Happy Weekend.

June 18, 2011 By Kelle

Why hello there, Weekend.

Today, during Nella’s nap, I forgot to turn the monitor on. I was only a closed door and a living room away, but it was enough to induce that piercing pang of guilt when I finally realized she was awake and had been crying for some time. I’m okay with crying, really. I’ve graduated from the parent who impulsively leaps from chairs in outrageous attempts to pacify the slightest whimpers, but today it hit me differently. I couldn’t get to her fast enough. I wanted to save her–needed to save her. To comfort her and feel the sweet victory that comes from watching her shoulders settle when she saw me. And so I ran, knocking into the coffee table, slipping a bit on a tile square where an ice cube had fallen and melted. I ran to the bedroom, hollering “Mama’s coming, Baby!” while I sprinted. And when I got there? Well, it was beautiful. One of those motherhood rites of passage, a moment of which we’re all entitled.

Across the edge of the crib her tiny fingers were hooked, and a sweet head peeked over–just the top half. She stretched up on tippy toes, apparent by the way she bobbed a little higher after I walked in. Her inhalations were loud and drawn-out–necessary intermissions from her dramatic wails–and her cheeks were red and tear-stained, her hair sweaty and swept to the side. But when she saw me, her eyes squinted into a deep, relieved smile. She knew I was there to rescue her and so her laborious cry stopped mid-breath and transformed to a chuckle. An I’m-so-glad-you’re-here chuckle. Up, up went her arms, familiarly reaching for what she knew was to come. The Scoop and Embrace. Kind of like the Bend and Snap but way better. I pulled her close to me and she thanked me, burrowing her head into my chest, locking her arms around my neck. She rested her head calmy on my shoulder for a good seven seconds or so before she finally pulled her head back, locked her gaze with mine and smiled again. Wider and softer. Oh, it was a moment.

It’s so great to let your kids work things out themselves. But sometimes? Sometimes it just feels good to rescue them.

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We’ve spent the last couple days trying to find as many opportunities as we can to miserably face the heat. Like we create ways to make hot even hotter. Quilt tents, erected in the thick of the heat and endured much more peaceably by two kids who don’t seem to mind.

It was this or her real ladybug tent, and seeing as there’s only a small window and a zipper gap for breath in the real tent, we figured the open-air blanket tent was the way to go. She begged for a real fire, but it was 95 degrees in the middle of a June Florida drought and we were surrounded by dry sticks and a parched pine needle blanket. A fake fire would do. At least the marshmallows were real.

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Today was Dot’s birthday, and Lainey wanted to buy her a shirt. She’s very into birthdays now, and there’s nothing that makes me happier than watching my girl make efforts to make other people happy. She cried hard tonight after Dot left when she realized we didn’t sing to her. Everyone should be sung to on their birthdays; yes this is true.

We did take Dot to the mall today though, so Lainey could pick out a shirt for her. We don’t go to the mall very often, so when we do I kind of feel like I have to get in the mall character. Like, for reals, I totes caught Gina who works at the Pretzel Palace leave her kiosk without supervision and walk down to Foot Locker to hit on Danny, the assistant manager, and then I saw them like super making out in front of Orange Julius later. Swear, OMG, totally.

Okay, so we did do the Food Court. And Panda Express.

And maybe I sprayed one too many perfume samples at the Dillards counter. But the best part?

Stairway to Heaven. Also known as…the escalator.

It was the most thrilling part of Lainey’s day. To her, it’s Six Flags theme park. She gets all nervous before we hop on, gripping my hand tighter and carefully eyeing the stair movement, waiting for the perfect time to board–like counting jump rope skips before springing in to a game of double dutch. Once we’re on, she smiles, relieved for all of about five seconds before she starts planning the dismount. When she lands it? It’s victory. And then “Can we do it again?”

The escalator excitement was closely rivaled today by our mall’s new carousel.

And a yellow punch ball.

Who knew malls were so much fun? For the record, I worked at one so I can legitimately make mall jokes. And yes, I gained six pounds from cinnamon sugar pretzel lunch breaks at Auntie Ann’s, so there.

Once we hit JCPenny, Lainey went straight to a rack, pulled a shirt off, walked it over to Dot and, I kid you not, said “Hey look, it’s your color.” And it was. So we bought that very shirt with a “Happy Birthday, Dot. Hope you like it.”

Fun Friday times, Baby.

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Thank you for the June challenges you’ve been sharing. I’ve been clicking into the June Challenge Flickr site and enjoying your inspiring words and photos. There have been so many times I’ve made lists in my head and declared great intentions, but it feels good to follow through and make it fun by sharing the challenge and adding a little accountability into the mix.

A few of your challenges:

Ahain 0013:

KellyJo103:

O-sandy:

There’s many more at the June Challenge photostream, and you can share yours there as well. More to be featured on the blog! Thank you for sharing.

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Finally, two matters of business.

The Elisalou bag giveaway winner (and drawing from Lainey) is Comment #449, Ginger: I really was wondering when you’d get around to writing about the saddle shoes! SOLD on the bagandkiddrawing combo.

Congratulations, Ginger. Please e-mail your info to kellehamptonblog@comcast.net so I can begin planning my trip to the post office.

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And drum roll please for the coolest barrettes Lainey’s currently obsessed with. Our new sponsor, Polkadot Posies, offers a fantastic selection of reasonably priced accessories which happen to include these unique novelty clippies.

Deciding between sweet fairy or little mermaid barrette is now a morning event, and convincing Lainey to let me do her hair is a much easier task indeed when it involves these adorable clips.

Check out the other fine accessories at Polkadot Posies, and use Code “kelleh10” for 10% off your order until June 24. A comment will be randomly selected from this post to win a free hat and flower, winner’s choice.

Happy Father’s Day to all the men we love. Have a great weekend!