Precious Emotion and Maturity

I’ve witnessed a couple of the most precious displays from Baby B over the past few days, ones that simultaneously melt my heart and make me wanna cry.

We were out to dinner on Saturday night, and I took the opportunity to tell the girls that I won’t be able to attend their fall festival at school.  [I feel terrible about it…it’s something they look forward to so much…but I made plans several months ago to go to an event with my dad.]

I expected the girls to be upset.  I can’t say they were thrilled, but they took it in stride when I told them they would still go with Daddy, only Mommy wouldn’t be there.  And then, moments later, I saw Baby B’s chin start to tremble.

“I don’t like it when you’re not home for night-night,” she told me.

To glimpse what's important to my precious girl!!!

And then, in the middle of that same night, B came to me around 2am to tell me she’d gotten sick to her stomach.  I asked her to go to the kitchen, and I made my way there.  I couldn’t quite put two-and-two together, as to how everything transpired.

B explained that she woke up feeling sick and came downstairs to get me.  “…but I saw you were sleeping, and I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Bless it!!!

She got her “bucket” out of the kitchen and lay on the couch instead.  She finally woke me only when she actually got sick.

There’s emotional maturity and the sweetness of my baby girl, all rolled into one.  It tugs at my heartstrings, for sure…and makes this heart of mine so happy.

"We Decided Together to Help You"

KNOCK ON WOOD as I write this.  I feel the risk of provoking the Law of Murphy is one I’m willing to take in order to record what’s been happening over the past few days at our house.

The girls have been so kind.  So helpful.  And so PROACTIVE.  It’s amazing.

The last three mornings generally have been really good.  The girls are getting up, playing with the kitties, brushing their teeth, getting dressed, and doing what they’re supposed to do…with little prompting from me.  It’s been so refreshing!

Monday was the first time I took note of something really special.  Nana A was coming to the house that day, so we try to have things in good order.  I asked Baby A to put something in the recycle bin.  She did…and then she proactively put the rest of the little pile in the trash where it belonged.  That was small…but it struck me and made me proud.  She wasn’t just doing what I’d asked…she was thinking about what else needed to be done.

While this was going on downstairs, B was upstairs.  I’d already written a note to Nana A, telling her we didn’t get the girls’ playrooms ready to be vacuumed, just to skip that for this visit.  Unbeknownst to me, B was up there, getting everything put away!!!  I was floored!!!  It’s not unusual that my request to clean up is met with, “BUT I CAN’T DO IT BY MYSELF!” (even if I’m right there alongside).  It was an August morning miracle, for sure.  Wowza!!!

And then, the past two nights, the girls have had their beds straightened and pulled down…their pajamas waiting…washcloths and toothbrushes and flossers lined up…everything ready for bedtime.

Of course I’m lavishing praise on the girls for how they’ve been behaving, how proactively they’ve been working together.  That’s been met with big smiles and hugs.  And then, Baby B said last night, “We decided together to help you.”

Wow.  Melt my heart…and give me confidence these young ladies are growing up just fine.

Thankful for Their Reaction

We’ve had a change in plans for the weekend.  We’d been planning a trip to a state park in Tennessee.  We were going to stay in a hotel…eat ice cream…swim in the pool…and then hike this awesome park that has a gorgeous waterfall.  The girls were all excited about it, and so were we.

But over the last few days our babysitter options for this coming week, when Daddy has three all-day meetings, narrowed.  And then they disappeared.

We talked about a couple of different options, and then Thursday night, we made a last-minute call to Sweet Home Alabama.  I asked GG if she could come help us for the week, and of course she was thrilled.  Friday morning I called Dad, and he was excited to know we’d be coming down, too.

I was a little nervous to tell the girls, worried that they’d be upset that our waterfall adventure would have to be postponed.  (This is actually the second postponement, the first being earlier in the summer due to weather.)

Before breakfast on Friday morning, I told the girls we had some thing we needed to talk about.  “You know Mommy and Daddy have been working to figure out a babysitting option for next week, right?  And you know that Miss Jennifer and Miss Jenny are not available?  Well...” I asked them, drawing it out and piquing their interest, “who would actually be the very best babysitter in the whole wide world???” 

The girls’ eyes lit up as they tried to think.  “She doesn’t live in this town,” I added.

“GG!!!!!!!” they exclaimed in unison.  They were so excited to know she was coming to hang out with them for the week.

“So…that means that instead of going to the waterfall, we’ll be going to Alabama.”

“YAY!!!!!!!”  They didn’t miss a beat.  “Do we get to see Granddaddy???” they asked immediately.

When I told them yes, they lit up even more.  And then Baby A added, “Wow!!!  We got to see him last month, too!!!”

For these many things, I am thankful.  I am thankful for family who’s willing to come up on such short notice, and who will take care of the girls better than anyone.  And I am thankful for the girls’ excitement…their understanding that waterfalls can wait…and their joy at seeing GG and Granddaddy.

Taken in late February.  L-O-V-E.