I call her my naughty monkey. Not yet two, she likes to tell you what she is not supposed to do moments before she does it. “No hit mama” is quickly followed with a whack to my head when I am trying to lay down with her so she will go to sleep. She has monkeys on her ‘jamas and I rub her back as I hold her ribs because she is tired and can’t seem to sleep, even when her eyes are so heavy they remained closed. Her little heart beats in my hands as her crying stops, but only so long as my hand is rubbing circles in her back. Even as I am exhausted by the bending over the bed, I recognize this is as a privilege.

Hold ‘ja momma, hold ‘ja. She holds her hands up to me multiple times a day. Sometimes she cries it while I am already holding her. Hold ‘ja momma. She wants to be held a little higher, a little tighter, a little closer. I don’t think my arms will stop hurting until I go back to school. There are days when I need and take a break. But she is the closest I have to a baby at my house. Come here baby. I’ll hold ‘ja.

I pooped! Dipey change. She waits for me to gather the necessary supplies before taking off around the circle of our house. Pat, pat, pat, pat, pat, EEEeeeEEE! I tickle her and tackle her and up she goes again, Nakey Buns! hehehehehehehe. Who knew diaper changes could be this much fun? Who knew they could be this exhausting. I am generally doing something else when the race through the house begins.

I am busy when she brings me the mask. Chicken! chicken! (It’s a duck.) I keep trying to put it on her but that isn’t how this game works. Her dad has been donning the masks himself and chasing the girls around the house as he makes the animal noises and they scream in delight. I keep trying to ignore her, but she persists, putting the mask on my keyboard, chicken mama, chicken! Sigh….Quack, quack, quack, AAAAAaaaah! What’s one more trip around the circle?

I am trying something new and linking up with Heather for Just Write. I needed this excercise today.