The Fish Egg

It sometimes amazes me when I reflect on the various tasks I am called upon to do in a typical day at the home of Missy Moo and Bubba Boo. For instance, Missy Moo found a very small bead on the floor today that the sweeper failed to retrieve after she snuck one of my elaticized bracelets out of my drawer this past weekend and decided to experiment on how far it could stretch. "Look, Mommy! It's a fishy egg!" she excitedly shrieked and went on to explain that this MUST be Nemo's egg as it was the only egg left after the mean fish came and took Coral and the rest of the fish away (if you can figure out the movie then you too probably have a children at home). She then proceeded to make every attempt to carry this bead that is about the size of a chocolate chip around the house and of course, lost it about every 2.5 seconds. As I was lying on the kitchen floor face-down trying to peer under the stove and reach under that impossibly tiny crack that seperates the stove from the floor to retrieve the "fishy egg", it dawned on me that absolutely no one on this planet would ever predict what I was doing at that given moment. Upon further reflection, it occurred to me that there were many times throughout my days as a mommy that this could be true as well and I certainly suspect that other mommies have some unusual stories to tell as well. However, I must also admit that this is exactly how I want Missy Moo to think - she is creative to an extreme and can see things in everyday objects that we as adults would never see. Admit it - when was the last time you looked at a bead and said, "That is Nemo's fish egg"? This then made me start to wonder at what point do we get evicted from this innocent fantasy land that so many children reside in thus allowing them to see things that adults simply cannot? What else do they see during the day that they don't even vocalize or maybe they do but we are so practical and cerebral that we just think they are babbling about nonsense? I quickly caught myself and offered Missy Moo a snack ziploc bag for her fish egg, which is where it is now waiting until it is time to hatch. She is also sleeping with it as we speak and while the serious adult in me is a little worried about this the child development side of me is telling me that this is all good. She is "thinking outside the box" because for her, there simply isn't a box. I plan to encourage this unlimited thinking for as long as she will allow and even when she doesn't, I will push on. Though I will silently hope that she never loses this way of viewing the world, I fear the reality is that she probably will as she grows older each year. Meanwhile, I will continue to be Cheer Bear and Princess Aurora, I will take care of fish eggs and risk my life to find them, and I will be Bella Dancerella whenever I am called upon to do so. After all, it is through my child's eyes that I am able to see the world that I learned about through life experiences and it is fun. Very fun...So fun that I might stay in this fantasy land for a while because, quite truthfully, it is a whole lot more exciting.

The Green Chair

As cliche as it sounds, love truly knows no boundaries and can be felt for things that are not even living as I recently came to terms with while rocking Bubba Boo the other night. There is a sage green glider rocking chair that is currently residing in Bubba Boo's room that used to take up with Missy Moo while she was still a little peep. Once we moved to the new house, Missy Moo took the distressed white antique rocker while Bubba Boo scored and got the comfortable green glider with the matching ottoman. Luckily, this went unnoticed by the sassy elder which is quite a feat in itself considering that she recently has taken to getting angry when Bubba Boo simply looks at her let alone touches something that belongs to her...Since Bubba Boo is now on his fifth ear infection for the season (he has impossibly tiny ear canals and yes, he will be getting tubes most certainly), I was spending some time quietly rocking him so he would calm down and maybe allow us all to get some sleep. I began to think of all I had experienced in this chair - this was where I rocked my first baby, nervous, scared, and filled with the apprehension that I could not possibly take care of this little being and how in God's name did the hospital personnel allow her to leave with me? I remember thinking that I could actually die if I did not get some sleep while Missy Moo threw several of her colic fits during those first few months home. I remember wishing I had one of those "U" shaped pillows they sell in airports so I could sleep in the chair while I rocked both babies. I remember reading Missy Moo her first few books that hooked her so much that "reading her stories" is one of her most favorite things to do today. I remember rocking Missy Moo as she cried from a broken heart when we lost "old bunny" and thought he would never be seen again (he showed up later - thank God). I remember holding Missy Moo while I was pregnant with Bubba Boo and marveled at the incredibility of him kicking while she rested on my tummy - one inside, one out. I remember comforting the same colicky baby in a male form two years later that was just not ready to be born yet and wanted to go back to the womb. I remember sitting in that chair and, after talking with my hubby, handing over to God the mystery of whether or not we would have a third baby. If that chair could talk, I am certain it would say, "For the love of God, I am TIRED!!!" but yet it is always there and instantly calms anyone down who chooses to sit in it for just one moment. We purchased the green chair off the floor - it was the last of its style and had some smudge marks on the ottoman, so we bargained a discount and took it home the day we ordered Missy Moo's crib and dresser. Being first time parents, we excitedly threw it in our SUV and promptly set it up in the corner of Missy Moo's bedroom to patiently wait for its little friend to arrive. I loved passing by that room and seeing it sitting there just waiting for mommy and child to plunk down and chill during a long, sleepless night. It filled me with anticipation and longing to meet my little peanut that was so close to me yet still such a stranger. So I guess what I am coming to realize is that I love that chair, darn it. I will never be able to rid of it and can see me sitting in that glider when I am living in a retirement home waiting for each of my babies to come and take me to lunch. Oh, and God's answer to the third baby dilemma? He or she is coming in July...