Bittersweet Summer


Last summer



This summer

My baby girl can do so many things now that she couldn't do last summer. She didn't learn to walk until mid-July of last year and was wobbly for quite a while after that. This year she dances, she runs (surprisingly fast), and she sings. She does less cute things, too, like announcing bodily functions and throwing her food on the floor. Yesterday she told me she had cheese in her heinie and I just tried not to think about it too much.

Last night A and I went downtown to the farmers' market. We got some kettle corn and listened to a local band. This summer I think the two of us have eaten enough kettle corn to choke a horse. She danced on the sidewalk, waving at passersby. She dances like a typical two-year-old, bending at the knees and swinging her arms, curls bouncing all around. I love to watch her dance. I smile, but I also think, "This is the only time she'll ever be two." Of course, that sounds like a stupid thing to say. But, I know it's only a matter of time until she is too cool to dance on the sidewalk and in fact will ask me to drop her off three blocks from her destination because I'm such an embarrassment to her. I fear those days will come long before I am ready for them.

So, we have milked summer for all it was worth. We vacationed in Texas, went to festivals, went swimming, covered the driveway in sidewalk chalk, attended a parade, spent a weekend in the Northwoods, hosted a visit from her cousin, attended a picnic, and took a hundred walks. This weekend we are headed to the state fair. A is old enough to ride the kiddie rides this year, so I know she'll enjoy that. And let's not forget about food on a stick! It's been a fun summer for our little family.

And maybe, just maybe, she will continue to call me "Mama" in public for just a few more years . . .

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