15 Lessons and 71 Things

Yet another post I started a few weeks back and never finished.....but it's finished now

Originally dated March 7, 2012, finished April 4, 2012

Lucy

Just so you know, I love you more than anything in the whole wide world
I miss you terribly today...

This morning at breakfast, which for your was a peanut butter sandwich and blub blubs (goldfish crackers), I couldn't help but think one day, you will not be at the breakfast table with us......

....you'll be in your dorm room sleeping through breakfast
....or you'll be in your own apartment having cold pizza for breakfast
....and one day, I hope, you will be sitting at the table with your own kids having breakfast and marvelling at what they've brought to your life

To our lives you've brought hope, love, humility, laughs, dreams, some bouts of sleeplessness, frustration, and fear
But mostly, you've brought love....love unlike any other love I've ever known
Thank you for bringing me that

It makes me wonder if we're doing enough for you - are we giving you, providing you with the foundation you need to live...to survive....to peacefully exist in this world?

Or will the times we lost our patience with you, yelled at you or made you sit on the bottom step to re-group and apologize damage whatever hopes we have of you becoming a good person?
Can I undo the times I was so frustrated I walked away leaving in in your room by yourself crying? Will the times I told you "no" overshadow the times I told you yes?

And you're not even 3 yet...I have at least another 15 years to screw you up

But I also have a tremendous amount of love for you, and I have your Dad, and we have faith.....and we have nothing but the best intentions for you and I'm hoping that will be enough to get us through....I'm hoping that will be enough for you

I read two articles the other day which were interesting and daunting all at the same time

One was a list of 15 Things Your Daughter Should Know Before she Turns 18
The other was 71 things your Child Should Know before Starting Kindergarten
By the time I had read both articles, and the comments that went along with them, I could not decide if I should call a Priest, Child Protective Services, my Mum or simply surrender my title of Mother

Usually, I'm pretty good about tempering articles like this....every child is different, people have different sets of core values and beliefs....I try to take these things with a grain of salt and realize that the list are subjective but for some reason, these two articles/lists got to me

I started to question if I was doing the right thing

I started to think your Dad and I weren't paying attention the way we should be and your were going to miss major milestones and get left behind

I questioned my ability to parent...and of course all the things I've done "wrong" the past three years came flooding to the forefront of my brain and I've been obsessing about them for hours

Then I took a deep breath....I re-read this and this and that steadied me a bit.

Then I went back and re-read both articles.....I started with the 71 Things

My initial reaction was Please Help me Jesus!
I only have two years to teach her 71 things
I went through the list again

Eager...yeah, you're good with this one - you attack anything and anyone with so much enthusiasm and gusto that you are endearing and overwhelming all at the same time
Curious....child! You could give Curious George a run for his money
Generally pleasant....your sweet voice, your hugs, your demands for more kisses..yes, you are pleasant
Follows rules....hmmm..file this in the We'll Work On It column
Hopping on one foot.....you keep falling over, we'll keep practicing
Write letters and your name.....we're not even sure if you are a righty or a lefty so no
But you know your colors....and you know that red means stop, orange (yellow) is slow down and green is go...which in turns lends to your fantastic back seat driving abilities
You throw a ball really well, and catch it just as well...with your face....
Skipping....sadly, you inherited my coordination but don't worry, skipping will come in due time
Running....you run like the wind but God forbid there be any obstacles in your path (a branch, a twig, a tree root, a pebble) because you are going down if there is
Scissors...Lord help me the day we let you loose with a pair of scissors

Good news is you have The Arts Section, which includes Creative Arts, Music/Movement and Creative Dramatics, down pat

Truthfully, these are all things that come with time...things that will most likely come naturally and instinctively as you get older
Things you will learn as your brain continues to grow and develop
They all make perfect sense...and are all attainable...and, in due time, they will all come

If you get to school and only have 68 out of the 71, I'm pretty sure they will still let you through the door...and I'm pretty sure you will still succeed

