Yesterday was Saturday and Mark's turn to sleep in, so I had E settled in the recliner with some milk and mesmerized by Gene Wilder singing Pure Imagination.
I thought it was safe to make a quiet Oompa-Loompa-like exit to, uh, cream and sugar the chocolate river, if you will...
I left the door open to listen for E. About 2 minutes later, she yells, "Mama!!!"
"Yeah!?" I said, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Wha doin?"
"I'm in the bathroom. Are you ok?"
"Yeah."
(phew)
A few minutes later, "Mama?!!"
"Yeah?"
"I get down?"
I dreaded this moment, but more so because she usually just gets down on her own without asking, and last week she just randomly decided to roll out of the chair onto the hard wood floor. It resulted in a bump on the head, lots of tears, and me feeling like a terrible mom.
"Yes, can you get down by yourself?"
"Yeah."
"Ok, just be careful!"
I mentally surrounded her with white light and prayed that she'd be okay. I heard the chair rock forward, but then she started whimpering.
"Mama! Down!!"
"I'm so sorry! I can't get you right now. Can you do it yourself?"
"Yeah..."
"Carefully, ok?"
I heard a sliding sound (cringe) and one foot hit the floor, then the other, then:
"I did it!! I careful!"
Yay! Because she's only 1.5 years old, her speech is riddled with the sweetest of speech impediments. It melts my heart. "Ah deed it! Aye cayfoh!" Especially the bigger words: "majestic" = "so jestick!" and "refreshing" = "feshing!" (happy sigh).
Anyway, she then came barreling into the bathroom ready to create some chaos. Our bathroom door is adjacent to our room where Mark was sleeping, and our bed is about 2 feet from the door.
As she tried to close the toilet lid and unroll the entire roll of toilet paper, I said, "Why don't you go watch your show. I'll be out in a minute."
She cocked her head to one side, curls bouncing, thought for a minute, grinned, then playfully said, "Nooo..."
"Ok, how about you go get your Lego blocks?"
She casually strolled over to our bedroom door and reached for the doorknob, while she giggled a drawn-out, "Nooooo..."
"Hey... Don't you go in there. Dada's sleeping."
She turned the knob, and as she did, her grin got bigger...
I'd like to take a moment to remind you that this is my 1-year-old. Where did my baby go?? Only months ago, I was cradling a little angel in my arms, feeding her bottles, as she cooed up at me, fell asleep snuggling with me, as I sang little lullabies.
It seemed like only 2 days later she started climbing furniture, throwing cups, unraveling anything on a cardboard roll (toilet paper, wrapping paper, ribbon, tape, string!), and screaming like a pterodactyl, "I neeed that!!!"
And, of course, in some way, I love those moments, as I see her little personality develop, as she tests every possible boundary I put in place... BUT it's still a traumatic transition for a mom to go through.
Anyway, back to E at the bedroom door, and me, still a permanent passenger on the porcelain train.
"E, do not open that door. Marky's sleeping."
As she hangs on the doorknob:
"Dada Mah-kee sweep?"
"Yes, that's right."
"I be QUIET!"
"Yes, please don't yell."
If Mark doesn't get his beauty sleep, it's hard to convince him that I deserve my Sunday-morning sleep-in.
Then, she giggles, opens the door, and pokes her head in the room.
She rests her chin on the bed, and says, about 2 inches from Mark's face, rather casually, with a sigh, in a it's-just-another-day sorta way:
"Hey, Mah-kee."
"Hey, Mah-kee."
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| My baby growing up so fast! |
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