I think I'm here.. Manic Monday - yellow edition

Well, it’s official… I no longer have a little girl. Morgen.. hope you don't mind sharing! LOL My child has morphed into the mythical mysterious creature that is …. **cue sinister music **(or boy band music.. just as sinister.. even scarier… like, say Boyzone for instance… very scary) … a ‘tween’… Lord help me! If you actually sat throught the whole video... I apologize... Bwahahahahahaha! Oh Travis.. dude! Yesterday, I sat on the loveseat in my ex-mother-in-law’s living room, watching as my daughter The Chicklet coddled her younger cousins at her 9th birthday party. She’s growing up. I still remember the day I brought her home from the hospital and took her into her bedroom for the very first time. Not that she actually slept there in the beginning… but that’s another story. Because we hadn’t wanted to know if the baby was a boy or a girl… wait, I feel the need to correct that statement… I wanted to know that it WAS either a boy or a girl.. just not which specifically of the two! Alright, I can go on now. Where was I? Ah yes… Because we hadn’t wanted to know the sex of the little invader that had taken up residence in my stomach, seemed keen on using my bladder for a Yoga Ball, felt the inner décor would be greatly improved if my rib was way up there instead, and had taken over my taste buds (Italian sausage had become my mortal enemy and green apples made me salivate), we (not the royal mommy married we), my ex and I, had decorated the nursery with a lot of yellow. It was a bright and cheerful room, with a lovely old fashioned wood rocking chair and the greatest invention since the clapper.. a deluxe diaper genie! Nothing equals the stench of a breast-fed baby’s yellow poopy diaper… the diaper genie was my new best friend! And now, as she is 9 years old and I’ve managed to put off redecorating her room other than buying new furniture and bedding, I will.. with great sadness.. be forced to remove the white and yellow striped wallpaper and paint her room in a tween approved hue of some form of girlie pastel (most likely blush or lavender) before the official teen years and she wants her room painted black or dark blue or red…. Ok.. it really has nothing to do with any sentimentality… I hate the thought of tackling that damned wall paper… the walls are PLASTER!! Do you have any idea what a pain it is to remove wall paper from plaster? With two crazy dogs hanging around and trying to steal the wall paper as you peel it off? It’s enough to make you want to pack up and move… I’m fortunate. I have a healthy, vibrant (yellow is vibrant) child who still loves to cuddle and actually actively seeks out hugs and kisses. She and I are both healthy. And, I get along very well with my ex and my former in-laws. When a child is involved, it feels like you become inextricably linked to the people who have, in some way, contributed to the history and genetic makeup of your child. Not everyone is this fortunate though... and I'm well aware of that. My ex mother-in-law knew that I couldn’t bear to throw a celebration for my daughter’s birthday this year at the house… so she organized one as only a grandmother can. That woman has been in my life somehow for close to twenty years and knows the pain of losing a mother. Next week my daughter gets to spend some time with her, and it brings me some peace to know she still has a grandmother she can be close to. I’ve been remiss in my blogging in the past week. I’ve had a terrible time at work- an employee’s career possibly resting in my hands. That coupled with the knowledge that my daughter would celebrate her first birthday without Mom... both these facts were weighing heavily on my heart. By the grace of God and the support of a two very special people, I’m back to myself again. Yup.. you’re in for it now folks… Love you all more than my luggage! Hugs, smooches and gropes!