Now, as far as the 15 Lessons....this actually popped up in a couple places...and they were by different authors
One was an author for the Chicken Soup for the Souls books
Another was a Mom Blogger and a third one was an open letter a teacher had written to a graduating class

Certainly not an original idea but I liked it

I know I've written a couple similar letters to you already but I felt inspired to add to the list
And these are not necessarily things you need to know by 18 but things I think you'll need to help navigate life....hell, I'm 39 and there are still a few on the list I have not figured out

So here, Lucy, are the things I want you to know

Some are facts
Some are cautionary tales
Some are "Learn from my mistakes" parables
And some are just random tidbits of information that will make great conversation starter at a party

Some things you'll learn in school
Some thing you'll learn from your Dad and I
Some things you will learn from your friends

Whatever it is you learn, hang onto it no matter how mundane it seems at the time for one day, it will come in handy:

1. If a door is closed, there is a reason; knock before entering - and I'm being literal here...if the door is closed closed, knock. Don't just barge in, that's rude
2. Know how to balance your bank account and write a check
3. You should always have your own bank account - with your name on it and your money in it. Not because I want you to someday leave your husband but because it teaches you responsibility and accountability....and frankly, buying something with your own money that you have earned and saved is a truly rewarding feeling and something to be proud of
4. Know how to write a letter - a heartfelt thank you, a note of sympathy or a celebratory congratulations...and please, send a card on special occasions, not an e-card - go pick out a card and mail it....with a stamp
5. If you are invited to a wedding, a baptism, a shower or any special celebration, go! If someone took the time to invite you, they want you there; return the respect and go. Even if you have not spoken to them or seen them for weeks, months or years, they thought enough of you to invite you - go! Same goes for wakes and funerals; when someone you know passes, even if you don't know the family, go and pay your respects. If someone you know loses someone in their family or someone close to them, attend the wake or funeral out of respect to your friend, even if you did not know the person who passed...they will appreciate your sentiment
6. When you meet someone new, look them in the eye, shake their hand firmly and repeat their name while saying, Nice to meet you (and yes, women can and should shake hands firmly, this does not make you a man, it makes you polite)
7. Mind your manners (I know I've said it before but it is something that bears repeating) Please, Thank You, You're Welcome, Excuse Me.......just be polite
8. Be nice...as Dalton said Be nice....until it's time to stop being nice (that's right, I just gave my daughter a life lesson straight from Road House...)
9. When someone says something and you didn't quite hear them, don't say Huh? (a terrible habit I have) say I'm sorry, I did not hear you or I'm sorry, could you repeat that
10. Learn how to swim
11. Know how to drive a manual and an automatic
12. Be able to back into a parking space (you laugh but I have no problem admitting I cannot back into a parking space to save my life)
13. Know how to pump your own gas how to check the the oil level in your car and how to to add windshield wiper fluid and oil to your car
14. Follow the rules - sure, some rules are made to be broken but not as many as one would think. And if you decide to break a rule (or the law) be prepared to pay the consequences  
15. Know where your voting station is.....which of course means you should be registered to vote...which by the way is my 18th Birthday Present for you, taking you to register to vote...Happy Birthday, no need to thank me
16. For the love of God please, please know the difference between The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence
17. Know where the Police Station, Fire Station and Library are in your town...whatever town you may be living in
18. Know who your Senators and Representatives, your Governor, your President, Vice President and Speaker of the House are
19. Know who Ted Williams, Freddy Lynn, Carl Yastrzemski, Jerry Remy, Terry Francona and Jason Varitek are
20. Your Uncle John once told me to never date a man who drives a van with blacked out windows or a man who knows what a duvet is...I pass that on to you
21. Smoking is bad for you; yes, Mummy smoked and yes, I loved smoking...but smoking is bad for you. It was hard for me to quit....would have been easier if I had never started...so don't smoke
