Page 8 of Bound By Consequences
It was mostly my baby girl’s toys that cluttered the room. We were still working on her cleaning up her messes. Considering she didn’t like that one bit, maybe I’d get her to do it by the time she was twenty. Maybe. I chose to pick my battles, and this one wasn’t something I would stress over.
I didn’t have many possessions, clothes for work and home, a single piece of jewelry from my mother, a box of the meager mementos from my past and a few pictures. That was it, but I didn’t need anything because I had Remy. She was my light in the dark and the reason I got up in the morning. ‘Stuff’ wasn’t my thing. People were important. When it was all at risk before, I clung to hope and fought to have this life with my daughter. These moments were what mattered, and I would forever be grateful for all of them.
I held my people close to me, never to let go no matter what I had to do to make it possible. It was a bit of a downfall for me, but the way I was raised it was reasonable. Walking away from everything I knew taught me what was important. The lesson had been a painful one, but it made me the woman, and more importantly the mother, I was today.
Remy bounced on the bed as I sat her on it. “I’m gonna eat you,” I teased, opening and closing my mouth like some crazy ass monster was in fact going to eat her. She turned over on her belly and started to make a dash to the top of the bed, kicking her feet, but I jumped on the bed and wrapped her in my arms.
Into her neck, I pretended to ‘eat,’ all the while kissing and making crazy sounds.
It was one thing I absolutely loved about being a mom, being silly and stupid all to make my baby girl laugh, which was in my opinion the best sound ever. Remy would never have a childhood like mine. She would never livethatlife. That, I’d live and die for.
“Mommy!” she cried out as I laid her back on the bed.
“You have to put your clothes on, bug.”
“Nakeee!” she yelled at the top of her lungs, causing me to burst out laughing.
That was Remy. She’d stay naked all the time if I let her. Hopefully, I could break this habit before she’d grow up and decide she’d want to be a streaker.
I was pretty surehow to prevent streakerswasn’t on Google. And if it was, color me stupid. Rather than fight her, I figured this was a phase that would pass in time … kind of like sucking her thumb. Another battle I hadn’t yet chose to fight.
“I know you, bug, but you can’t run around completely naked because you’ll pee on my floor.”
“No.” Her head shook back and forth rapidly, but I knew my girl. While there were times she wanted to ‘sit’ on the potty, she wasn’t there yet. She’d get sidetracked and pee all down her legs on to the carpet. Then we’d have to do bath time again and repeat the entire process with the addition of cleaning the carpet.
Grabbing a diaper, her head continued to shake. “Sorry, baby, but until you go potty on the big potty all the time; you need to wear this.”
“Ickee.”
“If you think so, then tell Mommy when you have to go, and I’ll take you to the potty.” I’d read online that children really didn’t start potty training until they were in their later twos to early threes. Was it bad I wasn’t ready for my little girl to grow up so fast? It felt like I just had her yesterday, and that step turned her officially into a kid. No thank you. She’d always be my baby no matter what.
As much as it would kill, I wouldn’t stop her either. Knowing that watching her grow was truly a gift, my soul simply appreciated each milestone.
“I go.”
Damn, I loved hearing her words. She was beginning to talk in short bursts of sentences, but it was mostly one word at a time. Every day it was something new with her. Like an adventure waiting to see what would be next.
“You tell Mommy, and we’ll go.”
Fastening her diaper, I pulled a shirt over her head. “See, that’s not so bad.”
She stood up, wrapped her chubby little arms around my neck, and squeezed me hard. I loved those hugs. It made everything, the good, bad, and ugly worth it. That one hug ruled my world.
“Hello!”
Remy’s head lifted at the sound of the female voice as she released me, rolled to her tummy, then inched off the bed. This was another new one, climbing off the bed by herself, and she landed on her feet every time. Not a single stumble. It made my heart stop each time, fearing she’d hurt herself.
Remy made some sounds while she moved, but the one I could make out was “KayKay!”
“There’s my girl!”
Entering the living room, my sister Katie stood there hugging my daughter tightly, a wide smile on her face. Katie loved Remy just as much as I did. She proved it every single day. No one better in this world to have at my side than Katie. She was my calm in every storm. She was my strength through so much, but especially with my journey to having Remy here today.
“How’s it going?” she asked me, rocking Remy back and forth like she did every evening when she came in.
“Good. I work from seven to seven. Are you sure you’re good with her?”
Katie laughed. “Please. I’ve been giving this little one stories before bed forever. We always have fun.” Katie shrugged. “And she sleeps most of the time while you’re gone. Win-win.”
