by Heather Plett | Mar 30, 2005 | Uncategorized
I can’t wait
to meet you
little one
I can’t wait to hold my cheek against yours
to kiss the top of your head
and let you wrap your little fingers
around my thumb
I wonder
will you be dark like your daddy
will you have red hair like your grandpa
will your laugh ring out with delight
like your mommy’s
will you want to understand the whole world
like your cousin
will your compassion be your compass
like your grandma
I hope
you will be innocent yet wise
questioning yet accepting
compassionate yet strong
bold yet cautious
fanciful yet practical
cynical yet full of wide-eyed wonder
I know
you will be blessed beyond words
with
a daddy who will
adore you and spend hours just gazing at you
a mommy who will
help you dance to the mystery of life
and delight in discovering the world through your eyes
a grandma who will
climb trees with you and
teach you about love
a mémère and pépère who will spoil you
cousins who will smother you with kisses
and lead you to adventure
aunties and uncles who will
fight over who gets to hold you
and be there for you ever moment you need them
I want
to watch you grow
to see you dance
to follow you for hours when you learn to walk
(especially if it’s at Folk Festival)
to hear you laugh
to be there when you need a grown-up who’s not mommy or daddy
to read you stories
and to see parts of the world with you that you’ve never seen before
I love you already
little one
you will enter the world
surrounded and protected
by love
by Heather Plett | Mar 29, 2005 | Uncategorized
she brings
roasted tomato and basil soup
a panini sandwich
and fresh pineapple
it tastes like friendship
she wants to hear
about my trip
about my kids
about the quiet things
that burden my heart
i pour the tea
we add the sugar
i tiptoe down the hall
to peak at my child
finally sleeping after a restless night
we talk of hope
of hurt
we share stories of baggage
the kind that parents
wrap around your shoulders
when they send you away
from home
we talk of restlessness
all those unanswered questions
that threaten our steps
down uneven pathways
it’s not long enough
never long enough
the moments disappear
and she goes home
the children are due home
the work needs to be done
but for this moment
our bowl of soup
and panini bread
were communion wafers
working in us
redemption
by Heather Plett | Mar 29, 2005 | Uncategorized
I just HAVE to tell this funny story, ’cause if I don’t write it down, I’ll probably forget and it’s worth remembering…
We’ve been so thrilled that Maddie decided to start pooping on the potty. We thought it was just one of those toddler things – deciding in HER timing when she could use the potty as a depository (is that a word?) instead of her panties. Well, when Michele heard she’d reached this important milestone, she thought she’d ‘fess up to having a little hand in it.
Turns out that last weekend, when Michele was watching Maddie so we could help Mom move, Michele was looking for ways to avoid the “up to the elbows in poop” situation (her kids are LONG past the poopy diaper stage, and I can’t blame her for wanting to avoid it). She encouraged her sons to help her ensure Maddie used the potty while at her house. Well, Maddie has a huge 3 year old crush on one of Michele’s sons (calls him “MY boy”), so both boys convinced Maddie that Micah REALLY liked girls who pooped on the potty… and so on and so on.
Hey – if a little manipulation works, than WHY THE HECK NOT? It turns out, Maddie is now a proud “potty-pooper” because she’s out to impress a BOY! Egads! I didn’t think it would start THIS early! (But I’m not above milkin’ it! Perhaps I can convince her older two sisters to clean their rooms because the boys dig it… hmmm…)
Thanks Michele!!! You’re my hero! I owe my non-poopy laundry to you!
by Heather Plett | Mar 28, 2005 | Uncategorized
The geese are here! The geese are here!!!
Now, I realize that those people who’ve never lived in the cold north will not appreciate the significance of this, but let me just say…THIS MEANS SPRING IS COMING! The snow is starting to melt and the geese are finding enough bare fields and open waterways to survive. YAY! That can only mean good things – the geese are usually followed by pussy willows, tentative new blades of grass, frogs croaking… I could go on and on, but you get the picture.
Up here in Canada, our hearts start to sing the moment we hear the first honking of the geese. I was climbing out of the van on Saturday when I heard and then saw the flock above my head, flying in the familiar V pattern. My mood was instantly lifted. Soon we will be able to shed these extra layers of clothes and slip our feet into sandals.
If my dad were still alive, we’d go home to the farm in the spring and check his calendar to see when he heard the first sign of frogs. Each spring, he celebrated their arrival by marking it on his calendar. When I heard frogs in Africa, it reminded me of springtime and Dad.
by Heather Plett | Mar 27, 2005 | Uncategorized
How does one prepare for the wedding of your mother? It seems they don’t write self-help books for this. At least I haven’t found one yet.
Yes, it’s official. He gave her the ring, bought her a dress, and they set a date. No less than 6 weeks from tomorrow. That’s not much time to get used to the idea of another man sharing my mother’s bed.
I’m trying not to make this about me. I want her to be happy. I don’t want her to be lonely for the rest of her life. I like Paul, and I think he’s good for her. I just wish it didn’t have to happen so quickly. I hope it doesn’t change her too much.
Nikki’s worried that she might have to see them kiss at the wedding. It’s a bit much for us all to get used to.
by Heather Plett | Mar 27, 2005 | Uncategorized
Today I’m drowning in a sea of laundry. Yes, if you’ve been reading my post, you’ll know by now that laundry is my albatross. I’m never caught up, there are always stacks and stacks of it in my laundry room, and nearly every morning I have to hunt for socks or underwear for some member of the family. Today, I was determined to catch up, but I’m only half done, the day is more than half over, and I can feel the energy waning already. Drat!
The good news is… at least there are a few less poopy panties in the laundry. Maddie has finally decided that pooping on the potty is preferable to carrying it around with her in her underwear. Yeah! I won’t beat the victory drum yet, but we may be on our way to being DONE with diapers and pull-ups in this house!
