The Final Countdown Part II

I’m sorry, but my deep, abiding love of awesomely cheesy 80’s pop music could not let me use the title “The Final Countdown” for my previous post without paying tribute to the band that made those words famous. Europe’s rocking ode to the end of things has been in my head all weekend, and now, it will be in yours as well. You’re welcome!

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The Final Countdown…

With Greta’s kindergarten starting next Monday, today marks the official beginning of our last full week together before “big girl” school starts. And while I’m very proud of the impossibly sweet, funny, intelligent young lady Greta has become over the past five years, part of me is dreading the many changes to come. I know we’ll always have plenty of time together but I also know that things change when kids go to school. I guess I’m just kinda bummed that the first great chapter of our wild and crazy time together is coming to an end.

With a few notable exceptions, I’ve been by Greta’s side almost every day since she was born and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world. I know it sounds corny, but, she’s been my favorite “production” of all. She has also been, quite literally, my life for the past five years.

And though I’m sad and happy and kind of terrified (especially of getting up early every day to get her to school on time! Yikes!) by the strange and winding road ahead of us, I’m looking forward to it as well. Every day with Greta is an adventure and no school schedule is gonna change that!

So, here’s to our last week of total freedom together, sweetie! Let’s get busy!

 

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Going strapless…

Ever get the feeling that things are changing too fast for your taste? Urgh, try raising a toddler. I swear, by the time I’m used to one stage or routine, we’re already well onto another. It’s kind of insane, but, I guess the best thing that can be said about dealing with such rapid-fire change is that it makes me a little more flexible. A little. I mean, I still hate change, but, I’ve come to realize I am helpless in its wake…so, now I just kinda go with it.

So, it was with a very heavy heart that Mrs. Yeti and I removed the snap-tight safety straps from Greta’s Stokke highchair. The truth is, she hasn’t even worn them that often in the past few months, but, to me, those straps were a reminder of the tiny little baby we used to have to be so careful with.

It’s not that we’re not careful with her anymore, it’s just that she’s so fiercely-independent these days that the straps were simply not working for her. She actually threatened to remove them by herself if we didn’t get on it soon. So, last night, Mrs. Yeti and I pulled out the toolbox and removed the seat back and straps from her highchair and then put it back together.

I know it sounds crazy, but, just the act of disassembling that little chair brought back a flood of memories — baby Greta “test driving” the chair at the store before we bought it, the little blanket we used to have to wrap around her waist so she wouldn’t slide out of the seat, eating her first rice cereal, all those cute-ass bibs we used to have and the way she’d sit in her chair and laugh and smile at me while I danced around the kitchen making her food — man, it was intense.

And even today as I watched her push her newly, “big girl-ized” chair to the table and climb up in it to eat, I realized that someday, this too would be a sweet memory of simpler times. I know that “the only constant is change” and all that, but, jeez, does it all need to happen so quickly?