All Grown Up

My daughter Emily had all four of her wisdom teeth removed this morning. Today has been discussed, analyzed from all angles, and worried over for about 5 weeks. Let me tell you -- Emily's history with pain has been, well, painful.

She is only 13 months younger than her older sister Kelly, who when Em was born, became a "little mother." Emily didn't ever have to lift a finger because Kelly was there to get it for her. Emily decided what to eat, what to wear, what to play with, etc., based on whatever it was that Kelly was doing. She was the shyest of my children, spoke last, walked last...was literally, my "hip baby." Her tiny little childhood scratches, splinters, cuts and bruises were larger-than-life and hurt more than any other child's in the whole world. Many a time did I pry her from underneath the examination table at the pediatricians office -- shots were invented to torture Emily. As she grew older, my patience with her fear of needles lessened; my "motherly love" had a limit -- "Emily, please just deal with it and grow up"!

My "wish" came true today. Emily was up at 6am, dressed and ready to go. At 7am she was whisked into the back room at the ortho before I had a chance to say "good-bye," or "I love you, honey." Exactly an hour and a half later they wheeled her out. Admittedly, she was a bit loopy and her speech was somewhat garbled, but insisted she wasn't in any pain.

We got home, she ate some yogurt, took her meds, and took a nap (wait, I need to add this: on the way home, she thanked me for taking care of her and spending money to get her mouth fixed...wow). When she woke up she ate mac 'n cheese, applesauce, and more yogurt. I asked about the procedure -- I was curious as to her reaction to the needle and shot she received. She said she saw the needle, and the tears started to flow, but both the doctor and nurse were so sweet and nice to her, she knew she didn't have to be scared and the next thing she remembered was falling asleep. As soon as she finished telling me that, she left to go to McDonald's with her brother and sister and "gummed" a double cheeseburger. Currently, she is next door at her bff's house, just hanging out.

So, why am I left with this very empty feeling? As much as I was dreading her recovery, with what I thought was going to be whining, crying, etc., I was also looking forward to "baby-ing" her. She is, after all, my last baby. But that didn't happen. In fact, I'm the one left a bit weepy...today my baby girl "grew up" into a young lady right before my eyes. And I've been saying for a few years now how I just can't wait until the kids leave and I will finally have the house to myself? Lies, all lies...

Christmas in October...

It's October 10th, and we are already weeks into the Christmas season! Really?! I know, I know, it's no surprise to people anymore -- it's almost expected. Back to school and Christmas countdown all at once. Is it any wonder that the day after Christmas I look forward to putting all the decorations away...preferably before noon! We are inundated with music, lights, movies, sales, Santas, toys, catalogs, and of course, commercials -- "Christmased" out by the 25th! How very, very sad. And did you even notice that I never even mentioned Halloween or Thanksgiving?

I've worked in retail and know that the retail season is 3-6 months ahead of the actual season. And now there is a 5th season -- it comes in January and is called "cruise season." Exactly. Personally, I'd like to see a ban on all-things-Christmas until after Thanksgiving. Is it ever going to happen? Never. So what can we do?

Let's face it...Halloween is for kids. Something happens when we grow up and Halloween doesn't seem fun and exciting anymore. But to kids? It's amazing! I can remember that after trick-or-treating my brother and sister and I would dump our pumpkins out on the kitchen table and swap and trade candy. Likewise when my own kids were young -- there was more laughter and fun going on than the actual outing for the goods. Relax and enjoy...

After Halloween, let's get excited about Thanksgiving. I know there is a lot of PC stuff in the news about how this group wants the holiday banned, and Columbus was a no-good-SOB, etc, etc. Ugh...people, let it go already! Let's be grateful that this amazing country was discovered and has become the welcome beacon to so many different people. Let's celebrate our achievements and uniqueness. And to do so with family, friends, turkey, mashed potatoes, and pie...even better.

