LOVE, SWEET, LOVE

Talk about Jekyll and Hyde! Wowza. In exactly one week, Matthew has turned into a completely different child. Um, and no offense kid, but thank GOD! Last week not getting the drinking straw of his choice brought on a 35 minute freak-out. Any little injury was cause for therapy and major concern. What a change!

On Tuesday, we’re walking home from the bus stop when Matthew casually says, “I got kicked in the face today on the playground and my tooth came out.” I’m pretty sure that I stopped walking and just stared at him. WHAT?! He says it so nonchalantly and we’re already half-way home! I’m not pumped that my child got kicked in the face, but I’m actually REALLY happy the tooth came out! It was one of those stubborn little buggers that just wasn’t getting very wiggly but already had the grown-up tooth pushed up behind it. The dentist had said that if Matthew didn’t get it out soon she’d have to pull it. We’ve been working on Matthew to wiggle it and work on it, but it didn’t seem to be getting too loose. Thank you, kid, that kicked it on outta there!

Matthew showed me the little plastic tooth-shaped container that he got in the office for safe-keeping of his real tooth. He said the tooth had popped completely out on to the ground getting pretty dirty. On close inspection, Mike thinks that they actually picked up a tiny little pebble and not the tooth at all. This means that the tooth fairy totally got duped, AND that a part of my child remains on the school playground. Hmm. Weird. Oh well, at least she provided Matthew with some financial comfort for his tooth-loss woes. Seriously – I’d MUCH rather pay the tooth fairy fee over the dentist’s! What a bargain!

So, that was Different Child Matthew Day One. Yesterday, Day Two, Matthew woke up ridiculously early. Apparently he wanted to see just how generous the tooth fairy is when you loose your tooth in a dramatic way. (Kinda generous, as it turns out. He got a whole dollar bill! She hasn’t given a dollar since his first four. The two middle top, two middle bottom are important ones…and then after that what with economic set-backs, etc. he’s only got 50 cents/tooth). I was concerned that Matthew would be a way tired-cranky-monster after a long day at school especially when he’d woken up so early. I picked Matthew up from the bus stop in the car as it was POURING. Matthew hopped in through the torrential downpour. I looked back at him once he got his seatbelt buckled. He wore a goofy-huge-cheesy grin as he leaned back in his seat and sighed.

I was suspicious. “How was your day, Matthew?”

“Good… Actually super good.”

“ Super good, huh?”

“ Yeah, I got to make a card for Emma. But I didn’t get to finish it so I brought it home.”

“ That’s nice,” I say.

Matthew sighs again, “Yeah, I like Emma a lot.” He leans forward in his seat getting more excited. “She’s the first person that I like, Mom! I’m going to MARRY HER!!!”

(OK, I will admit that a tiny part of my Mom-ego burst here. #1. My child is grown-up enough to know that you can’t marry your own mother and #2. What’s wrong with me?! Why doesn’t he want to marry me anymore??! Who is this little hussy that has stolen my son’s heart?!! I was a little sad, but recovered quickly because, well, how could I not? Maybe I’ll soon meet my daughter-in-law!)

“Oh, really?!” I ask.

“Yep.”

“How do you know that you’re going to marry her?”

“Because I nudged her and she nudged me back!” Matthew demonstrates with a slow motion, gently-executed elbow nudge, complete with raised eyebrow-wiggle. “And I smile at her and she smiles back.” He’s smooth, this kid! Check out the moves!

“I made her with a pink and purple shirt on the card ‘cuz she likes those girly colors…Was school short today? ‘Cuz I’m not even tired and I was up EARLY! And I’m usually tired. But love made me not tired!!”

I drove home quickly (yet ever-so-carefully so as to not damage the groom); I needed to get that conversation recorded before I forgot it. I need to have 100% word-for-word accuracy here for recording in their wedding book.

Later, as Matthew worked on his card (in which he and Emma are holding hands and he invites her to “Come play at my house” and there is a star above his head and a heart above hers), he provided me with further Emma commentary.

“Maybe Emma made a card for me!”

“Maybe,” I say.

“When’s it going to be another morning? Well, I’ll wait all night and day to give her this.”

He keeps coloring explaining how both he and Emma have jeans on in the picture because they both really like jeans. (Phew! If that’s not a deal-breaker I don’t know what is! Thank goodness she likes jeans.)

“In my dreams!!” Matthew suddenly says excitedly. “I’ll dream of giving her this [card] and that she gives me one!...I like Emma a lot. She’s very kind. And cute. Mom, Emma’s very cute.”

“That’s nice, Matthew,” I say. “Maybe you can introduce me to Emma the next time Zach and I come to have lunch with you in the cafeteria.”

“Yeah!” He giggles, “’Cuz I’ll sit by her at lunch.”

Do you know anything about her? Does she have any brothers or sisters?” What kind of family does this girl come from?! I try to remember if I met her mom at the open house. Maybe I’m thinking of someone else.

“I dunno,” Matthew says.

“Well, do you know her favorite color?”

“No.”

“Maybe you could ask her some questions, you know, get to know her better…” [Before you commit to a deeper relationship.]

Matthew smiles dreamily, “I just know that she’s kind…And Mom, she’s cute!”

Yeah, you mentioned that.