Savoring My Queen Bee Status Just a Little Bit Longer

Celia drew this picture of herself and me today. I'm the one with what looks like a halo on my head.  It's actually my hair band, she told me.  If you've seen me in the past few years (or knew me in high school when I sported the same look), you'll know that until my recent haircut, I wore a hair band every day to keep that mane out of my face.  I don't know how other long-haired women do it who seem to always be facing the wind.  I don't see them in the parking lot of Target, holding the hands of two toddlers, a diaper bag, a purse, and pushing a stroller, all the while, looking like a stunt double for Cousin It.  But I digress.  That is me and my hair band and I LOVE this picture.  I love it not just because these are some of Celia's first drawings of people and that they actually have bodies and not just floating heads with limbs stuck out of the sides.  I love it not just because of the fact that she included the details of her ubiquitous bow and my hair band.  I love it because it's a picture of just us two.  And no offense at all to daddy who asked her to include him in the drawing, but it's special because it's just us girls.  And in her mind, Mommy totally rocks.  Because right now Celia is four.  And I know that life will change.  I taught middle school for eight years.  I know what's coming.  I'm totally savoring the fact that for now, both she and Mikey want ME to hold their hands while we shop.  They want ME to sit on their bed and hold them while we pray at bedtime.  They call for MOMMY in the middle of the night when they're sick, need more water, need their noses wiped, need their tushes wiped, need me to wipe tears away and (as Mikey puts it) "feel me better."  I'm truly soaking up the moments because I know that soon enough, Mommy will no longer be anything close to cool.  But I also know (I taught middle school for eight years, remember?) that I'm going to continue to be there for all the times they need me to "feel them better" just in new and different ways.  I remember what my dear friend Jane's mom used to tell us.  I became friends with Jane in the eighth grade, so Mrs. Bible got to know me during my most heinous years, I'm sure.  She was a wise woman.  One of my favorite of her quotes is, "Nothing goes right when your underwear's too tight."  All kidding aside, I really did learn much from her.  I remember she told us that she truly enjoyed every age and stage that her girls went through.  That each new era brought new joys and gifts. I hold onto that as I see these sweet preschool years going way too quickly by.  I am savoring every hand hold for now, but I embrace the sweetness that the future years will bring as well.  And when Celia is rolling her eyes at me as I try to take her picture on the first day of eighth grade, you can bet I'll be clutching that picture that she drew of the two of us today.