Metal Meredith

Honestly, I am just getting used to the whole Kindergarten thing. The idea of allowing her to get on a giant bus with a bunch of other idiot children at the tender age of 5 years old is too much to take on right now. After all, this is the kid that hasn’t even been wiping her own ass for a year yet, who got rid of diapers less than 7 months ago. How can she be doing this to me?

It has been 2 weeks since Vivienne told Phil and I, right before bed, that her ‘tooth felt funny’. It was ‘over top the other one and feels like it is moving’. It only took me about 3 seconds to cover my mouth, start to tear up and inform my husband and child that she had her first loose tooth. She thought it was silly that Mom was crying about it, but she was about to giggle herself into hysterics. She calmed down long enough to ask when it would fall out and what happens when it does. She knew it put her over the edge into Big Kid-Dom.

That weekend was a whirlwind, with the birthday party, Father’s Day at the Grow Farm and then Monday being Vivienne’s actual Birthday. By the time the rest of the week rolled around, I was exhausted. This week, she started Swim Camp, where she was tortured by tan ladies in bikinis by being forced to put her precious 5 year old face under water. The HORROR!

Halfway through the week she was begging not to go until I promised we could make a chocolate cake when she happily stuck her mug in the pool. Of course, dessert being all the reason she needed, she did it on Wednesday. We celebrated that night with a special “Vivienne’s Chocolate M&M Underwater Cake” and dinner at Panera.

On Thursday, she ate watermelon and knocked her tooth all out of whack. It was at a 45 degree angle and really ooked me out. But she was giddy with delight. It took all the effort in the world to get her to leave it alone and convince her to go to bed. This morning, Friday, I was greeted with an outstretched hand and the tiniest tooth in the middle of it.

There is now a gaping hole in her head. It is the perfect size for a sippy cup straw, a pinkie or a french fry. It also, as I have been told, helps her whistle and sometimes makes her talk funny. Today she stood a little taller, acted a little more responsible and helped me clean up after her brother. I am wondering if there is a direct correlation between baby teeth and acting a fool. Perhaps someone should do a study.

So if you are keeping score, Vivienne has accomplished 5 or 6 milestones in June. But tonight, I have one more to conquer. I am off to replace a tooth from under a pillow with a gold coin, some glitter and a special poem. Now, where did I put those wings?

Vivienne remains unphased. She tried, but thankfully failed last year, to avoid turning 4 years old. It was months of her insisting that she would not turn 4, would not blow out candles, would not allow us to sing for her. We did it all anyway.

This year, she grasped the reigns of her birthday and ran full force with it. We had one of those giant parties with a lot of kids. It was actually a lot of fun and painless in all areas but the wallet. However, I did not have to lift a finger to do more than go down a giant slide, press the button of a camera and make sure the grin on my child’s face never disappeared.

It is not hard to believe she is 5. After all, our lives have changed so much since she came into the world. I tried to tell her tonight about what was happening 5 years ago at her bedtime tonight. She just listened and then asked, when will I be 7? How about 9? When will I turn 15?

I just smiled. Took a much needed deep breath and told her to slow down and go to sleep. 

I made these 3 years ago (!!) when we first moved in and put up the new counter.

In our kitchen, there is an overhang where the chairs are pushed under the counter/bar. It created 2 big, sharp and hard corners. Poor Vivienne smacked her head into these more times that I can recall. I am sure this has something to do with Vivienne’s 45 second attention span and selectively impaired hearing.

They are now to protect Henry from the same fate. I bet now he will NEVER ignore me, right?

As heard in my car, yesterday, after going to the store and buying a 12-pack Phil’s favorite sugar cookies. We shared one on the way home.

Vivienne: Mom, why can’t we eat all of the cookies?

Me: We just don’t eat all the cookies. It just isn’t done.

Vivienne: Is it because you are the Boss of the World?

Me: Um, no. Well, I am just the Boss of the Cookies.

Vivienne: Is that your job, like Daddy works on the computer?

Me: Yep, I am the Boss of Cookies and I keep little kids alive and healthy and the house from falling apart.

Vivienne: Wow. I am just the Boss of Me. Can I have another cookie?