I Don't Want to Forget

I don't want to forget...

• This conversation that happened a while back (I don't think I ever wrote it down).  I was talking to Bret about something naughty that he had done, when Serena chimed in with her two cents.  

I turned to Serena and said, "Honey, you need to let Mommy take care of this."  
Of course, Serena asked, "Why?"
So I said, "Because I am the Mommy."
Serena looked a little surprised and answered, "But I am a Mommy!  I have two babies, Emily and Olie!"
Me (trying not to laugh because she was SO sincere!), "Okay, and I'm Bret's Mommy.  And when your babies are naughty, you can be the one to talk to them about it."

• How Serena sighed like a weary old woman and said, "I'm tired of growing up" when I finished taking a few more clothes that she'd outgrown from her drawers.
• How much Bret loves to wrestle and tussle and be physical.  He just eggs Jordan on when he's home. Constantly trying to stir up something.  And he just laughs and laughs the whole time!  He loves to be rough and tumble around.  
• The sweet way Serena confided in me the other day after her bath.  I was drying her off and putting lotion on her.

"I'm so glad God made you," I said.
"Why?" she asked.
"Oh, because then I could have a precious girl all my very own," I replied.
Quiet for a few moments.  I could tell her wheels were turning and that she was working up to something.
Finally, "I wish I could have a sister.  A real sister."
Before I could even think of what to say, she went ahead and solved her own problem:
"But maybe Olie will grow up and become a real sister."
Come on, Olie!  Don't let me down!  ;)

• What Serena said when she found out we weren't going to church last Sunday (Jordan was pretty miserable with a nasty cold):  "But you could just drop me off!"  You know what?  You're right, Serena!  Why didn't I think of that?!  Because dropping you off and leaving you at places is something we have never ever done!  Seriously, where does she even come up with these ideas?!

• The "duck phase."  We've been through the "puppy phase" where she had a litter of puppies following her around that she needed to take care of.  Then we went through a "frog phase" where she had a bunch of frogs keeping her busy.  Then it was the "Olie's birthday phase" during which we celebrated Olie's birthday over and over with different variations.  Now we're in the "duck phase."  Except this time around, Serena is actually one of the ducks.  She's the mommy duck and Bret is the daddy duck (except when he's growling and acting ferocious...then Serena calls him "Tiger Daddy") and there is an undetermined number of ducklings in their care.  Serena does most of the caring for the ducklings...Bret doesn't really "get" everything that she's up to yet.  He kinda plays along beside her and sometimes participates; but regardless of what he's doing, Serena includes him and interprets his every activity in light of her "duck" fantasy.  She is so absorbed in her ducks and in being a duck that I actually haven't seen Olie for a few days.  Yes, you read that right.  Olie has been up in the playroom and has not come down for a few DAYS!  I've seen evidence that she is being played with at least a little during Serena's quiet time, but that's about all Serena's interaction with Olie has been for the last few days.  It's kinda weird!  Especially after celebrating Olie's birthday for the last couple weeks!  ;)  Come to think of it, I haven't heard anything about Sink for a while now, either.  Now, when we run our errands, I don't have to wait for Serena to get Olie ready to go or gather her up to bring her into a store.  Instead, Serena climbs out of her carseat and then turns around and gestures for her little ducklings to follow her.  Usually, she forgets about being a duck after that, though Jordan said that she played with the ducklings when he had her at the mall Monday night.  He said she even flapped her wings and quacked, hahaha!  She hasn't done that in public for me yet.  Of course, the duck fantasy was still pretty new on Monday.  ;)  The ducks get fed every morning and every night.  She talks to the ducks and explains things to them.  If Jordan or I make the mistake of referring to her as a little girl, she'll promptly correct us with, "No, I'm not a little girl.  I'm a duck!" or "I can't talk because I'm a duck.  QUACK!  QUACK!"  I think it was Monday afternoon that she was in her room getting her bed ready for night when she came out of her room, pillow in hand, and said, "Mom, I'm all done with my pillow."  ???  Turns out, ducks don't need pillows since they sleep in nests.  ;)  I convinced her to keep her pillow in her bed "just in case" she changes her mind later...like when she's bigger (because the funny thing about these phases is that Serena really seems to believe that they will last forever...she truly believes she won't ever stop wanting to be a duck...so it's best not to even suggest life sans ducks right now).  Speaking of nests, all her blankets and sheets are no longer spread over her bed in the customary fashion...now, they're all arranged in a circular "nest" which she and the ducklings sleep in.  All huddled up.  With her "wings" folded down.  And her head tucked in.  Like a duck.  Last night, when I got her up to use the potty in the middle of the night, she started to get all upset when I tried to lay her back down because her "nest was all messed up!"  I took her back out of the room so I could talk to her without disturbing Bret.  After explaining that nests often get "messed up" while ducks sleep in them, I informed her that if she got upset about her nest again when I took her back into her room that there would be no more nests and no more ducks.  We would just make her bed like normal again and she would have to sleep in it that way (I know, I'm a mean mom).  She still had this very glazed, sleepy look on her face, so I wasn't really sure how much she was comprehending and asked her to repeat to me what would happen if she got upset again.  She looked at me with those huge, sleepy dark eyes, her light wispy hair falling around her face, her cheeks a little flushed from her hard sleep, and said slowly (in that adorable "Shirley Temple" voice), "No more ducks."