This Week in Mommyhood

There seems to be a joke going around. A joke at my expense, nonetheless. Two weeks ago I had the stomach flu, last week was the cold, and now this week it's Perla's health. She had some nasty bruising on her chest following a visit to the groomer's and this was all reminiscent of her platelet issues of the past. I was afraid that my little dog was nearing her end. I cried and then cried some more. Then I stopped crying and thanked God for sending me Cati. Cati needs me like no other person has ever needed me and she would force me to face each day. She would help me move past my mourning. I also had to remind myself that I have been fortunate enough to have had Perla for the past 15 years of my life. I have loved and cared for her and given her the best life I could give her. Things are still up in the air and we have no clue what's the cause but now I feel more at peace with whatever may happen. I came to appreciate the gift of my daughter in a whole new way. I didn't think it was possible to be thankful for Cati in a different way, but here I am being thankful for her ability to help me get through whatever issues I'm dealing with because she needs me to be strong, healthy, and happy for her.

Speaking of Perla. She is finally becoming interested in Cati. It only took 6 months! Now whenever Cati is on the floor, Perla walks up to her, sniffs her, and then lays down beside her. Cati loves this new attention because she has been pretty into Perla for a while now. It's impossible for Perla to pass by Cati without Cati wanting to reach out and touch her.

Cati makes the most hilarious faces now. She loves to stick out her tongue and this makes her face come alive in a whole new way. It's as if she discovered that her tongue is a new way of expressing her playfulness.

Crawling is upon us. Cati likes to get up on all fours now and she likes to rock her body back and forth. I'm still amazed at the progression of blob-baby to mobile-baby. Alex isn't too excited about her increasing mobility because it means drilling holes into the wall for the gate.

I read Joanne Harris’s Chocolat this week and the mother in the book describes her daughter as her little stranger. Something about this has struck me and now I think of Cati as my little stranger. I know her, and yet, I don’t know her at all. I have no clue what Cati will be like when she gets older, but I love her immeasurably and unconditionally.