And after the meal, as you are laying on the couch watching the game, drifting in and out of a very satisfied sleepiness, then you may begin to think about Christmas. It might even begin early the next morning with all the Christmas sales. Think how much more happy and excited people would be if they saw the Christmas decorations for the first time that day! And the lights on the trees would seem special and bright, the carols more meaningful, and the Santas jolly...the way it should be.

And Advent, oh how I love Advent! Going to church every Sunday brings me that much closer to the real gift of Christmas. I want to feel that excitement and yearning that only comes with the true meaning of Christmas. It's a feeling that I haven't felt in quite a few years and I want it back...this year.

So, how do I get it back? Well, I can grumble about commercialism and this and that, but guess what? It is totally up to me to change how I feel. So...I'm going to start with Halloween. I never dress up for our Fall Festival at school..."It's just not my thing..." Well, you're right, it really is not my thing, but that's not what it is all about -- it's about the kids and their fun. So this year I'm dressing up as Mary Poppins...and totally looking forward to it! Woo hoo! And Thanksgiving? Instead of moaning about the crowds and sales and people...I might just join in this year!

Christmas...I want to feel the excitement and energy as I once did, not the work, commitments, guilt, or the same 'ol routine. I want to make a conscious effort to embrace the wonderfulness of the entire season...from start to finish.

Down on the Farm

My brother called me yesterday and asked if I wanted to meet him, his 3 1/2-year old daughter Anna, and my aunt for lunch today. He chose "White Fence Farm" because of the animals (or as Anna says it, "animunks"). My son bowed out due to school work; my daughter Kelly declined because Homecoming was this weekend, yet teachers still assigned loads of homework. Emily was up for lunch...as long as I let her drive. Even though 470 was down to one lane (I had no idea construction went on over the weekend!), and I used my imaginary brake several times, we got to our destination just fine.

There are two White Fence Farm restaurants in the country, the other one being in Chicago. Robb and I have a vague recollection of going there for one of our dads' birthdays (this was way before any marriages or grand-kids). The setting was beautiful -- typical farm buildings, lots of trees, little walking paths, gazebo, etc. The weather was sunny, crisp, very fall-like. As we went inside, I whispered to my brother, "Emily and Anna are seriously bringing down the average age in here," because really? It was full of very, very elderly folk! And my aunt? Knew several of them!

The dinner was served family-style, and the fried chicken was excellent, but who eats beets? And kidney-bean salad with dill pickles? And cottage cheese? I thought things like biscuits and corn-on-the-cob were supposed to be served with fried chicken. Although, they had these little powdered-sugar corn fritters that were very tasty. Our take-out box wasn't a box, it was a plastic bag that Emily dumped the extra chicken and corn fritters in.

We walked outside to the petting barn. Yes, Anna loved the animals, but I think Emily was as excited as I had ever seen her. She bonded with a cute little goat who's back she scratched. The goat totally arched its' back "cat-like," and kept nudging Em for more scratches. There was a huge pig in the barn that we named Wilbur, because why wouldn't we? Now, Anna is a calm, wonderful child. I've never seen her disagreeable...ever. But when Robb said, "C'mon Anna, let's go home and see if mommy is home from her trip," Anna said, "no." And kept saying it louder and louder. Of course, Emily and I did the wrong thing and giggled, which kept her going, I think. So, Robb being the very good daddy, picked her up. She did the "back-arch" and wanted to be let down. For those of you not familiar with the "back-arch," it's a very clever thing little kids do that makes it nearly impossible to hold them.

As Anna was just about to "ramp it up," I noticed a John Deere tractor. I asked Anna if she wanted to ride the tractor, and Emily jumps up on the tractor and pulls up her young cousin. It made for a very cute photo. By that time some other little girls were wanting to get on the John Deere, so Anna willingly got off. We said our good-byes and got into the car. I immediately told Em she was going to have to toss her bag of fried chicken because the scent was overwhelming. Well, Em refused to give up her bag of left-overs, so she hung the bag outside the window and rolled the window up. The looks we got on the highway were of curiosity to frowning (probably thinking something super gross was in the bag...).

So, this Sunday was fun spent with family, farm animals, the Broncos game (they won). And only 3 weeks until fall break...