22. You will drink before you are 21, which today is the legal drinking age...you think you won't but you will ... I think you won't but I know you will....all I ask is that no matter what age you are, never ever ever get behind the wheel of a car after you have been drinking - and never get in a car with someone who has been drinking behind the wheel of a car. If you need a ride, call us - we may not be happy you were drinking (yes, we'll probably ground you in some way shape or form) but we will not be angry at you for waking us up at 1am to come pick you up...same stands for your friends, they can call us as well
23. And while we're on the topic, yes, I tried marijuana...and it did nothing for me. I'm pretty sure I inhaled but it just did nothing for me. Grand total, I probably smoked it maybe 6 times and frankly, it never did anything or me. And no, I never tried anything stronger.....I was too afraid...the after school specials and Public Service Announcements I saw as a kid scared the shit out of me. Plus, I saw first hand the damage drugs did while I was in college and then my early 20s
24. Clean up after yourself
25. Multitasking is overrated; finish one task before moving on to another...your brain will thank me for it
26. Know how to use a fire extinguisher
27. Know how to change a tire (no, I don't)
28. And if you never learn how to change a tire, date/marry a man who knows how to
29. And if that does not work, sign up for AAA
30. Whites should be washed with whites and whites only, colored clothes with colored clothes. And if it says hand wash or delicate cycle or do not put in dryer, there is a reason, follow the directions
31. Wool was not meant for the dryer
32. If its says dry clean only, then take it to the dry cleaners
33. Keep your passport and your driver's license up to date
34. Know that whatever you say, whatever you write, once it passes your lips or from your hand to paper, you can never take it back
35. Never ever ever ever ever ever EVER take a picture or let your picture be taken of you in the nude...do not take pictures like this for your significant other/spouse...do not take pictures of yourself like this and send them to someone.....and if someone tells you its for the sake of art, stop and think about your parents, would we think its art? I'm trying to protect you here....listen to your mother
36. While we're at it, try to avoid having your picture taken of you drinking/drunk/smoking/doing something questionable....now I know this may sound like I am crushing your college memories before they even happen but trust m,e on this one....you don't need pictures for the memories....And yes, pictures of this (not nudes) of me like this exist and no, I am not proud of them nor of the way I look....and no, you cannot see them
37. Look, I had a blast in college and in my 20s....and I want you to have a blast, I just want you to be safe and smart while you are doing so
38. Learns how to cook and bake (I'll teach you)
39. Know that no question is a stupid question - ask away, just be careful who you ask
40. Know that no matter what you do or say, no matter what we do or say, our love for you is unconditional. So even though I yelled at you last night for spitting at me (add that to this list, no spitting, it's rude) and even though we won't get you a dog, we love you more than you know
41. Try not to lose your sense of humor...at times, this will be hard but trust me, even in a crises situation, if you can manage to bring some levity and laughter to it, you'll be just fine
42. Share...not just your toys or the swing but also your thoughts and feelings. Share your hope, your dreams and your needs. If you have extra food, a smile, a laugh, a hug, share. If you have an idea, a joke, a solution....share.... Share with your Mum and Dad, your cousins, your Aunts and Uncles, your Grandparents, your friends...share with anyone you think needs it.
43. Be patient...be patient with yourself and others
44. Trust God and be grateful to God for what He has given us, for what He will give us and for chocolate...thank God for chocolate
45. Be honest
46. Make mistakes....and then learn from them and don't make the same mistake again. And when you do make mistakes, don't beat yourself up about it and don't be afraid to tell us about it - that's what we're here for
47. Give lots of hugs and kisses and cuddles
48. Live within your budget - have what you need and want what you need
49. Forgive...this is hard Boo.....but you will be a better person, your life will be richer if you forgive. But I'm not going to lie, its hard to forget and sometimes, you should not forget - but you should always forgive
50. If one day you come home a Democrat, or bring a Democrat home, if you convert to a different religion or bring someone from another religion home, if you come home with someone someone who is the same sex as you, with someone who is a different race than you, if you join a cult (try not to though) if you bring home a Yankees fan or a Lakers fan,or a NASCAR fan,  my love for you will still be unconditional....but Lucy, you come home a Yankees fan and all bets are off (this will be repeated through out your life)

