Coming to an End

"They" say that all good things must come to an end, but I think that it should be more like all bad things must come to an end. The kids were on spring break this week. Holly took a day off and took then trail riding, to lunch and to the pet store to pick out some fish. We also had a couple of great play dates, weather in the 90s and spent hours at a couple of parks in the area. My kids are only interested in playing on the actual playground for a little while and then they like to go traipsing through the woods, jumping off of stumps, walking across fallen trees like they are walking across a balance beam and hanging out around creeks, always getting into the stinkiest mud they can find. I start out by reminding them not to step in the water and to avoid the super slimy muddy areas but they don't listen and I stop caring. In my mind, an exhausted, sweaty, dirty kid is a sign of a successful trip to the park. I just have to block out everything I learned in microbiology and just let them be kids.

During one of our park adventures, we witnessed nature in its purest form, survival of the fittest. While the kids were walking along a tiny stream, they saw a water snake (my biggest fear, other than bees) grab the leg of a big ole frog. It was fascinating to watch this striped snake with a wide head (which means super-duper scary kind of snake!) try like hell to pull the frog into its watery lair and trying to engulf the back end of the frog. The struggle went on so long that we eventually had to leave before witnessing the outcome, although I'm pretty sure I know what happened. At first, Evyn and I wanted to throw a rock to stun the snake and let the frog escape, but we talked about it and decided to let nature take its course. In my 37 years of life, I have never seen anything like that in real life, and I thought it was really cool that my kids witnessed it. It certainly led to some interesting conversations.

Another thing coming to an end is my babysitting duties. I've kinda lost track of how many months I have been watching Reagan, somewhere around seven months. Our house is like her home away from home. Words cannot describe how much we love having her around - all of us. The first question Evyn and Reed ask every day when they get off of the bus is, "is Reagan here today"? She rarely goes out to the bus stop since she is usually taking a nap, and they love it when I say that she is here. Months ago I thought the newness of having her around would wear off but it has not. Same thing with Grandpa. He comes down every morning wondering where the baby is. At this point I tease him that after all of these months he still has not figured out her schedule, which is pretty much the same week after week. Actually, I think he just likes to come down and harass me daily with the same annoying questions.

So, I have gone from caring for a tiny, helpless infant that primarily sleeps and eats, leaving me with ample time to work and take care of the house. If she was awake, I wore her around while I did my thing. She then, as all babies do, started staying awake longer, got a little heavier as I wore her around and continued to do my thing. I had to break out my sleep nazi tricks when she needed to be putting herself to sleep and began protesting sleep. Then, she started playing in the exersaucer, feet barely reaching the base but happy to be upright and semi-independent. The smiles started, teeth started emerging and the longer awakes times continued to increase to the point where she is now a crawling, pulling up and cruising, biting, giggling, hair growing, solids eating, self-feeding, adorable little trouble maker. This is where the fun begins but is it also when the serious work begins. She cannot be left sitting quietly on her blanket surrounded by toys for even one second. She finds the smallest of things on the carpet to put in her mouth. I'm constantly searching the floor for the tiny Lego pieces that Reed is constantly dropping all over the house, fearing that she will choke on my watch. At this point, she is too heavy to wear around the house while I work and do my chores. Now that she is a busy little body who needs more external stimulation than I am capable of offering at this point in my hectic life, my days with Reagan are numbered. She will be with me from this point on for the next 6 or so Tuesdays and then that's it. She has a summer nanny who is going to have all of the time in the world to focus only on Reagan and I'm so happy for her. It sounds like an ideal situation for everyone, however, it leaves me feeling a little sad. In the last seven months, I have gotten really attached to her and her to me. In fact, she has elbowed Holly in the jaw trying to get back into my arms which absolutely cracks me up. She gives me huge hugs each day that Ashley drops her off. Having a granddaughter at my age is probably one of the best things ever, and I've totally loved bonding with her and being a regular in her life. I'm glad I had the chance and part of me is sad to see it end. The other half is ready to reclaim the freedom that I have been working for, ready to take on more transcription work or find a great job outside of the house.