Monday, April 26, 2010

I am that Bad Mom you have heard about

Some time in the fall, I broke the news to Caitlyn that there was no Santa. Not because I wanted to be cruel on that particular day, but because she was asking about it and began doubting it a little herself. To spare her the embarrassment of being the only child in her classroom that still believed in him, I fessed up and told her the truth. In true Caitlyn format, there was drama. Tears and all. She threw out comments like, "It just seems like a little bit of the Christmas spirit is gone now that I know." OK? Well, there will still be the same amount of Christmas spirit under the tree as there was when you believed in Santa. She also learned the truth about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy during that same discussion (which, by the way, lasted a good 24 hours). Despite her knowing the truth, we still play the game of Santa and the Bunny and the Fairy. All in jest of course, she makes air quotes and all when she says their names.

Fast forward to this past week. On Wednesday, Caitlyn's tooth fell out while we were at Family Night at her school. She was at another table with her friends and excitedly ran up to me with the tooth in her hand. (Side note, I hate the idea of teeth falling out. Grosses me out.) On the way home, we joke about the tooth fairy leaving her some money under her pillow. On Thursday, when we got home, she was very careful to tell me that she was surprised this morning that the "tooth fairy" didn't leave her any money. Yep, that's right. I totally forgot about it. I know that she knows the truth, but she still looks forward to it. I just completely forgot about it and went to bed. Instead of trying to talk my way out of it, I simply asked her if we could just forgo the formalities of putting the money under the pillow and I could just hand over the money to her. Naturally she agreed.

Yesterday, she was at a friend's house, and apparently she swallowed the other tooth that was loose. Either that was a really crunchy piece of chocolate or my kid doesn't chew her food well enough. Either way, I needed to give her money. Of which I had none on me. She woke up this morning and quickly asked if we could make the trade, tooth for cash, this afternoon.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Wordless Wednesday

You can't see her very well, she is in the back corner wearing a white shirt and dark pants.

Monday, April 12, 2010

I'm Slipping Again

I know I said I would be better at generating updates and fun posts. But life gets in the way and things get crazy and all of the sudden, I am a month behind again. However, busy is good! I think about all of the things that I imagined being a parent would be like. And to be honest, 90% has been true. I love that Caitlyn is involved in so many extra curriculars. I love that I have to have a calender in hand when someone asks me what we are doing this weekend. And I love that I get to watch her enjoy ALL of it!

Caitlyn seems to be testing the waters when it comes to activities to determine what it is that she likes. And in order to determine that, she has joined all sorts of things. She is in her third year of girl scouts, and probably enjoys that the most. She looks forward to every meeting and trip and is constantly looking for ways to earn new badges when we are home. She is also enrolled in Hip Hop again this year. The park district has a new instructor and he is, in a word, AMAZING! He has gotten these girls to do things the instructors in the past have not been able to do. She has mentioned her desire to return to ballet though. And personally, I think that is probably the better choice for her abilities and body type. Whichever she decides to continue with in the fall, I am fine with though. She also signed up for softball this spring. She has attended 2 clinics and absolutely loves it. If you know my child, you know she is a "girly-girl." So I fully expected her to shy away from the ball or complain when she gets hit with it. To my surprise (and this kid always surprises me), she runs full speed ahead for the ball when it comes at her and barely flinches if she gets hit with it. (Yes, she has already gotten hit in the face with it and kept right on going.) She has also signed up for the knitting class that the school is offering once a week. I don't know where this came from, but she has always loved "creating" things. Hopefully she will enjoy this. And very soon, cheerleading registration is coming up and she has expressed an interest in that as well.

All of that on top of school work, and busy parents, and it's no wonder we don't have a minute in our day to spare. But like I said, I wouldn't change a minute of it. There were so many times from her birth to toddlerhood, to just a couple of years ago that we didn't know what the future would hold for her. To say that we question it anymore would be a gross misrepresentation of what actually happens. I don't doubt that she will be able to do anything that she attempts. Or at least decide whether or not she wants to pursue her interests.

Every so often, when she is riding her bike, or picking up another Harry Potter to read (she is now on Book 5), I look at her and think, "My God! You don't even realize just how far you have come and the odds that were stacked against you!!!" And then I take a moment just to be thankful for being able to witness that miracle and be part of it. When I think about all this kid has been through in her short little life, I am in complete awe of her will and strength. She is such an amazing kiddo. She has an incredible sense of humor, has just a touch of sarcasm, and is as smart (if not smarter) than most kids I know, and has a heart of gold!!

OK, enough of the sappiness, will save that for her birthday post ;)

I have finally finished my classes. Well, at least those that I have to actually be in class for. I am currently doing a narrative research project as my last course for graduate school. It is easy going, and because it is narrative research, it is not anywhere near as intense as qualitative research. Which gives me some freedom with the final product. I was really worried about what this last quarter would look like and now I am so relieved. There is light at the end of the tunnel; in just over a month I will be completely finished. For how long? Who knows. There may be some opportunities on the horizon which I will mention later on. Suffice it to say, it is something that I would love to do and I think it would really "round out" my career.

On the work front, things are starting to slow down now, which is nice. We are approaching the point in the year where people just don't want me coming in and changing things up. There are only 40ish days of school left and summer can't get here fast enough! I am starting to think about our trips to the lake and all of the other fun things that summer brings.

Until next time......