A Story for N

Today is one of my dearest friends birthday.  In fact I should credit this blog to her as she was one of the first ones to encourage my writing back in high school when we would lay on the beach talking, warm sun on our backs, Tidewater in the cooler....ahhh, good times... But I'm getting carried away.  As I was saying it is her birthday, and while I thought of writing some meaningful story or memory in her honor I instead post this story at her request. It was meant only for her, but oh well, she is the birthday girl.  At least this will shatter any illusion that life around here is serious, orderly, or even grown up.  So Happy Birthday dear N!  Love ya!

 
 To give a little history and context to this story, our classroom is in the lower portion of our house.  And we live in the South.  SOO there are occasions when unwanted creatures make their way into our room.  Spiders and even the unmentionables.  Normally I am alerted by screaming girls ( I've trained them well) and on occasion I catch them myself.  Spiders are no problem.  I squash them with delight.  The others...well I'm ashamed to say that I am too afraid to kill them unless absolutely necessary and with proper protection.  For example, a couple weeks ago there was one and I had to zip up my butt kicking boots and go after it.  No, I'm not kidding I actually zipped up boots with my pajama pants.  I mean why would I risk him escaping my stomp and scurrying across a bare foot? BUT I digress.....The truth is that usually I will either trap the critters or leave them dead under a discarded shoe until my hubby comes home. I'm not proud, but its true. 

So yesterday started out like any other day around our household.  There was a nasty stinky diaper to change, breakfast to fix, hair to brush, etc.  After finishing our morning work we headed down to our classroom to begin school for the day (yes we homeschool and before you judge there will be a post on that, maybe titled the Reluctant Homeschooler or Never say Never??).  And  sure enough as would be fitting for a Monday, A unmentionable lay quietly on his back on the floor under my desk.  I grabbed my handy tupperware and trapped him.  We went on with our day, discussing Language Arts and taking Math tests.  Happily working not allowing the horrible creature to ruin our day.

Enter NK.  Now NK is involved in a campaign to take the title of Master of Disaster away from E. She has a convincing case.  Her speed and agility are quite impressive for a 8 month old.  And her determination and curiosity seem to know bounds.  And this rainy Monday morning seemed to be no different.  I had already fished pieces of leaves and other small objects out of her mouth.  (thanks to fall and children who love to be outside, there seem to be an unending amount of leaves tracked in our house)  But as I sat there writing out Social Studies Vocabulary words, I smiled to myself as A worked quietly, E chattered in the other room, and NK played quietly at my feet. , "Sometimes it just wor.... Wait....MY baby playing QUIETLy??  Um...OH NO"  Yup...as I looked down at my happy little monkey, I saw something black in her pudgy little hands.  Hands that always seem to find there way to her mouth.  I did the only practical thing...I screamed.  And she did the only practical thing to do when someone startles you, she jumped and threw it. Yes.  My sweet baby threw a roach at me.

Well I scooped her up and washed her hands and mouth and hands and mouth.  And then I grew up, I picked up that horrible creature and deposited him in the trash where he belonged....Ok so yes I had about half a roll of papertowels between me and him but still.....

So I'm sure There are many lessons that can be gleaned from this story.  A quiet baby is a dangerous baby for example.  Another might be, that though sin is not taught, fear in some cases must be.  Perhaps another is that sometimes buttkicking boots arent enough, you must also have earplugs and reams and reams of papertowels to pick up the unmentionables lest you want them to become playtoys.  But I reflect on this comical scene, I can't seem to find the deeper meaning, all I can think is....  My baby threw a roach at me.

Heres to Motherhood.