5/26/2006 06:15:00 PM|W|P|Sus|W|P|Lil bro was sitting on my lap wanting his little yellow Adidas soccer ball.
"Sis, did you take my ball?"
"No," said Big sis without taking her eyes off of the tv.
"Mama, did you take my ball?"
"No buddy," I said.
"Then where could it be?" he asked, lifting each of my hands and peeling my fingers back in search of his ball.
"I don't know." I said, shrugging.
"Hmph!" said lil bro, hanging his head in defeat. But then, something caught his eye. He slowly turned toward me with a sly smile as if to say - I caught you mommy! He pointed at my right boob and said, "What's that?"
I said, "It's not your ball, I'll tell you that much." But he didn't believe me.
"Let me see it."
"No way," I said.
"I'm gon-na grab it!" he squeeled.
The disappointment was heartbreaking, yet strangely familiar. Are all boys secretly hoping for soccer balls?|W|P|114869326432705629|W|P|The old switcheroo|W|P|susielkins@yahoo.com5/25/2006 06:53:00 PM|W|P|Sus|W|P|
I've never been so scared in my life as the day you were born. I didn't know how to feed you. I didn't know how to hold you. When they laid you on my chest you were warm and wiggly, yet solid and heavy. I didn't expect you to feel so heavy. My muscles were so achy and shaky from pushing (over 5 hours!), that I didn't trust my arms to hold you and I worried you'd fall.
I'm still worried.
Despite my neurosis, you've grown to be confident and smart beyond your five years. At every turn you surprise us with your thoughtfulness and humor. Your favorite joke is- "Why didn't the skeleton cross the road? -Because he HAD NO GUTS!"
You take your role as Big Sis very seriously and watch over lil brother like a mama bear with her cub - often reminding me, "He's just a baby mom, go easy on him."
You have your daddy's blue eyes and beautiful wild blond hair. Sometimes I watch you while you color or practice your letters and I can't believe I'm allowed to be your mom.|W|P|114861126731378575|W|P|5 Years|W|P|susielkins@yahoo.com5/12/2006 10:51:00 AM|W|P|Sus|W|P|Today as I was going through the Wendy's drive-thru for my hamburger kids meal and diet pepsi, I had a thought that made me very proud. Tonight we will be taking the kids to the mall for ice cream dessert and some rides on the germ infested indoor playground - our favorite routine. Usually, we don't think ahead to bring quarters and of course the change machine never works and then we spend a half hour trying to find a compassionate soul to take pity on my screaming 2 year old and give us four quarters for a dollar already. But not tonight.
The bill for my lunch came to $2.53. Upon being told, I immediately started scrounging for 2 quarters and 3 pennies because I find some strange satisfaction in having the exact change for the guy in the window. But this time, I had a brain shift and ....WAIT....if I save those two quarters right now, that's one ride on the Jungle Safari jeep! Little brother can drive, and Big Sis can ride on the back with her arms around fake Simba. And then another shift....WAIT.....if I not only save those two quarters, but pay with another dollar and the three cents, then they will almost surely give me two more quarters back in change. Then I would have enough for each kid to have their very own choice of ride, thereby avoiding the inevitable no fair protest from sis who thinks the Jungle Safari jeep is Lame, mom.
I'm so freakin smart.|W|P|114745697552898515|W|P|Little Victories|W|P|susielkins@yahoo.com5/01/2006 08:43:00 AM|W|P|Sus|W|P|For the past week or so, Big Sis has been crying like crazy when I drop her off at preschool. She cries and begs me not to leave and breaks my heart into tiny little pieces. She's always loved school- to the point of throwing a fit if I try to pick her up two minutes early. What is up??
I can't help but go and sit in the "obeservation" room behind the two-way mirror and watch her like some kind of second-rate detective waiting for a break in the case. She's still crying, and I "left" over 5 minutes ago. Why isn't that cold hearted teacher cuddling her and gently wiping away her tears? Put down that nasty guinea pig and tend to my child woman! Hey - some kid just grabbed a book right out of big sis' hands! Didn't anybody see that? What kind of juvenile delinquents are you raising in this madhouse?
She goes and sits by herself in the corner, arms folded, chin to chest, bottom lip firmly protruding outward.
I can't take it. 20 minutes late for work, mascara running and feeling like the worst mom on earth, I drag myself out of observation and sneek out the front door praying little brother won't see me from his classroom down the hall.
Oh yeah. It's gonna be a good day.|W|P|114649888546232068|W|P|Preschool Blues|W|P|susielkins@yahoo.com
I've never been so scared in my life as the day you were born. I didn't know how to feed you. I didn't know how to hold you. When they laid you on my chest you were warm and wiggly, yet solid and heavy. I didn't expect you to feel so heavy. My muscles were so achy and shaky from pushing (over 5 hours!), that I didn't trust my arms to hold you and I worried you'd fall.
I'm still worried.
Despite my neurosis, you've grown to be confident and smart beyond your five years. At every turn you surprise us with your thoughtfulness and humor. Your favorite joke is- "Why didn't the skeleton cross the road? -Because he HAD NO GUTS!"
You take your role as Big Sis very seriously and watch over lil brother like a mama bear with her cub - often reminding me, "He's just a baby mom, go easy on him."
You have your daddy's blue eyes and beautiful wild blond hair. Sometimes I watch you while you color or practice your letters and I can't believe I'm allowed to be your mom.|W|P|114861126731378575|W|P|5 Years|W|P|susielkins@yahoo.com