Seven

As I was going through baby clothes pulled from storage last week, I picked up a pair of pajamas and my mind was instantly flooded with memories of Allison wearing them. I saw her toddling through the house

Allison wore this last week, right?

Four

For the past year, I’ve been walking around with a lock of hair from your first haircut in my purse because I don’t know what else to do with it.

I still haven’t made your baby book.

The most recent photos of you on the wall are from your first birthday.  And last week, you were 4 years old.

I may not be very good at preserving memories, but I like to think I am damn good at making them.

Blanket forts, nature walks, and movie nights with pop-pop popcorn.  Play-doh and finger paint.  Snuggles and stories at bedtime every night.

And hopefully these things will flood your memories 30 years from now.  Along with all the hugs, kisses, I love yous and affirmations that you are smart, strong, and beautiful, capable of achieving anything.

I am so proud of the little girl you are becoming and very much look forward to the woman you will someday be.

I love you, sweet girl.  Happy (belated) birthday.

Inquisition

Phone conversation I had with Matt yesterday:

Matt:  Did you lose a plate?

Me:  ??

Matt:  An Allison plate.

Me:  Um, I don’t know.  (Should I care about a $.20 Ikea plastic plate?!) 

Matt:  Maybe from waffles?

Me:  I’m pretty sure she wandered around the house eating the waffle.  

Matt:  Well, my mom found a sticky plastic plate in Allison’s kitchen.

Me:  Okay…  I’m guessing that would be from french toast yesterday.  She didn’t have syrup with waffles.  (Is there a point to this inquisition?)

Matt:  It was covered in ants.  (Oh.)

Me:  *gag*  Let’s just burn the house down and start over. 

Matt:  No.

Me:  Wait!  We still have that stupid actual cash value insurance policy, so we can’t do that.  If something happened to the house, we’d probably only get $32 and a pack of Twizzlers for the place.  And I don’t even like Twizzlers.

I’m still not sure how this evolved into a 3 minute conversation, except that I suspect that he was trying to deny any blame for the ant plate because he was present for french toast.  He probably planted the plate because he likes Twizzlers.  And setting things on fire.  But this conversation is now evidence that he didn’t want to set the house on fire, should our house suspiciously catch on fire.  I hope the Twizzlers were worth it, Matt.