The Best of the Rest

So much to say about the nearly three weeks we had with H's mom. Our house was always full of life. We never had dishes in the sink, for even a minute. There were hugs and kisses every morning. She was a firecracker of energy. Her presence has definitely been missed.



Alexa would wake up every morning and act wary of Mima, as if she couldn't remember that a few short hours ago they were BFF, running around and playing games. Singing that ridiculous Spanish song on her Fisher-Price laptop: Hola! Hola! That means hello!

(Never mind that H and I have a plan for that laptop's demise after hearing that song over and over for hours on end.)




Other times Alexa would follow Mima around, hoping to help with the sweeping or cleaning. In those few weeks, we watched our baby become a little helper. She will try to wipe down her high chair when she's finished eating. She even started throwing things in the trash (although sometimes those things didn't need to be thrown away, like remote controls.)






There were lots of trips to the park. Lots. Lots of crying when we left. Lots.




I got used to boiling hot water for tea every morning. Even though my mother-in-law and I do not speak the same language, we had an easy enough time communicating through action and sign language. We had a routine: I would prepare breakfast while she shadowed me by cleaning up my messes. I made sure there was enough sugar in the sugar bowl for her tea. The woman loves sugar.



And then this happened. Who is this little girl? Look at how she walks/runs with a purpose now. She lifts her shoulders up and just goes. She means business.



She is walking up and down stairs like it's her job. I mean, I can't even tell you how much personality she has. The lows are really low (like when she goes stiff and plops down on the filthy ground wailing because we tell her no) ... but the highs. Man, the highs. Just look at that face.





I'm glad H's mom visited when she did. She got to see a glimpse of our little family right as Alexa is transitioning into a little girl. She got to hold her toddler hand while they walked down the street. She also got to hold her like a baby when she woke up in the middle of the night.

I can't believe it took 14 years to meet my mother-in-law. We won't go that long again.


Psst. They reset the numbers. Could you be a doll and vote for me? Thanks!