cuz - it was expired!!!
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Eve: I don't wanna ever be a sweetie, and I don't ever wanna be a honey ever again, do you hear me? I'm an Evie and I don't wanna hear any more about it! (and stomps foot.)

And those four examples of things overheard around here lately could have occurred within 10 minutes. It's like watching a sitcom, drama and reality show all at the same time. I don't know whether to laugh or cry or pick my jaw up off the floor. So I usually do all three, just to be safe.

Not to anyone's surprise, Josie loves school. No - let me rephrase that. Josie LOVES school. Since we're outside of our school's busing zone, I drop off and pick up Jo every day. The thing that I like about this arrangement is the chance to walk her into her school, watch her hang up her backpack in the hall, go into her room, wash her hands and sign in for the day. I get to scope out her room, see some of her classmates and say hey to her teacher. And I thought that she would relish the chance to have me there, too. But by the end of last week, I was barely inside the door to her room and she was giving me a quick kiss and basically telling me to hit the road. The first day this happened, I assured Josie that I had all the time in the world, I could stay and watch her pick up her name plate and sign her name on the board, and she looked at me and said, "It's okay, Mommy. I'm good." Seriously, kid. Doesn't she know how much time and worry I put into her potential separation anxiety? Throw me a bone.

And Eve has taken the transition to her big sis being in school in stride. At 3 years and 2 months of age, the importance of everything in Eve's life is relative to when she's going to get to watch her next movie. She's fine with being lugged around between dropping Josie off and picking Josie up, as long as there's potential between these two events to go home and watch a movie. Which has only happened about one time so far. It's been a refreshing change to be up and about and out DOING THINGS at 9:00 a.m. Eve and I can hit the park, get groceries, take them home and put them away before it's time to go get Jo. And today... today we went for a walk/jog around Phalen after dropping Josie off! It was beautiful! And I could cry at the thought that it's going to be snowing in like two weeks. Eve does miss Josie while she's at school, and checks in with me frequently to ask when it's 11:40, and is Josie waiting for us, yet. And every day when Jo climbs in the van, Eve asks her in a sweet little voice, "Did you play with new friends today? What were their names?" Then turns her attention to me and asks, "Mommy, can we go home and watch a movie?"

It's been a hoot having some one-on-one time with Eve. While we were wogging around Phalen today, I swear that girl's mouth never stopped moving. She's full of questions. Or she thinks of some random tidbit from a movie or thing we did recently that she needs to tell me. My stomach turns at the thought that I may have never gotten the chance to experience any of this. I've never been so in the right place in my life before. Speaking of right places. Right about now, that's in bed. It's exhausting being a chauffeur/therapist/waitress/confidant/playmate/chef/maid.

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