Lucy, life is the biggest classroom you will ever have the privilege of being in; Take advantage of it

• Open your mind
• Explore
• Experiment (not with drugs I'm thinking more with baking soda and vinegar or peanut butter and pickle sandwiches)
• Meet new people
• Change
• Treasure the people already in your life, learn more about them
• Read books
• Go to Church
• Paint, color, and draw
• Visit new places
• Go to museums and art galleries...even if you know nothing about art or science or natural history, go....you're bound to find something that interests you
• If you find yourself driving through a town you've never been in, stop and have lunch at the local diner...you never know who you meet or what you'll learn

Above all Lucy,
Never forgot where you came from, who you came from and our love for you

So, for now, go be (almost) 3 - have fun, laugh, cry, dance, throw temper tantrums, snuggle with your Mum and Dad, hug your friends, sing out loud and eat your vegetables...just please don't spit

I love you more than I did yesterday but not as much as I will tomorrow

Maria the Mum

Hindsight

Somebody said 'Hindsight's a wonderful thing'

Well I have my own saying:

'Hindsight Sucks!'

Back in 1994 Apple stock was trading at around $10 per share. Apple seemed like they were in the toilet but I flirted with the idea of buying some stock at the time (I may have just watched 'Wall Street' and fancied myself as a young Gordon Gecko). In the end I was scared they were going to go bust – I even went out and bought a PC cos I thought I should learn how to use one as I was convinced that I would be working on one within a year. I also wanted to get about 100 shares and didn't have a spare grand lying around, renting a single bedroom in Northern England as I was at the time.

Apple poised to become world's first trillion dollar company by 2014

So I read the above and pondered 'What would my $1000 investment be worth now?'

Apple closed at just over $629 today. My $1000 would be worth $629,000.

In 2014 they theoretically would be worth $100,000.

As I said:

'Hindsight Sucks!'

We'll have what we have now....forever and always

Lucy:
This morning you awoke calling out my name, I answered telling you I was getting dressed. You wandered in and proudly announced you slept through the whole night all by yourself.

I’m so proud of you I declared!
Yeah Mama! Me too you sleepily agreed as you rubbed the sleep from your eyes

You honed in on the two Willow Tree Figurines on my dresser – one is of a Mum and Dad holding a newborn and the other is a woman hugging her pregnant belly.

That’s Lucy with Mummy and Daddy and that Lucy in Mummy’s belly!

It sure is I said as I tugged on my socks and kissed your head

Mama I need another kiss!

You puckered up, I gave you three smooches and you demanded two more!

Mama! You giggled as you lay down on the floor. Tell me a story about when I came home with you…..

So this morning, as we brushed our teeth and got dressed, I regaled you with tales of the first few months of your life. You took great delight in each of them and begged for another as soon as the story finished.

You were such a good girl this morning Boo…..and after your meltdown last night at dinner, it was a welcome way to start the day.

As we settled down for breakfast, we saw Kristen out the window…within two minutes, Daddy and I went running out the door to help she and Jet…and you my dear sat and quietly ate you breakfast – I was out of the house for less than 2 minutes and came running back in to grab the phone – I swear you knew something was wrong as you ate your breakfast and simply asked

Mama is Kristen okay?

Yeah honey (my voice was shaking) she’s Okay

Where’s Daddy?

He’s helping Kristen with Jet….

Did silly Jet get away again?

He did honey…..

And then you turned back to your breakfast as I made frantic phone calls
Kristen darted in to grab a blanket and I went out as Daddy and Kristen loaded Jet into the car
You were so good Lucy; you just sat quietly and patiently waiting for us
When Daddy and I finally sat down, you just smiled at us and asked if Kristen got Jet…knowing that neither of us was ready to tell you anything (because we were not even really sure what to tell you) we both said at the same time, yes, Kristen got Jet.

