After thinking Caroline was going to have a hard time bouncing back from what was a really bad day, yesterday turned out to be epic for us. Yes, I said it...EPIC! Caroline showed her tail in class, I got "the" call, and was able to talk to her and see if I could help her get it together. Well, little one apparently listened, took it down a notch, and was able to salvage the rest of the day ending it on a good note. I got a sweet follow-up email from her teachers and was looking forward to picking her up as soon as I could after work. We talked in the car - and more at home- and she was honest with telling me why she was having a bad day and we got through it. I told her while it was wrong that she acted ugly to her teachers and classmates, we were all guilty of having bad days and as long as we apologize to those we hurt, and work to correct the bad behavior, life will still go on--ok, our talk was better than that, but you get the gist of it. We made a pinky promise and moved on to having some fun family time. We started out taking care of the critters. Caroline is a good little farm girl and a big help. She let Genga out of her pen and helped fill the feed bucket for the rest of the crew. The entire time it was "yes, mam" this and yes, m'am that. She was OVERLY sweet (made me a little suspicious at times) and even threw the hay out to the horses. She watered all of the plants and wrapped up the hose on her own. We played on the swingset and sang the silly-poo-poo-swinging songs that we like to sing, and just had fun. After a while it was time to make dinner and she asked if could help. Ok, strike that...she TOLD me she was good and would help me. I told her that was perfect as I was not that good, so we agreed to tag team the meal (she did say, "mommy you are good, but you just need my help"). I have NEVER had as much fun putting together a meal as I did last night. Caroline picked out aprons for us and the ingredients for our beef and veggie stew. She was a ROCK STAR! She opened all of the cans, poured all of the items in the pot, sirred it up and talked the entire time. We had some music in the background and little bit was shaking her hiney the whole time too. We laughed, danced and chatted. It is a moment and memory that is forever burned in my mind. I didn't cry, but I smiled and got excited knowing that it was a moment I will look back on for years to come and be able to remember what we were cooking, wearing and laughing about. I want more nights like this with her and her soon-to-be little sister.
While dinner cooked, she asked...yes, the 5-year old ASKED me...if she could help me clean the house. So we swept the floors and scrubbed the "Genga can poop out of her mouth" spots in the rug while the stew...well, stewed on the stove. She pushed the buttons on the washing machine- her "favorite" part- and fed the dogs. She was delightful and super helpful in a genuinely kind way. We never turned the TV on last night---something that will be happening a lot more from here on--and just listened to music, sat and talked and of course ate our yummy dinner. And yes, dinner was GOOD! I cannot believe at my age that it was the first time I really attempted to make a stew, but we are a good team and it would not have worked had Caroline not been involved. Gigi stopped by so we had some sweet grammy time too.
From there on, our night just kept getting better. We read a book about being a big sibling and talked about the new baby. I think my child (of course I am partial) is wise beyond her years, but we had a very "grown-up" talk about the baby. When I asked her if she wanted to tell me how she was really feeling, she looked at me and said "well, mommy...I am scared." She told me she was scared about me going in the hospital and she was scared about having to share, but was still excited about being a big sister. I asked her if I could share something with her too...and told her that I was scared also. The "you are???" reaction was priceless, but I told her that mommies got scared too and that I worried I wouldn't be able to "keep it all together" to which she replied with "yes you can...you are my mommy and I will help you, ok?" We did our secret handshake and prepped for bed. We read more, talked more...had one last dance-party-session and she went to sleep like an angel.
I have been a parent for a little over 5-years now, but last night I felt like a "real" parent. Not sure if that makes sense, but it was just a wonderful feeling. I love that little monkey with all of my heart. In the good times and bad, she will always be my favorite person on this planet. She makes me laugh til my belly hurts and makes me cry at times too, but she is my partner in crime and I would be so very jealous if she was someone else's child. If Samantha (new bambino arriving soon) is half as sassy and fabulous as Caroline is, I will be beyond lucky to be the mom of the most kick-ass daughters on the planet.
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