This is the end...

Mommy & Me is over today.

When it started, I was sad because this would be the last time Girl and I would be in 'school' together...Today, I am a bag of tears because it is really over. My little girl is growing up fast.

My little, shy girl is empowered and strong and growing by leaps and bounds. She loves school. She loves her teacher, she loves playing with her friends...But I have always been there with her.

And I still despise that Flash Card Bitch.

September, she starts five days a week, two and a half hours each and every morning without (gasp!) me. (Deep breaths. Try not to. Hyper. Venti. Late)

Gah!

I truly believe that with a little encouragement, she will separate just fine. Her school is phenomenal. I trust they will take good care of her.

But, what. About. Me?

Me?

Mamma?

The one who dies a little each time she shows her independence?

The one who cherishes her strength because I know that she will need it in this world...but the Mom who has never been too far from her baby???

Double Gah!

I wrote her teacher a thank you.
Wanna read it. It's sappy. I promise.
There aren't enough words to thank you for what you have done for our family in these past months.

Your enthusiasm for Girl and school and your patience with us has enabled her to find herself in your class. A feat I was not sure would happen. But it did.

You are an important role model for all of these children. You are their first introduction to school and you make it very special for them.

These experiences will last them a lifetime and the confidence you helped build will help them establish positive school careers.

Like the caterpillars we fed and watched grow last week, you nourished Girl's self-esteem this year and helped her build her confidence I knew she could find, but was afraid she wouldn't.

Her newfound enthusiasm helped my beautiful butterfly to emerge from her chrysalis ready to greet the world.

Girl has become a different child thanks to you. She is confident and open and more accepting of others. She enjoys playing with friends and finds comfort in new surroundings.

Without stressing it, you taught her that. You taught her that school is fun and she doesn't have to feel so afraid.

She looks forward to seeing you (even though you'd never guess it from the way she enters school) and she brags about you all the time. (I never heard her speak so highly about someone other than family!) She may not remember this year as dearly as I will, but I know you have left an imprint in her heart that she will carry her entire life.

And I thank you for that.

You have been very important to our family.

Your caring and advice (and pediatrician), your knowledge of this age group and patience with us as anxious parents will never go unnoticed in our hearts.

Like the imprint left forever in Girl's heart, you have left special memories of her first days of school that I will cherish always.

Thank you for sharing this experience with us.

With much love,

Girl and her Mom

Family FunDays

Today, we saw Go! Diego Go!

I know. I hate him too.

But the show was phenomenal. What a joy to see! I loved the plot, the characters, the songs...everything. The mambo, merengue, cha cha and salsa dancing helped a lot too.

Those BoBo Brothers made us laugh and Dora even made an appearance. And she wasn't stuck up at all.

Click the camera had a wonderful solo and so did the rescue pack. His hip-hop dancing really made me giggle. I wasn't allowed to sing the songs as per Girl's personal request. So I followed her rules and bit my lip. It was very difficult to do. I can't understand why she hates when I sing those songs so much...maybe it's my awkward singing voice. I am a much better dancer than a singer!

I won't go into detail because you really should try to go see it yourself. It was similar to the show if you watch it and as the story begins, Baby Jaguar needs help to become the chief of 'Carrrrnival'...(Please note the tongue rolling the 'r'). The singing and dancing really made it a lively treat. I tell ya.

To top it ALL off...Girl watched the entire show!

She always adores the city and she loved Radio City Music Hall but she cried when we first entered the theater. She does that often. We did stick it out though and when the show started, she was mesmerized the entire time! The M&M's didn't hurt either.

I was so proud of her today. What a trooper. She was surely scared, but she toughed it out and hung in there with us. I always cry at a live show. Today was no different. And to see her actually enjoying it. Yup, the waterworks were there!

We also went to the aquarium this weekend. I love it there and so does Girl.
This year she was older and really got a chance to enjoy the place.
She luuurved the hands-on activities set up throughout the exhibits. She only wanted to stay at those spots in the aquarium. I knew that she would. She's like me that way...Very hands-on.

Here, she got to pick up a horseshoe crab and starfish.

Here, we fed the stingrays and they splashed us until we were soaked.
We spent the majority of our time in this very spot.

Us getting really soaked!Notice the hungry guy.

And to top it all off, we drove there in my new ride!

Gotta love that new car smell!

Happy Birthday to me one month late!

Yeah Baby!

Girl of the Year

I am making a special award just for my little lady!

We took her to the gastroenterologist yesterday to basically discover what we already know. She's constipated. And pretty much always will be unless her system is maintained by some sort of fiber/laxative combo. Thank you, genetics.

I love this man, by the way. He has been her gastro since she's born. And he just oozes sincerity and calm. He is very optimistic that with our new cocktail of treats to regulate her 'movements', she will be potty trained by the summer and switched over to a fiber supplement that will keep her 'going' for a long while. Poor kid. I hope she never has to read this one when she's a grown woman. How embarrassing.