You smiled and kept eating

I realized, at that moment, that pretty soon, I’m not going to be able to protect you anymore.
That one day, I can’t shield you from bad things that may happen….
That one day, we will have to deal with death, with loss, with heartache….
I dread that day

I spoke with Kristen a bit ago and Jet should be just fine…for which I breathe a sigh of relief first and foremost for Kristen and secondly for you Lucy as you love Jet as if he’s your own.
Then I realized I was also relived for me….because yes, I love Jet too but also because I am so not ready to deal with anything like this with you yet…
How blessed I am that I have not had to….

Back in September, I started to write you a letter – and I never finished it
It’s been sitting in “draft” status for months…
I was writing it so one day, I could remind you about you....
And so I could remind me about you....
And so I could remind us all that forever and always, we'll have what we have now

September 19^th, 2011
I drove past the Playground today....the one with your Clubhouse and I was thinking about this one afternoon a few weeks ago when we were there........I was watching Daddy push you on the swing as you screeched and laughed and yelled Higher Daddy! Higher! HIGHER!

When he would stop you'd yell out How 'bout again?!?! Followed with a giggle and squeal of delight. And Daddy would start pushing you again and you'd yell Higher! All I could do was stand there and smile at both of you.......

I remembered that afternoon today and it made me go through a checklist in my head of all the things that make you so wonderful, so beautiful…..so....so Lucy....

Your laugh is infectious
When I hear you laugh, I want to giggle as well - and I don't even have to know what is making you laugh but your screech of sheer delight is enough to make me want to laugh from the belly up and out

You love so many things and so many some ones in your life
But no one person or no one thing garners all your love and attention....you love everybody and everything on equal ground.....and you take turns giving them all the love and attention they deserve

When you talk about people you love, you preface it with "my"
My Daddy, My Kristen, My Rosie, My Jet, My Rika, My Ali, My Jackie, My Other Jackie...how lucky we all are to be yours

You get so excited when a song you like comes on and your little feet start tapping....
Next thing I know, you are bustin' a move and yelling for us to dance with you!
And you don't slow down!

You love to play and want everyone to play with you
I love hearing you ask Daddy or me, Will you play with me?
And I hate that sometimes we have to say no because dinner has to be made, clothes have to be put away, we have to get to work, we have to take a phone call......
But you never hold that against us.......you always, always ask us to play...
And when we say yes, your face lights up the room

Your love of books and stories
I know, I know, I've already said it a million times before but I love that you love books
You never tire of flipping through the pages, of reading the same books over and over....and now you help me "read" them
You know what word comes next and you'll shout it out before I do
You get so into the book
You get so excited, like when Lisa comes back for Corduroy, you can’t help but giggle and yell aloud She came back for him Mama!
And you when Clifford stepped on his new toy dog, you were sad for Clifford who broke his toy and just as sad for the toy that got stepped on
You'll sit for what feels like hours just flipping through your books...sometimes I'll hear you muttering the story as you are looking and am amazed at the accuracy with which you repeat the story

I love that you love hearing stories
Made up stories and true stories
I make up stories about Lucy and Puppy Jack and their adventures (which always involves those meeting animals)
For the past few days, it’s been stories about you as a baby....funny, I still think of you as a baby........
I've been telling you how you used to kick me while you were in my belly
How you would kick Daddy when he put his hand on my belly
How you came into this world looking just like me....and now look nothing like me!
How you started to cry when you were put into your bassinet at the hospital but as soon as Daddy touched your little face and said: its okay, Daddy's here...you stopped crying and fell right to sleep
How your belly button fell off and freaked Daddy and I out
How you reacted when you tried peas for the first time
How you started to crawl and kept crawling right into the wall or table and spent weeks with little bruises on your forehead
How you started to walk and never looked back
The first time you met a puppy dog and a kitty cat and a goat
Oh how you love hearing stories about yourself

