Ain't I somethin' special!

Today I am feeling very fed as a mom (or is that fed-up?). I am overwhelmed at the miriad of ways my children show me I am important to them and considered pretty darn special. Apparently my baby Zoe thinks I'm the cat's pajamas. She loves me so tenderly and overwhelmingly that the second I leave the room she misses greatly and her dulcent tones can be heard beckoning me back to her. Her little arms ache to be around my neck and her little legs desire to be wrapped around my waist as if they belong there. She would so like to be a part of me again, that it is an affront to nature to put her down. Ever.

Zoe's overwhelming need to be near me was evidenced a couple nights ago. At 2 o'clock (in the a.m.) my unimportant dreams were interrupted by her melodious siren song calling out to me, beckoning me to join her for nighttime fun. She missed me so much that the need for sleep was overwhelmed by her desire to spend time with her beautiful mother (obviously she's oblivious to the medusa-like hair, the smeared make-up, the drool tracks down my chin, and the scraggy red bathrobe with the pocket pathetically hanging by a thread for dear life. It too doesn't want to be without my presence). We cuddled and followed her bedtime ritual again, including singing "I am a child of God". Apparently she couldn't get enough of my spectacular singing voice and insisted on repeating the ritual 3 times before I could leave the room without being called back. Even then, the door was too much of a barrier between she and I and had to be left open. If I snuck to close the door to prevent her being awoken by Chris's 5:30- am- getting-ready- noises, the screaming (er, siren song) started anew. Eventually, the need for sleep won out and she drifted off to sleep. However, at 5 o'clock, she was missing her dear old mom again and beckoned me forth to play again. Having rested up, she was ready for a full day of exploring the various uses of mom, namely~a trampoline, a security blanket, a napkin, a conversationalist, a sounding board, a midnight snack bringer, a drink-fetcher, among others.

Aiden obviously loves to hear my voice. He feigns deafness and ignorance to my pleas, simply so he can hear my lovely voice ask him 20 more times to complete a task. I often find him vying for my attention. He's clever, and will use all tactics necessary to garner my singular focus. He's discovered that talking loudly, especially when someone is sleeping, yields immediate results. Also climbing up onto, and jumping off of high places will also yield mom's consideration. His latest tactic is waiting until I think he's safely buckled in this car seat. As I run in to get a last forgotten-item, I find him slipped houdini-like out of his carseat and pushing the buttons for all the lights. This act always sucks mom in. Teaching Zoe to do it too yields extra loud attention, and if he's lucky, mom won't catch all of the lights, leave them on all night, and in the morning the car battery will be dead and he can soak up time with mom at home ALL DAY!.

Aiden also cannot bear to be without my presence so much that he refuses to go to the bathroom without me. Yep, he's been potty trained for some time now, but he knows that I'm so interesting that if he leaves me long enough to take a whiz, he'll miss out on the fun. And you can't pause mom like you can shows ~ She's just too darn spontaneous. So, he'll dance, he'll cross his legs, he'll wiggle like a water-weenie until his eyeballs start to float, all in the name of being near me and hearing me suggest sweetly "JUST GO POTTY ALREADY BEFORE YOU PEE YOUR PANTS!" See why he can't stand to leave me?

For Jonah, he feels a special affinity to the way I say "vegetables". The louder I say it, the more repetitions, the better. He truly does love those green "sports candies", but if he eats them willingly, then how else can he coerce me into saying his favorite word so many times? My kids are clever and manipulative I tell ya, but it's all in the name of their love for me right? So how can I resent it? Who says being a mom is a tough job and doesn't pay enough! I feel so loved right now, I'm about ready to spontaneously combust! KA-BLOOIE!!!