An outing with Daddy, her golden (dirty blonde) ponytail,
bouncing with excitement.
A sudden second thought, and
a return up the veranda stairs to give me one more hug and kiss.

Snap

I awake to a weight on my stomach. I open my eyes to that same golden hair,
now tousled and slightly muffling a request to “fry wike aeiry”.
The flapping arms lend a clue and I bench press thirty pounds
of squealing, flapping, three-year-old fairy; then a crash landing and giggles.

Snap

An outgoing child, she sits on a neighbour’s lap, chatting happily about a kitty cat that has made his way up to the porch.
Our neighbour and good friend tells her she is “Ernie’s girl.”
To the shock of us both she gets up desperately and with a tear in her eye,
climbs up on me and announces, “No! I Mommy’s girl.”

Snap

A tired toddler, tantrum and time-out.
She is forgiven and I offer the forbidden pacifier.
I wrap her in my arms and she drifts off to sleep. Four is looming
and a fierce emotion only mothers experience, (love but with a bittersweet edge)
overcomes me and I know like one and two, three will be gone in a

Snap