feed them on your dreams

Last week I went home. Actually, home is a funny word. Baltimore is my home, but my hometown is in Ohio. So "going home" means going to Ohio, that is unless I'm in Ohio, in which "going home" means going to Maryland.

No less than 4 very emotional events happened during my visit and on the subsequent drive home, but this isn't about any of them. This is about my visit with the Miss Superwoman Molly, her loserface husband (just kidding, he's super awesome too) and her 2 very fantastic there are no words to describe it children.

Her son, L, has met me once or twice but at the tender age of 5 he doesn't remember. That being said, we were LIFELONG FRIENDS the moment I walked in the door. Now, as someone who finds children, well, annoying and sticky, this was surprisingly welcomed. He's just, the most totally awesome kid and I know that sounds like a 90's motivational slogan but he really is. He's kind hearted and quick to learn and really funny. (Molly, if you're reading this, you can thank me later for teaching him knock-knock jokes.)

The newest addition, baby girl T, was secretly the only reason for my visit. Who cares about her parents, she is the star of the show. Most importantly, sitting on top of this girl's head is a pile of red hair. My heart melts for a red-headed child. And while I can't claim to understand at all how a parent feels about wanting to protect their child, as I sat there holding her on my lap, the most surprising things came out of my mouth. I suddenly had the urge to tell her ALL about life. "You are beautiful. Never ever go on a diet.", I said. "Being a girl is amazing. Sure you get periods and have to shave your legs, but that's so much better than being a boy. You are perfect the way you are. You can do anything you want. And if you're good at math, run with it."

Children never make me want to have my own. They are the best reminder that I am not ready for that stage of life, if ever. But in that moment I did kind of think for a second that it would be very nice to hug something every day and tell it how awesome it is. And then she started to scream and it shattered that little dream. And I thanked God for birth control.