What can I say to sum up this month, except that you are an incredibly pleasant person to be around. At least most of the time. You shower me with affection, and regularly announce that when you are as old as me, we shall marry. And if Daddy would like to marry Helen then, he may. You nightly confirm that you are my ‘true love’, something you learned about when I sang you the 12 Days of Christmas over the holiday season.
“Mommy, what’s a true love?”
“A true love is the one person in the world who you love the most. No matter what this person does, you always love them. You can’t help it, they’re your true love.”
Thinking for a moment “you are my true love, Mommy”.
I doubt I will have “True Love” status forever, Connor, but it is a big wish of mine that you do, in fact, find your true love. Life can be really overwhelming sometimes, and life can seem really unfair, but life can also be uplifting, and fun, and full of excitement. I hope you find someone with whom to cherish all of life’s moments. After all, I will hold onto your past as long as I am around, but there will be a time that someone else will take hold of your future. And I truly hope that someone will be your true love. It’s not easy, but the payoff can be tremendous. You asked your dad recently about when our wedding anniversary was and after thinking about it a moment, he did get the answer right. We started dating on September 13, 1998. He still makes me laugh, takes my highs and lows in stride, and brings a smile to my face when I think about him. Even when I’m thinking about the way he steadfastly refuses to squeeze the tube of toothpaste from the bottom or put it back on the shelf when he’s done. Worse, if I try a two tube system, by day 2 both tubes of toothpaste have been squeezed from the middle and not returned to the shelf. But you know what, Connor, he’s my true love, and that means I have to forgive him, and remind myself that he also singlehandedly painted the hallway leading to the basement— which was no small task— while I hung out with Aunt Linda a few weeks ago.
You’ve begun to love going to other friend’s homes for playdates. One Friday, I was a few minutes behind the other parents picking you up from class and you instantly ran out of the classroom asking if you could please, please, please have a playdate. At this point, most of the class had gone home, but you swirled around and found Maya and instantly begged her to come over. As it turns out, her mom had plans that afternoon with her so she couldn’t come, but you did go to her house the next week. It’s an interesting contrast. On the one hand, you do not wish to be separated from me at all. On the other, you want to hang with your buddies.
I intended to tour the local elementary school this week, but instead I shoveled more snow than I care to think about while school was canceled for the day - and then eventually the week. As of now, DC has officially passed its highest recorded level of snowfall in a season since someone started keeping track of this statistic. And, I learned today that every state except Hawaii got snow this year. You were a trooper when it came to helping shovel snow, but I think you enjoyed our cave making a little more. We didn't attract any arctic foxes - but we were ready! And sometimes life is about the means, not the ends.
You also like to help out around the house. One evening, your dad and I painted the sitting room while you were asleep. When you got up the next morning, you burst into tears because we had been working without you. Strangely, it is the only time I have picked the wrong paint color, so we had to repaint the next day. Serves me right, I suppose. You were quite happy to help. You also fold laundry whenever you get the chance, carefully choosing all the napkins and making them into a square that will fit into the napkin drawer. I appreciate the help and the companionship in this job that is most definitely, not my favorite.
You want to be faster, first, and always get just a little bit more. From what I understand talking to parents of your peers, this is not unique to you. However, I have to level with you: it’s not that impressive to beat Helen in a race. But hey, I should also admit that occasionally when your dad or I outsmart you or Helen, we think we resemble rock stars. So, I guess I understand the celebrations.
Family date night was a huge success and you have already admonished Helen for opting to go to bowling instead of Build-A-Bear on our next one. I keep reminding you that it is not “Build-A-Bear Night” and we will not be going there very often, but a boy can dream, right?
You said so many things that made me laugh this month, and I intended to draft text around them, but it never happened. A sampling from these gems comes next.
One day while you were in the car with your dad you recalled "The other day when I was at school, I got my finger pinched by a chair. The other children wanted to see it. But there really wasn't anything to see."
While hiding in a toy oven, I turned it to make it impossible to open. You replied "Oh please don't leave me in here too long, for I shall surely burn if you do".
On our first night of vacation, you wanted to sleep with me and Dad rather than Helen. "Mommy, please don't make me sleep with Helen. She'll talk so much that she'll keep me up all night." And I should note, that argument almost won you a spot in my bed because it quite likely could be true!
Regularly, we run around pretending to be animals. If you get caught, you most likely say "please don't eat me, I'm much too small".
Your dad was lying in bed one night when you came in from going to the bathroom, and you began reciting the story of the 3 Little Bears and let your dad know he was supposed to run out when you came in and discovered him.
And...for your freaky accomplishment of the month:
While attempting to put your rainbow puzzle together, you figured it out by reciting a book that you haven't seen for probably two years. Weird. You do this so often though, that I should really stop thinking of it as weird, and start realizing you just have a freaky brain.
You make me and other around you laugh regularly, Connor. You show logic and reasoning skills that regularly impress.
Love,
Mommy
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