the best 5 minutes of the week

first just let me say that i’ve officially bailed on DWTS – i couldn’t even gear myself up to pay attention to Monday night’s episode – i’m glad that Kelly is going to the finals, but let’s face it – Mya’s going to win

this weekend was a little rough – i found out that one of my classmates from high school passed away – he wasn’t someone that i was super close to, but i did see him and his family socially several times a year and i talk to his wife occasionally on FB – he was married for 12 years and had 2 kids, a 10 year old son and a 7 year old daughter – maybe it’s because he was my godbrother’s best friend but this has hit me in a way i was totally unprepared for – i just can’t stop thinking about their family … and mine

on Mondays i get the whole day with Sydney and because i’m super exhausted lately (and lazy), we generally don’t follow a strict schedule unless we have somewhere to be – since it was so cold i figured we’d just hang out around the house, so of course we started the day with Sydney climbing into bed with me – i was fully expecting her to start asking for “Caillou” (have i mentioned the beating that is Caillou??) but instead, she was content to lay in bed and snuggle with me while i listened to KKITM – after about 30 minutes she decided she was hungry so i struggled to drag my big, pregnant butt out of the bed and head to the kitchen

breakfast is always a crapshoot when i make it, because for some reason Sydney is much more selective about what she eats when she’s with me – when she’s with Vicki, she eats whatever Vicki gives her – ornery kid!  i decided on pancakes, which i make from scratch because i’m too cheap to spend $3 on the mix and Sydney decided she’d play with a puzzle while i cooked – YES!!  she’s started this thing lately where she has to hold onto my legs whenever i’m cooking – while i love the fact that she wants to be with Mommy all the time, it’s really a pain in the you-know-what!  can Mommy please have a few minutes to herself to fix breakfast?  but today wasn’t one of those days and i was able to get everything cooked within about 10 minutes

breakfast was like most days  – we ate while Sydney alternated between demanding “dance Mommy” when music came on the radio and asking “what’s that?  Mommy, what’s that?” during the talk – after we finished eating, i wiped Sydney’s hands off and unbuckled her from her booster seat – i was completely prepared to stick her in front of an episode of The Wiggles while i cleaned the kitchen, but when i unbuckled her she practically leaped into my arms – she was hugging me around my neck and she wrapped her little legs around my chest and just pressed her cheek against my cheek – she didn’t say anything, she just hugged me – so tight that i could hardly breathe and i could feel my back muscles start to tense up – the further along i get in this pregnancy, the harder it is to hold her – but even though i was starting to feel the pain, there was NO way i was letting go – she finally pulled her little cheek away from mine and looked me straight in the eye – our noses were touching and all of a sudden she touched my face and said “te amo (‘i love you’ in Spanish) Mommy” – before i could say “te amo” back, she pressed her cheek back up against mine – i could instantly feel the tears well up in my eyes and just as i began to think i could hold her like that forever, Sydney pulled away and said “Caillou Mommy?” – “yes baby, Caillou”

and just like that, the moment was over – Sydney will never know how much that moment meant to me or how much i needed it after the news about my friend – but i know i’ll remember it forever