I am definitely positive that this is my favorite life. I know that makes no sense, especially since we all have one life (here on earth). But what I’m saying is that if I did have other lives, this would most certainly be my favorite.
There are some days that it’s kind of difficult to realize this. You know what I mean. It’s those days when you need to run a quick errand to the grocery to pick up some MORE milk because you forgot to pick up 3 GALLONS to last through the week. The 10 minute run turns into an hour because you have to fix the diaper bag, (since you should always assume that she will poop in the short time you are out), and that she will also need a cup of milk, a cup of juice, some goldfish, marshmallows, some fruit snacks, and a fruit strip. So, you pack all of that up, then spend the time making sure she is snug and secure in her carseat and then drive to the store. Once you get into the store only to grab the milk, the almost 2 year old ends up dashing to one end of the store to the other picking up everything that’s at eye level. You have to put everything back (in approximately the right place) while also holding her with the other arm so she won’t pick up anything else. Then, to top it all off, you end up being VERY disappointed because you didn’t have the chance to look at the cover of the new US weekly magazine to learn the latest on Brittany Spears (no, I wouldn’t dare buy one because it would rot in my house from never being read). You put her back in the car to go home and she spends the ride home screaming for milk (which is the one thing she decided to partake in on the way TO the store) so now it’s all gone. So you arrive at home with a broken arm (from carrying a 27 lb. child for longer than you should) and all you really want to do is take a very long nap because the hour grocery store trip completely tired you out. You soon realize that will never happen when she is repeating over and over again in a whiny voice, “Hold you? hold you?”
But then there are other days – like the recent day that I had to go to Lowe’s to buy paint so that I could paint my bathroom countertop because I hate it and we didn’t want to spend the money on a new one (only to end up buying a new one because the painting of the countertop didn’t work). The trip to a place other than our home began like all the others. I put her in the buggy and she lasted 37 seconds where she then yelled that she wanted to get down, so I got her down and she proceeded to pull things off the shelves while I was trying to choose the perfect paint color for my countertops that would end up being for naught. She finally asked me to hold her which brought on mixed feelings because then I knew that my left arm was about to go numb from holding the 27 lb. child as I attempted to look at paint swatches with the other arm, but I also knew this would keep her from pulling more things off the shelves. But then it happened.
She said, “I tired.” So I said, “lay your head on mommy’s shoulder.” She said, “okay.” So, she laid her head on my shoulder. I then felt her raise her head, and giving me the sweetest smile that ever existed she said, “I so glad to see you.” I took a moment and just stood there because time seemed to stand still and I wanted to commit that moment to memory.
Oh yes, THIS is my favorite life.
I’m pretty sure I hate this picture because I have lots of little lines around my eyes that I try to ignore most days. And I also have something in my teeth. But I love the look on my little girl’s face. So, I don’t really care about the lines or the food in my teeth (that Brittain forgot to tell me about).
