Tonight is the night I ............

babysit an almost one year old.

Understand I LOVE me some chillren’s and I especially love this one!  I have several friends with kids. And as I just had a birthday, so have they. My little baby punkadoodles are now teenage punkadoodles who need their Apey to encourage them, teach them, love them, and snatch them up ‘iffin the opportunity arises. I think the youngest may be 12 now? Not so little.

Anyway, back to baby Ollie tonight. It is just me and her!!

I got to hold her the day she was born and no bigger than a good sized breakfast burrito (she was wrapped like one). Now she is almost a year and isn’t quite so tiny. She is not big mind you. I am. I am outta of shape and getting older so her stamina and mine are vastly different.

As it stands, I occasionally watch her on Wednesday nights when Mom and Dad run/play doge ball (you can check out memphisdodgeball.com) at the Y where they play. I used to play but now they use the competitive rubber balls that HURT, and while I may appear like a linebacker, I am truly a delicate flower.  

I digress….what I was going to say is after a night (few hours) the next morning my arms hurt like I have been lifting weights. But it so worth it. I get to hug her and squish her and call he George!! (okay maybe that reference isn’t for everyone). But I do get to squish on a baby! She is just so fun! She LOVES digging everything out of my purse and ya know what? I soooo let her. When she gets older she is really gonna know how to work me. Well, most of my friends kids do but that is OKAY. That is why I am APEY!!

So back tonight, it will be just me and her…..dun dun dun….I think she will have me pure tuckered out by night’s end. I think by the end it we will be ME sleeping like a baby. But it will be worth it! Kids always have the power to charge my happy meter. For some reason life’s downs don’t feel so down when you have a bright faced, little young in looking at you with not but two teeth in her head!! Or when she sneezes and you mimick it and then she does it back.

Call me a big marshmallow but it doesn’t get any better than that!

Wish me luck!  

Yesterday was my b-day. I am officially 39 years of age. 5’2” in height, $!@#* in weight, with blondish hair and hazel (green there is some debate) eyes. 39 feels like 38 but closer to 40 and less close to 20. Mentally I feel late 20’s /early 30’s. Physically I am probably in my 50’s. So I reckon if you average it all I am right at 39.

I hear when I get to be forty things go downhill. I sure as heck hope not. Me being on the roundish side might be I am in for a bumpy ride! It only takes a push!

Anyways, yesterday was not to eventful. Quiet day at home with a lunch break. Plenty of reading, and lots of facebook well wishers! All in all ...pretty decent.

I don’t know if it is my circumstance or age but these days b-days are just days. Deep down, I still want to be the kid who gets to wear the paper crown at the ice-cream parlor and gets a new Barbie, some ugly sweater for my grams and some candy that sparkles and looks like fairy dust. Or some pink candy and some real fairy dust.

But alas, those days are gone and a new era of grown up, uneventful yet peaceful days that celebrate my birth are what are left. Not so bad if you think about it. Actually having another day to be alive sounds like a darn good present to me!

So there you have it! Another day, another year, another opportunity to move forward! I hate that beeping sound when I back up!