Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Baby Mine 

Another tough week in the howdyhouse: Darcie's still sick, I'm still tired, the elderchild continues to rant and rail against the growing pains of school, sisterhood, and self.

In the midst of it all a tiny angel grins infectiously. Mischief maker, free sprite and sprit is my Cassia Jade. At one year and seventeen pounds she barely talks, wobble-walks, stalks dog and cat, pulls rocks from the lawn like nobody's business. She moos at cows, pulls grass for goats and kisses them.

She is oft the heart of our own stress -- mama would be well by now, surely, were there time to nap on her own throughout the day; my tiredness today and yesterday stems from interrupted parentsleep, up-all-night teething pains and screams; elderkid Willow loses points and freedom throughout the day primarily due to her continued struggle to find her place as her sister comes into her own, crowding the once-attention that is forever the lost lot of first children.

But she twees along with the flute as I play for relaxation, brings books to our sides demanding to be read to. She loves waterplay and cabinetry, themselves mostly safe activities. She climbs in and out of chairs all day without a fall. She can lighten a room with her smile. She gives away everything from pacifier to the pre-chewed as if it were her lot in life to make others happy.

Cause and coherence, then -- a bittersweet reality. But it's not her fault that having a baby is hard on all of us. And were she any other child, it would be harder still.

One day, perhaps in her future days of adolescent angst and rebellion, may we remember, and appreciate her all the more for making our days more precious, our lives more blessed, our selves more rewarded, merely through the natural wonder that she is.

In the meanwhile, may it be enough to make time to appreciate her, and respect that which she brings; to remember to care for her even when we are sick and tired and trying to find ourselves in the midst of the chaos; to be gentle and kind and caring even at three a.m. when we should be sleeping.

posted by boyhowdy | 8:11 PM |

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Comments:

I really enjoy reading these vignettes of parenting life. We don't have kids yet, so these are like dispatches from a foreign country I expect I will someday visit but for now can only imagine.

# posted by  Anonymous : 9:07 PM, May 10, 2006

 

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