So, in order to rule out other intestinal allergies such as celiac disease we had to give blood. No, let me rephrase that, SHE had to give blood. Give h.e.r blood. To a gigantic but sweet as honey nurse named Donna. Who called her arms "marshmallow arms". Sweet, yummy marshmallows. Delicious, squishy marshmallows.

Marshmallows.

This kid was a trooper!

She screamed and cried to make Donna stop and she made sure to tell Donna that she wasn't sick and she was feeling better and that she didn't need to test her. But she sat still. She let me hold her and rub her head. She let Donna 'milk' the blood out of her wrist while I squeezed it because she couldn't find a vein in her marshmallow arm. She sat and let the job get done. Like a big girl. While Daddy had convulsions in the corner of the room.

So for that. She gets this award. Especially made by Mamma.

My brave little lady. I am so proud of you.
We'll fix those intestines if it's the last thing I ever do.

Whatta kid!

The birthday party on Saturday was amazing!
Wait, the party itself...just okay.
My kid at the party, outstanding.

She goes to gym class there once a week so she was comfortable with the place. Then, it was all her friends from school there so she was extra comfy in her surroundings. God, I love seeing her have fun. She ran and danced and jumped and tumbled her little heart out. I loved it.

She interacted with a few kids there, but mainly it was just nice seeing her talk to the teachers and have a ball. She tried new things and excelled in the usual stuff like playing catch. She really enjoyed herself.

She was excited to be there too. A new one in our family as well.

She wanted to wear a frilly party dress to the party and I denied her the privilege. I felt like a real blue meanie but it was gym class...she can NOT go there all decked out. How would she run around? So we compromised, but I saw myself 10 years from now fighting with her about her clothes..it's not a pretty sight. I can assure you.

The only thing she didn't want to do was take the group picture with all of her friends. Oh, and eat the pizza...she walked into the party room for dinner and loudly exclaimed, "That pizza is NOT for me!"

She did love the goody bag from the birthday girl complete with a shiny, red balloon that I so mercilessly let escape as we were getting into the car. Oh! Devastation! I thought I was gonna cry right along with her. What a terrible Mom I am. But I did go back and get her another one through all the tears and screaming and losing it all!

So, all in all it was a complete success. With a few glitches that you have to expect with a three year old and a butterfingered Mother.

She rode her tricycle this weekend for the first time.
Thankfully the weather was beautiful! Finally!
What a treat for her!

And I had to share this one of her and Daddy on the see-saw!
How sexy is the father of your child on a friggin' see-saw???

It's not what it's cracked up to be, huh Fa?

We took Fa to the carnival in town last night.

She was so excited, she couldn't even walk...she jumped from place to place, like a little bunny.

She wanted to go on that big, rickety, very high slide that looks like you could really fall off of, if you're not careful...So I took her...She had a friggin' ball, not afraid of how high it was, the stairs you climb like Mount Everest, or the burlap bag you slide down your ass on (all things by the way, I expected her to be afraid of.) Is this the same kid that won't go on the merry-go-round in mall? Yup, same exact one!

Then the conversation went something like this:
"I go again Mommy!"
"OK, Let's get on line and do it again."
"NO!!!!!! I do it again!!!!!"
"Whaddya talkin' about, I'll go with you, you're still too small to go by yourself!" (anxiety mom strikes again)
Then I think she said something like this: "NOOOOOOOO!!!! Mommy, I go by myself down the slide."
But I heard: "Noooooooooo!! Mommy, I go down the flaming shoot of high hell alone. I don't need you, I never did. Get over yourself and let me be who I am..."

So we went down the slide together a few more times..."or we'll go home right now young lady!"

We also let her ride on those metal death traps, or cars, that you sit in and steer the wheel, but they only go in a circle, fast enough to get the bystanders dizzy and puking, but slow enough that if your're in it, you can't even tell it's moving.

Well, my stars, was she ever so excited to pick out her very own PURPLE car to ride in. She obviously didn't get the concept of "ride alone" until then. Because, when I strapped her into the front seat of the metallic, purple trap of doom, and walked away...her eyes read, "what the f* do you think you're doing, get back here!"

She raised her pudgy hands towards me, the alarm buzzed and the metallic mangler jerked her forward..Like whiplash, toddler style. Fa pouted and "zoomed" off into her circle of despair. Upon her return to where she started, she was full-fledged crying. It was like watching your only child be tortured by people-eating cars.. it was my very own scary movie playing out right in front of me...I can't believe I didn't jump over the "safety" gate to rescue her. But I was brave, I let her experience the torture for a few revolutions...really letting her get worked up in a fit of terror. Then, I asked the operator of death to stop the ride, "cause I wanna get off"....

She calmed down surprisingly quick and asked to go on the slide of fear one more time...

I guess it's really not all it's cracked up to be, HUH?