Anecdotes

I see a lot of children while I’m at work.  They always make me smile, even when they’re being cranky (which is surprisingly rare); I look at them and imagine when our Maia is that age.

For example, I was folding shirts once (story of my life…) when a father walked by with his daughter on his shoulders.
Her: “What’s that?”
Him: “Clothes.”
Her: “What’s that?”
Him: “More clothes.”
Her: “What’s that?”
Him: “A woman.”
Her: “What about that?”
Him: “Clothes.”
He didn’t miss a beat.  His tone of voice never changed.  He had a haunted look on his face, but when he saw me watching them he grinned and winked at me.  I thought of Chris and Maia, and smiled.

Or this mom and daughter pair:
Mom: “Do you want some popcorn?”
Kid: *giggles like crazy* “YOU’RE popcorn!”
Mom: “No, you’re popcorn!”
Kid: *giggling more* “YOU’RE popcorn!”
Mom: *laughs* “No, you’re popcorn!”
And so on , until they went out of hearing.  They were both so happy with their little joke.

On Thursday night, I went in to work to try on and buy a few things before our huge sale ended.  Unknown to me, there was some sort of Halloween event going on in the mall and so a bunch of kids in costumes were walking through the store.  Maia was kinda flopped over in her stroller the way she does sometimes, sitting sideways, feet up on one side, body hunched into the opposite corner — basically, she looked like she was totally chillaxing.

A family with a  little fireman walked by.  I beamed at them and complimented their costume, and the dad asked, “Is your daughter being a gangster?”

I can’t wait to dress her in costumes.  My little gangster, my firewoman, my kitty cat, my Little Bo Peep, my Rapunzel… whatever she wants to be…

Also, I want to dress up with her.  I haven’t put on a costume for Halloween in years and years, since I was in Connecticut and dressed as a goth (which really just meant wearing my non-work clothes into work, with extra dramatic makeup).  I mean, just think of it.  She could be a firewoman and I’d be a fire.  She could be Yoda, I’d be Leia.  She could be Little Bo Peep, I’d be a sheep.

We will be awesome.