I wasn’t sure…

I wasn’t sure part way into this night that all of this was a good idea…

In fact, not until everyone else left did I know that it was, indeed, a very good idea.

So, let me back up…
Tonight I picked Halle up 5pm – then Great Northern pizza and salad (which you have been asking for many times in the past 3 weeks) – and then we picked up you. You were hanging with Julie, Dan and Madeline at Julie’s this afternoon, because I had an intense deadline and you weren’t feeling the best.

I took you and Halle and the pizza to Highland park – by the most AMAZING garden of flowers!!! You were sort of into the pizza, you were sort of playing with Halle, you were sort of aware of me, and I was ze-zausted from my intense, emotional workday. I’m thinking, “Well, I’m not sure this is a good use of energy.” That said, you two did climb trees, have jumping contexts, and create many skits that involved both of you rolling down a hill.

Then we headed to the Hyatt downtown (7 minutes away) for the

“Super Cool, Back-to-School Swim Party”

that I had

planned!! Given the choice of many 3rd graders or just Halle, you chose just Halle. All good.

You weren’t having the easiest time being generous with Halle to “push the button” in the elevator, open the door with the key card (though you were better with that), etc. We went down to the pool, and you were still out of sorts – sometimes happy with Halle, sometimes mad at the world, and I thought – What have I done?!?!

I want to raise a grateful, humble, generous child – and now I bring her to a nice hotel, and she isn’t grateful? I am not helping her!!! Beating up on myself for being a bad mom by giving too much, we ended the night by going up to the room.

Here’s where the story gets better. After creating skits with Halle and me (I think 4 of them – all requiring someone to hide in the closet), you and Halle read your Big Book of Why. We walked Halle and Daddy Jim to the car, and you and I came back up to the room.

Everything changed.

We painted nails.
We told stories.
We were totally silly.
We sang Kelly Clarkson.
We read Harry Potter.
Then we read Horris, Morris but mostly Deloris – and you did all of the dun -dun-dun-DUNS at the appropriate points in the story, and we giggled some morel
We snuggled in bed – as you reminded me that you are going to “try” to go to sleep but you were not sure how successful you’d be. I held you and reminded you that I didn’t just meet you. You snicked and fell sound asleep within minutes – maybe even seconds.

Precious time.
Truly precious time.
You are you now snoring away in the king bed that awaits me.

I so love being your Mama….