Darla's Mom

In Fridays I pick her up half and hour early. We spent the waning light in the park.

We are brushing our teeth for bed.

I was gone for less than 10 seconds

In my house

Woo hoo. Members of the zoo!

"My heart trips in on angel’s feet: swift and small and I’m complete". I wrote that in 1995 for Jacquelyne’s first birthday.

Tomorrow Darla turns three years old.

I made a collage of photos from 2 weeks before she was born until tonight : and it gave me pause to sit and reflect on what and who Darla knows and how being her mommy touches me.

Darla is loved and safe and I work to keep that happy bubble around her by limiting her upsets and making life as predictable and constant as possible. Did I just say safe and predictable and DARLA?

She is an explorer and wants to know how everything works. She has questions and will happily seek out answers and new skills. (Tonight’s skill was untying a bow behind her waist, yesterday we built a mermaid house).

I was the first of my friends to be a mother and then three years ago I became the last to have a child. I’ve had the opportunity to be a single parent and part of a parenting unit. I had a child who was quiet and watchful in Jacquelyne and a tiny talkative whirlwind just like myself in Darla.

My world is a scape scape of pink and purple, bows , baby dolls and stuffed toys.

I am approaching the point where I have been a mother for half of my life. As crazy as that sounds, it sounds like a blue sky or wet ocean. It sounds natural.

I’m writing this from the side of Darla’s bed and tiny fingers keep sliding over to grasp my hands and I am reminded that all great women were once little girls who had mother’s who knew the value and joy of raising them.

My daughters improve the world and being a mother has, hopefully improved me.

Now if you will pardon me, I need to use some "monster spray" to disinfect the underside of a toddler’s bed and keep her safe as she turns three.