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Isabel

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It was family traditions reporting day at school.  One of Alana’s first Spanish presentations, I was eager to hear how it went. “Did any of your friends have cool traditions? How about Eli? And Everly? What about Isabel? It was at ‘Isabel’ that Alana remarked she “actually has *two* friends name Isabel...” I added the fun fact that my grandmother’s name was Isabel, too.  Wasting no time, Alana inquired: “Is she still alive?” Slowly, and with an air of reminiscence, I replied “No sweetheart, she isn’t alive any more…” To which she immediately left out an audible sigh of relief, adding “oh, that’s good! That would be too many Isabels for me to remember”. I smiled.  I love how young kids think. And since Sayler has hit the age of dread over her, or her family, dying, I take solace in knowing it’s no big deal for Alana, at least.  That phase of realization that we’re all mere mortals has not yet crept up and I am so grateful for how singularly-minded Alana is.  In fact, I was exactly her a

First Lost Tooth

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Alana lost her first tooth yesterday.  And I wasn’t ready for it.  Though she’s been saying for the last 2 weeks her tooth is “wiggly” I wasn’t prepared for her holding her hand to her little mouth as I sat draped over the blue chair that’s become synonymous with all-day TV binges of late. (I’m neither proud nor ashamed to admit that). And as she clutched her mouth, hiding whatever toothless grin lay beneath she told me her “tooth fell out” I immediately thought it was a prank. Only a few years prior hadn’t her older sister tried to extort the tooth fairy with playdough creations and soppy white paper towels crafted into look-alike teeth? Nestled beneath her pillow awaiting some payday that the fairy never delivered on, I had become accustomed to all the ways Sayler could negotiate or lovingly, and without malice, con someone out of their loose change or a five dollar bill because she had done a chore that she should have been doing anyway.  And here she was- that older sister turned p

Like a snowball.... on the ocean

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Alana and Sayler, This memory popped up and I’m so grateful for it. I’m grateful that this is still your relationship. So incredibly close. So incredibly playful. So incredibly rife with the cliché of older sister-younger sister-annoyance.  Sayler, we’ve just wrapped up 4th grade. It’s hard to remember when it started and ended. The pandemic has made much of the last year a blur. Big, big, big, mucho grande blur. But we also did so much.  Together.  You are obsessed with Roblox, TikTok, YouTube, mystery shows, and your closest friends, Seleste, Alexis, Josie and Samantha. You are witty. You are a a fixer. You are a problem-solver. You are “work smarter, not harder”. You challenge me. You unravel our senses and make us rethink everything we’ve feigned knowing.  Alana, your vocabulary is unreal. And often inaccurate.  Your expressions and humor are well-timed and random.  We’re here for all of it, sugar.  Lipstick = realistic  Choking = joking “Ahhhh, that’s the stuff...” You’re obsessed

Thanksgivingish, 2020

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Alana, I appreciate that your primary love language is touch. I can get on board with all the hugging and 20-rapid-kisses-in-a-row vibe you have going on.  Your favorite thing ever is to sit and watch TV while holding my hand, or watching TV and using your daddy as a giant pillow.  Alana, I appreciate that you say: “I’m just choking!” Instead of “I’m just joking”. And we all go along with your improper word choice because it’s just too funny.  Alana, I dig that you love stuffed dogs. Between your Paw Patrol dogs, Our Generation dogs, my random but darling TY beanie baby collection from 20 years ago that you’ve appropriated, and all stuffed animal dogs of other varieties, our home is full of love for dogs.  And when you insist on taking “The Whole Family” with us wherever we go, it’s both sweet and stressful, because you can’t leave any of the sisters, brothers, or mom or dad behind.  Alana, I appreciate that you don’t hold anything against me.  Not yet, anyway. I hope you’ll always be

And then there were 2

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*I found this in Drafts- so here I am... publishing it 4+ years after the fact* 🤦🏽‍♀️ I have a newborn in the swing.  I have a 4 year old making food in her kitchen.  And fortunately my kitchen is tidier than hers... And if my newborn wasn't asleep- not nursing or crying or in need of urgent blowout assistance- my sigh might have been heavier when I heard the sound of a  falling cup and SPLASH! I did not look at the mess behind me. I sat quietly.  I did not acknowledge the splash. Sayler paused quietly for only a second and then confidently added "I'll go get a towel..." To which I responded "okay- go get a big one..." Because that splash was not slight. Of course- I helped her clean it up.   Some days there is no use sighing (*or crying) over spilled milk.   Clean it up.  Nestle back into couch. Await other mess or food tragedy. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. 

Sharing Dip

It’s not my story. R shared it with me on our somewhat-quarterly-ish catch up call. We miss being direct colleagues. Though now we are transitioned into fun friends.  Friends that check-in on each other somewhat-quarterly-ish. We lamented a bit. Unusual for both of us.  We lameneted the heaviness of these past few days, if not months. Friends losing their loved ones, and the paralysis of not being able to comfort them in the time of CoronaVirus.  We laughed at the regions of the United States where people don’t wear masks. And I don’t know why that was so insanely funny to us Geminis, but I guess giggles are hard to come by in the time of CoronaVirus. We talked about the basic-privileged-person things we were missing in the time of CoronaVirus.  A family-favorite restaurant near her sister had opened back up. And this is the sister with 3 kids and a 4th due in November.   They’d missed that restaurant. The food was so amazing there, but nothing as delicious and well-loved by them all a

Four: Love in the Time of CoronaVirus

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Such magic. Cinco de Abril means our Joyful girl has celebrated another birthday- her 4th to be exact! She and I enjoyed our semi-usual 3.5 mile trek up to the fire station on 24th, and back. Lloyd picked up an essential chocolate cake and pizzas today, and Sayler and I had the wherewithal to get her gifts a few weeks ago pre-Covid19 lockdown. It was a most-perfect birthday celebration at home. In anticipation, I interviewed Alana Joy last night on her last night of being 3. Here were her answers: 1. What’s your name? “Alana” 2. What do you like to draw? “Me” 3. What makes you happy? “My class” 4. What makes you sad? “When somebody hurts me” 5. What makes you laugh? “My class” 6. How old are you? “Six” (she’s 3) 7. How old is Mommy? “Uhhhhhh... I can’t know (panics).... “I still can’t know!” 8. How old is Daddy? (Stressed and panicked) “I CANT KNOW” 9. What is your favorite thing to do? “Play with Sammy” (our dog) 10. What do you want to be when you grow up? “A teacher” 11. What is you