When does practicality become hoarding?

We sorted through Animalia's clothes the other day, me and Nana. It was something I'd wanted to do ever since we found out The New Baby is a girl. There were lots of clothes from the last two years, ridiculous amounts of clothes. Hoarding amounts of clothes.

I think was being both practical and lazy. Lazy? Maybe or maybe just busy. See, what happens is that there are lots of clothes. Animalia grows out of those clothes. I put them in a bag and put them in her closet for later sorting. I figured I'd sort them and keep some for any possible New Baby Girl or sell them for later clothes for Animalia or give them away to a friend or family member in need of baby girl clothes or donate them to one place or another. So I did that for over two years. Animalia's tiny closet was beyond stuffed. Then I pulled everything out into laundry baskets and said that I'd start the sorting project any day now. And I didn't, you know with little things like work and mothering and sleep getting in the way. And then one day Nana says that she has some things to go through, did I want to bring all the stuff over and we can do it together? Sure, I wasn't getting it done on my own. So I packed it all up. Three baskets and a trashbag full of tiny clothes. Nana had a couple of bags of her own. And we did it while Animalia napped on the couch.

The results? Poor New Baby. She has her complete wardrobe all set. No new clothes for her. She has her first two years wardrobe all complete.

Eighty-four Five

Eighty-Four Five is the name she's given to her notebook. It's just a regular old steno pad, maybe it looks official? Eighty-Four One Five is the name she's given to the pencil she uses to write in the Eighty-Four Five. Those are her favorite numbers.... those long, hyphenated sounding, official looking things. Those and "two."

Jan Brewer

You know the part of Sleeping Beauty where Maleficent, the evil witch, comes into the castle during baby Rose's (Sleeping Beauty as a tiny baby) baptism and curses her? Animalia asked me if Maleficent was Jan Brewer and if Jan Brewer was there to hurt the baby. So I said yes. What else was I supposed to say? No, baby, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, signer of the infamous SB1070 and HB2281, is a nice lady and wouldn't hurt anyone? I can't lie to her. At least not about Jan Brewer.

Animalia is relieved

because The New Baby is definitely a girl. Definitely. No chance a mistake was made.

I am.

Are you really happy? someone asked.



I am.



Really? The reply.



I like my life.



But you're stressed, she stated.



Mmmhmm. A 2-year-old. A husband. A full time job with another full time job on the side. A little extra money making here and there. Another baby on the way. The constant threat of lupus flare up. There's stress. But I'm happy. I like my life.

Love, true love

"Mommy, thank you for loving me."

I don't love you

"I don't love you," she tells me. She's irritated because it's time to get out of the shower and get ready for bed.
"But I love you," I reply.
"I don't love you. I love my daddy."
He makes faces from the other side of the bathroom door. Faces like he won something. Faces like he's gloating. I myself am trying not to laugh. I leave the bathroom telling him that he's on his own for the bedtime ritual. I start laughing and it takes awhile to catch my breath.