Your love for animals
Stuffed animals, real animals, animals on TV, in books, the hard plastic animals, the Fisher Price animals.....you just love animals!
You tick off all the animals you love in list format:
Mama! I love tigers and lions and elephants and turtles and humpback whales and beluga whales and killer whales and seals and penguins and 'raffes.........
Mama! Do you like tigers and lions and elephants and turtles and humpback whales and beluga whales and killer whales and seals and penguins and 'raffes?
And then you'll remember I don't like snakes and you'll say Mama, you no like snakes?
And I hesitate and say Well....because I don't want you to not like snakes.....
So as I fumble around with what to say you say
Its okay Mama, I no like turkeys!
But you love all other animals and you don’t just love them, you learn about them
You listen to the books we read, or what Diego tells you, and can spew back facts and details about animals that I never even knew (who knew Beluga whales molted?)

Stickers
I have never met anyone who loves stickers so much
You stick them on your hands, on the tip of your nose, your legs, on Daddy, on me
Your stuffed animals have stickers on them
You stick them on the floor, on the bench, the stools
I found stickers on my laptop and the back of my phone
And not too long ago, there was a sticker on the license plate of my car

I love that you sing
You, my little imp, are always humming or singing something
Lately it’s been Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea
Half the time, I don't even think you realize you are humming or singing.
Sometimes, you do it so quietly, I can barely hear you
Other times, you belt it out at the top of your lungs and applaud yourself when you are done.....giving yourself mere seconds before you break into the second set of your act
I love how your love of music makes you stop in the middle of the store and declare
Mama! I hear it!! Someone's playing the Beatles!
And I love how it makes other people do a double take when they realize it’s a little 2.5 year old making such a declaration

I love how you love us
I love that you love to snuggle
I love that you sneak into our bed at 3am and think we don’t notice
I don't really love how you wake me up to get in bed with you, but I do secretly like sleeping all snuggled with you
I love that you love to give us hugs and kisses
I love how your forgive us so easily even though we have been cross with you
I love that you reach up to hold my hand without having to be asked or told
I love that you love us so much you and God decided we should be your Mum and Dad.

So Lucy, thank you for what you have given us so far......and thanks for sleeping through last night….
I love you to the moon and back and three times around the Earth

Love
Maria the Mum

Is this where you poop?

Kristen is our friend who lives across the circle from us
Jet is her dog
Lucy thinks Jet is her dog
Every day, EVERY DAY, we have to go see Kristen and Jet
We walk Jet
We feed him his dinner
We give him his treat
(and by we I of course mean Lucy)

Last night, Lucy and I went to the grocery store before we came home from work/school.
As soon as we pulled up to the house, she asked to go to Kristen's
I allowed her to make her way across the circle and watched as three minutes later, Lucy, with Jet and Kristen in tow, headed off for Jet's walk

I just picked up my cell phone and noticed a text message from Kristen, sent last night around 8:20pm:

Funny story...after Lucy gave Jet a bunch of his treats she wanted to was her hands. I pulled a folding chair into the bathroom in front of the sink. After I put her on the chair she looked at me and asked "is this where you poop?" Unbelievable!

Yep, that's my daughter......

Maria the Mum

Where do Babies Come From?

Mama Kat’s Prompts for the week came out

Writing Prompts:

1.) Share your favorite part of your child’s bedroom.
2.) It happened at Disneyland…
3.) Incorporate the following line into a poem of your own: “Catching air with my fingers”
4.) Are you feeling brave? Ask your child where babies come from and share their answers.
5.) Write about the last time you laughed until it hurt…what happened?

I saw the prompts Tuesday night just before I was putting Lucy to bed. So I thought hmm…I wonder what Lucy will say when I ask her where babies come from? She knows at one point she was in my belly….she asks to hear stories all the time about when she was a baby and when she lived in my belly…..wonder what she’ll say….

