Chinese New Year
"No, Floyd. No, Floyd!"
When I asked her if she wanted a sip of my smoothie, I didn't think she'd slam the rest of it.
Happy Birthday to me!
Uncle D and Nana!
I fit perfectly on top of Mommy's baby bump!
Oh, I wanted this!
"Whoa, Grammy, this is a good one!!!"
Oy...opening all these presents is exhausting. When do we do cake?
I don't have time for a fork. I need to just use my hands to shove it in.
Ever since I was around 19 or 20 years old, I have always considered "I've Loved These Days," by Billy Joel, to be the representative song for my life. I'm assuming that everyone has at least one song that sums up their life and for me "I've Loved These Days" is it.
It came on my IPOD when I was walking Floyd this morning and I realized that although it may lend itself more towards the years before Cody, Frankie and even Floyd, there are still several parts that presently remain true--namely, the title.
Frankie just recently turned two-years-old (she loves to tell you that if you ask her) and as I look back on our brief time with her, there are already a montage of memories and experiences to behold. Some are sad, some are scary, some are funny, some are triumphant and some are frustrating, but there is one common thread that not only holds all of the memories together-- it has also led us to the following conclusion:
The kid we picked up is not the same kid that is living with us today.
I'm not sure when it happened, or how it happened, but I dare anyone to disagree that Ms. Frankie Jade Coden has become a product of her parents. She is us. She is a complete and total mixture of her father and myself. It is absolutely uncanny. In fact, she is MORE than us. She is amplified and she is overemphasized. She is actually an exaggerated version of us.
For example, When I walk through the mall, I usually have a smile on my face and my eyes are constantly moving so I don't miss anything. When Frankie walks through the mall, she has no trouble keeping up with me and she has the same smile on her face, but she has to take it to the exteme. She has to wave and say"Hi" to everyone who passes by like she is the Ambassador of Somerset Mall, she has to go into each and every store, and she has to keep her sunglasses on because, well... I don't really know why she has to keep her sunglasses on, but she does.
What else? Oh, there's more...
It is no secret to anyone who knows me that I love cake. Frankie doesn't just love it, she lives for it. Cake trumps everything. I know, I know--who doesn't like cake? BUT, besides me, I don't really know of anyone who loses complete and total focus when cake is in the vicinity. If we prompt "Who wants cake?" It is undoubtedly my kid who yells "Me!!!!" the loudest. She is either first in line or the first one at the table, impatiently waiting for her cake--and if there is ice cream to go with it, all the better. What's more, since she is invariably the first one to finish, she has no shame about going right up to the hostess, plate in hand, and saying "I...want... sum... moah... cake... pahleez." And, really, who can refuse that?
It's like I birthed her. I can't even believe I didn't. And she's not just mine--she's Cody's too:
It kills me when Cody pulls out the CD of all the different bugles from camp and we play the morning wake-up "Reveille" call. Frankie goes crazy. She starts dancing and going nuts. She was only there one summer and camp is IN HER. It's in her like it's in her daddy. It's a natural fit, for both of them. Cody has been singing "Friends and Taps" before we put her to bed most nights and we realized last night that she is actually starting to learn the words.
There is no shortage of self confidence in Frankie and it's very rare that we see a shy or sad side. She is a happy, funny, bright, resilient and well-adjusted kid who is living and loving her life. She wakes up in a good mood every morning excited for what her new day will bring. It's infectious. I'm so proud of who she is and I'm constantly amazed by something new every day. There are parts of me that wish I could bottle and preserve her because I can't imagine her being more fun than she is right now.
Am I going to miss the carseats and diapers? No, but I will miss the "OK, Mah-mee!" when I ask her to throw something out, put something back or throw her sippy in the sink... Am I going to miss the backaches that come from bending over at bathtime? No, but I will miss when the frequent trips that Frankie makes to the junk drawer, pulling out Snickers or Kit Kats at 7:30 A.M. and saying "These??" and me replying: "No, silly goose! It's 7:30 in the morning. You don't need candy at 7:30 in the morning! Go put those back, please" and she laughs while repeating "No, silly goose..." and puts the candy bar away, but quickly bounces back with a big smile, a sucker or a bag of chips pleading: "These??" ...Am I going to miss "I want Barney!" 20 times a day? No, but I will miss how much I love hearing her say "Thank you!" to anyone who gives her something and "Bye, see-ya!" to anyone who will listen as we are leaving. She is sweet and she is scrumptious and she makes everyone around her feel special.
I love the "Master of Obvious" role she has taken on as of late. "That's a flower! That's a mailbox! That's a doggie! That's an apple!" It's not unusual for us to tell her something once and she will remember it and point it out when we see it again. I have no idea if that is normal, and I really don't care because to me, it's amazing. It's all just amazing.
It has been some kind of ride with Frankie Jade and I can't wait to see how the road unfolds when Kid 2 comes to town next month. I'm hoping, as the big sister, that she helps teach the little one how to behave and communicate much in the same way Floyd has helped teach Frankie how to be "nice, nice" and say "I'm sorry."
There's no sense in speculation because, naturally, only time will tell what's in store for our family. I'm quite confident, however, that we will live through many, many more rough patches and long nights, hysterical moments and family jokes, awe-inspiring incidents and parental scares-- but for now I can honestly say, without reservation or hesitation, that I have really and truly loved these days.
