I cut off more than ten feet of houseplant growth today, but I’m not worried. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Before bed tonight, each of my children lined up in front of Chris for his/her special handshake with Daddy. This was after (and before) they required much correction for unruly behavior but for a moment, I smiled so hard I teared up and silently thanked Chris for convincing me to have so many kids.
And on this, the first day of September, we graduate from fall vibes to Halloween joy, taping bats to the walls and listening to the Hocus Pocus soundtrack.
He wears my old Vans and sings along to my old punk rock tunes, filling in on air drums and singing the harmonies beneath me. He rations the beef jerky and sips the kombucha I bought him before I picked him up from school. He asks questions about politics and points out rainbows between the mountains. We count four. He soaks in the beauty of his surroundings. He enjoys the hotel and the food and the service, exchanging pleasantries with strangers. He complains not about the hands in his mouth or the missing tooth or the long ride back without cell service or bathrooms. He is polite and conscientious and awake. I love this kid.
Ames took a rock to the face at the beginning of summer and lost a permanent tooth. The true fix is years down the road but in the meantime, it’s time to talk braces. So where does a small town kid go for an orthodontist consult? The big city, of course! We’re heading up to Anchorage this afternoon, just my boy and I. We’ll have a hotel sleepover and drive back tomorrow after the appointment.
I am both excited and nervous about so much one-on-one time. The kid who came out of my body, seemingly a tiny version of myself, now feels like a stranger to me much of the time. This is adolescence, I guess. Here we go!
I attended a baby shower today and was immediately transported to all things newborn – the swaddles and the diapers and the breast milk and the schedules and the giggles and the tears. A life marked by hours, not days. It was hard as hell and sweet as heaven. I am not sure that I could do it again but I sure wouldn’t change it for the world.
There was the perfect blend of late summer sun and early autumn nip in the air today. I checked things off of the to-do list and drank a Bloody Mary in the middle of the afternoon and took time to do small and slow tasks like brushing the dog. We finished the evening with a much-needed date night and I fell in love with my husband all over again, which was also much-needed (for both parties). Some days, I think everything is broken and nobody cares. Other days, I think I cannot believe I get to live this life.