Hey Lucy

Wait Mama! I listening to Timon and Pumbaa sing

Sorry……I waited like less than 15 seconds and tried again…..Lucy where do babies come from?

Mama! Hold on!

I can’t believe my 3 year old just told me to back off….course she was right…I did sort of bust into her room and started demanding answers…..but then again, its good practice for her teenage years….music fades, I try again

Lucy, where do babies come from?

I don’t know Mama…..sort of shrugs and raises her eyebrows

Well where do you think you came from? How did you get here to Mummy and Daddy?

I don’t know Mama……getting slightly annoyed with my mere presence

So you have no idea where babies come from?
I have no idea why I was pushing her….

Mama! I don’t know!! I just woke up one day in my crib when I was a baby and you and Daddy were there!!!!

Maria the Mum

Good Talk

Last night, as I was brushing Lucy's hair after her bath she asks

Mama?
Yes Lucy?
Mama, look at me....
What honey?
She opened her eyes wide and very seriously asked....

Do I have kaleidoscope eyes?
_____________________________________________________________________________

Yesterday morning, Lucy was being a bit of a crank
Sean was trying to get Lucy in her room to get dressed and asked

Lucy, are you cranky today?

Lucy, without hesitating, with no expression deadpanned her reply

No Daddy, I just being a sourpuss
_____________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, Lucy had her first swim lesson at the Y. After her lesson, she and her Dad stayed in the pool for a bit swimming. 45 minutes later, they emerged wet, tired and with big grins on their faces

Mama! You see me swimming?
I did Lucy you did such a good job! I'm so proud of you!
Mama! Did anyone ask if I was a mermaid?!?

Not to be a buzz kill I said
They did Lucy! They saw you swimming and doing such a good job and I heard them say is that a mermaid over there?

Did you tell them I not a mermaid I a beluga?

uuhhh..........
_____________________________________________________________________________

Sean got rear ended a little over a week ago. The person that hit him did a great job of banging up the passenger side of his bumper: dents, cracks, scratches, broken tail light....thankfully, he was OK

Unfortunately, two days later, someone else hit his car....on the same side.....pretty much the same spot....poor car...poor Sean....

When Sean showed Lucy the damage, she stood solemnly behind the car shaking her head with a frown on her face and declared

Poor poor Daddy's car...he has a big boo boo!

The she'd sort of patted the back end of the car in a comforting way and sadly shake her head....until a smile crept across her face and she held up her finger in declaration of her eureka moment:

Don't worry Daddy, I get him a band aid for his boo boo...a BIIIGGG band aid

Maria the Mum

The Party Planner

Lucy has been planning her birthday party since January 30th....I'm not even kidding. Every day, she asks if it's time for her party....

Can we have my party tomorrow Mummy?
Honey, your birthday is not for another few weeks....
OK but now can we have my party?
But its not your birthday yet....
OK so we can have one party now and then a party on my birthday!

And its not even like she wants a party for the gifts....she wants a party because it means her friends get to come to her house....and there will be cupcakes

Last night, Sean had to work late so Lucy and I were having dinner together (and by that, I mean she was picking up her plate and licking it while I was sorting mail, doing dishes and making lunches)

I sat down to take a break as she ate her pudding (as a side note, this kid LOVES pudding....so I taught her to to say puddddiiiinnn' just like Bill Cosby.....head toss, pursed lips and all......hy-ster-i-cal!)

Lucy, let's talk about your party
I love pudddiiinnn' Mummy!
I know you do honey, I do too but I have to ask.....

I'm interrupted with

Want some Mummy? and as she flicks her spoon in my direction splattering pudding on my glasses, cheek and in my hair
No thanks honey...as I wipe pudding off my face and take off my glasses.....I wanted to ask you about your birthday party....

Mummy! tee-hee-hee-giggle-giggle-giggle- You have puddin' in your hair!

