Thursday, May 26, 2011

Inchling


Eighteen and a half years ago I gave birth to a healthy 7 lb 12 ounce baby girl. Well, that sweet baby graduated from high school this week. I know it sounds cliche, but really, where has the time gone? And who gave her permission to grow up?

But she has grown up so nicely. She's beautiful and talented, and wow she's a good kid. She deserves the best the world has to offer, and I hope that it comes her way.

When I brought my precious little infant home, my other three children looked so big and she looked so very tiny. I started calling her Inchling, a name that has stuck even eighteen and a half years later. Congratulations on graduating, Inchling. I love you to the depths of my soul and back again.



Sunday, May 15, 2011

turn off

So school's finally out and I can turn off my brain. All my hard work paid off with an electronic report card of five pretty A's. And now I get a short three-week break before I return for summer semester. So what do you suppose I did to start off my break? Here, I'll give you a hint:



Yup. I got in my car and went for a long weekend visit to see my grandbaby. We had so much fun, but we kept getting into trouble. One night Grandma was helping this Little Miss take a bath. She was so excited to have a new bath supervisor that she went into party mode. Tub toys were flying everywhere, and the floor got a bit wet. She thought that was so funny that she started a new game called "Grandma, see if you can catch the soaking wet wash cloth when I madly throw it around." Pretty soon the floor was in possession of about a third of her bath water. But she was laughing so hard! How could I resist that belly laugh? Pretty soon Mommy came in to investigate, and Grandma got in trouble. "Grandma, you're banned from bath duty!"

Then one morning, Grandma was being just plain lazy and didn't get up the minute the Little Miss did. She knelt down next to me and said something like, "Grandma's makeup bag." This is what resulted:


Then her mommy came to check on her. "Grandma! What's this?"

"Uh . . . waterproof mascara?"

Well, all great fun has to come to an end, and pretty soon it was time for me to go home. My daughter always sings a song to the Little Miss at bedtime, and the last night when it was time for bed, she had a special request. "Grandma sing song?" I was honored to be chosen as a guest soloist in her bedtime ritual. She lay down in her bed with her blanky, white, sheepie, and bear and looked up at me as I sang.

About two-thirds through my solo, she said, "Turn off." 

I paused. "Turn off what, Sweetie?"

"Turn off song. Mommy sing song."

(sigh) I guess I'll stick to English as my major.






 P.S. This sweet Little Miss will soon be big sister to a new baby in July and cousin to a new baby in November. Yay!