April 2013 - Recap

Oh the stories you provide me with for this little blog ... your latest one happened at Target. One of my favorite things to do is take you and Charlie to Target (or Walmart or Toys R Us or Kohl's - wherever really) and let you guys play in the toy aisle for 20 or 30 minutes. There are many reasons why I do this:

• it's air-conditioned
• there are fairly clean bathrooms close by 
• you learn that we don't buy things every time we go into a store 
• you learn to put back what you take down 
• I've found insanely good deals for some toys in the clearance section
• it's free (except for the times I need emergency chocolate and the aforementioned clearance items) 

So this particular time, we were wandering around Target before I dropped you off at preschool. You picked up a toy microphone (the battery-less kind, where it just makes your voice sound really echo-y and weird). I was showing Charlie something when all of a sudden I hear you loudly ask "MAY I HAVE EVERYONE'S ATTENTION?" I look over to you, and you're standing at the entrance to the aisle with this hugely expectant look on your face.

Me: Um, excuse me? 
You: I SAID, 'MAY I HAVE EVERYONE'S ATTENTION?' DO I HAVE EVERYONE ATTENTION?" 
 Me: Yes ... what would you like to say? 
You: LET US PRAY. DEAR GOD, PLEASE HELP US OBEY OUR MOMMIES AND DADDIES AND HELP US TO BE NICE AND KIND. AMEN. 
Me: Amen! 

Then you lower the mic and look at the Barbies as if nothing happened. It was one of the funniest and heart-warming moments I've had as your momma. I tell ya, kid. If evangelism is in your future, I say go for it. Target's a good place to start. 

You had your first bout with pneumonia this month. I didn't even realize it was pneumonia until I took you to the doctor. I took you in because you had had this wet, yucky cough for two weeks with no other symptoms (other than wailing that your head hurt - but you often say that, so I didn't hold much value it ... turns out it was valid. My bad.) I took you in and you were diagnosed with sinusitis (which explained the headaches) and pneumonia (which explained the coughing). This has also been your first bout with hating to take your medicine. You're usually a rockstar at taking medicine. But the antibiotic that you were on smelled terrible; I can only imagine that it tasted even worse. 

You got a fever after a week on the antibiotics, so being the worry-wart I am, I got worried. I took you back to the doctor and she couldn't figure out why it happened. Your ears and lungs were clear, so she did some bloodwork on you. You took the finger prick like a CHAMP ... until you saw the blood. And then you lost your ever-loving noodle. "The blood HURTS, Momma!! WAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" And as soon as I took the gauze away, and you saw that the blood had stopped, so did your tears. Amazing how that happened. 

So you still come into our room periodically during the night with an assortment of problems. The funniest (most aggravating?) one is that you can't sleep. Really? You can't sleep at 2am? You know who can? ME. So go back to your room and be awake, while I roll over and go back to sleep. 

I couldn't have hand-picked a better-suited girl for me than you. You show me what's good in this world; you show me what I need to work on about myself. You keep me on my toes; you keep me doubled-over in laughter. You fill my heart; you baffle my brain. I see so much of me in you; it's incredibly humbling. And it makes me want to run to Bob and give her a gigantic hug and apologize for how I acted when I was four. It also makes me look forward to when you have a daughter ... and she turns out to be just like you. And while your brain is being baffled, I'll just be in the corner with a huge smile on my face. 

Hugs and smooches, 
Mommy & Daddy 

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Headlines for May 1, 2013: 

• Fukushima's leaks spark new health fears 
• Tsarnaev's best defense: Judy Clarke, who keeps clients off death row 
• FDA approves Plan B without prescription for girls as young as 15 
• Bush Library Opening to Public 
• Toddler Without a Windpipe Gets Artificial Trachea 
• Amanda Knox says what happened to her 'could have happened to anyone'