It took me ten minutes but I finally got her to focus
I pulled out some paper and a pen and told her to tell me everything she wanted and everyone she wanted at her party and I Would write it all down

Mummy, here's who I want at my party.....

and she launched into the following without missing a beat, without stopping....I'm not even sure she took a breath......and in this order as I wrote it all down

I want Lucy
and Mummy
and Daddy
and Caiti
and Lori
Kevin
Miss Rika
Miss Rosie
Miss Ali
Miss Jackie
Miss Lynn
Miss Stacey
Miss Andrea
Miss Barbara
Miss Georgette
Me! Lucy!
Ben
Chase
Caiti
Jack
Logie (Logan)
Rye-guy (Ryan)
Kaia
Sofia
Alex
Nate
Angela
Kacie
Kristen
Jet (yes, Kristen's dog)
Pat and Thomas (Pat's boyfriend is Tom, Lucy insists on calling him Thomas)
Lady
Tramp (yes, as in Lady and the Tramp,m her stuffed animals)
Percy (stuffed penguin)
and Lucy and Mummy and Daddy!

That's all Mama.....

Oh, OK, well, if that's all then....and you want an animal party?
Yeah Mama....animals! All animals! Sea animals, farm animals, jungle animals...
Well Lucy, that is a lot of animals going on....do you want to do like a zoo or a circus...? Or do you want a farm?

She cocked her head to the left, tilted her eyes upward, pursed her lips and pulled her mouth into that hmm, I'm thinking  expression......

A zoo! she finally declared sticking her little finger in the air and grinning

So I wrote down zoo....

OK great! So we'll do all zoo animals...
Yeah Mama! and then she launched into her list of zoo animals

Tigers
Lions
Penguins
Seals
Hippos
Melman (Giraffes, as in Melman the giraffe from the movie Madagascar)
Marty (Zebras, as in Marty the zebra from the movie Madagascar)
Elephants
Sea Lions
Monkeys
Turtles
Trains

Uhh Lucy? A train is not an animal.......
But I like trains Mama! Can the animals be in a train? NO! I just want a train.....can I have a train?

But before I could answer, the list continued

Pigs
Belugas
Sheep
Horses
Cows
Puppies
Kitties
Polar Bear
Pandas
Ducks
Puffins.....I just don't want a turkey Mama! I no like turkeys

Right, okay, no turkeys....well Lucy! This is quite a list!

And I want food Mama....
OK, food, what kind of food?
I want Pizza, bread and Ms (Ms being M&Ms)...on the train!

OK, so let me get this straight, you want all these people (and I read the list back) and you want all these animals (and I read the list back) and you want pizza and bread and Ms?

Yeah Mama!!!! I love my party!

So where do you want the train?
At my party!
Right.....so will the animals be on the train...like in the circus in Dumbo?
No silly Mama! The food will be on the train!

Ok so you want all these people to come to your zoo and eat pizza, bread and Ms on a train....
Now can we have my party Mama?

I can't even answer as I am a bit overwhemed and trying to figure out how to explain to her that we need to pare this down...

Mummy! Can you write a poem song like Pooh?
What?
Like Pooh......like the poem songs Pooh sings when he goes to see Piglet and Christopher Robin....can you write a poem song for my birthday?
Sure I can Lucy...we'll put it on your invitation
Now Mama?
What? Write the poem now?
She giggles, claps her hands, nods and says Now Mama!

So I wrote her a poem...

Welcome to the Zoo
It's all for who?
For Lucy?
For Goosey?
No for Lucy!
She's turning 3
Golly Gee!

Good start Mama....can you work on it?

Yeah Lucy, I'll work on it...Come on I tell her, it's time to head up to the tub.....

As she and I were walking up the stairs, I had visions in my head of future birthday parties (one involved a rocket ship and another a full blown carnival/fair in the backyard), graduation parties and a fleeting image of her wedding (she was being pulled to shore by dolphins) when I was interrupted...

Mummy! I forgot............!
Forgot what honey?
I also want dinosaurs at my party..........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maria the Mum