Tuesday, March 11, 2008

I made a mistake

It happens. Not very often. When it does, I am the first to admit I made a mistake.

I made a mistake yesterday.

I told Lola that her birthday was only 8 days away. Furthermore, I told her that we would go get our nails done together and have lunch.

"When is eight days?" Her eyes twinkle as I count the days on the calendar with her.

"How many times will I go to sleep?" She asks.

"Eight."

"And we will go and get our nails done. Just you, Mama, and me?" She asks.

"Yes. Just you and I. Together." I smile knowing that my daughter is finally old enough to sit through and appreciate a manicure.

"Can we hold hands?" She asks.

"Yes. I guess so. And you know what? I think we should make it a tradition." I tell her and smile picturing us together 60 years from now with full heads of curled grey hair and matching Naturalizer stilettos.

"YES! That is a great idea. We can get our nails done even when I am a stranger!" She informs me.

"A stranger? What do you mean?" I ask her, not really understanding.

"A STRANGER! Like in high school. SSSTTTTRRRAAANNGER." She speaks slowly so that I could comprehend.

"Oh. A TEENAGER?" Thank goodness she can slow down for me.

"Yes. We can get our nails done even when I am a teenager." She smiles. I return to my work and she looses herself in the land of Polly Pockets.

A mere 5 minutes later she walks over to me whispering. "We are going to the nail stylist on my 4 year old birthday. Yes?"

Five more minutes pass. "Mama. What color of nails should I get?"

Four more minutes pass by. "Do you think the nail stylist can paint a pattern? Pink. Purple. Pink. Purple. Pink."

Two more minutes pass by. "Can our nails match? We can get the same pattern!"

Another minute passes. "Even when I am tall, like a stranger, we will go to the nail stylist. Yes, Mama?"

More minutes pass and she is quiet. I am happy. The topic of conversation has passed and we can continue our day.

"Mama? Mama! What about lunch? Where should we have lunch?" Lola asks. "We didn't talk about our lunch!"

And so, I will admit to making a mistake. I told her way too soon about her upcoming birthday. I now have SEVEN more days of Lola talking about nails and lunch and patterns and colors.

Seven more days.

85classy comments:

Caroline C. Bingham said...

You love it. You have nothing better to do all day than field questions from your little Lola.

April said...

You just gotta hope she doesn't fall asleep unexpectedly over these next eight days...'cause you know you said she only sleeps 8 times 'til then!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you guys are going to have a blast! In 8 days that is!

Unknown said...

Awe, she is so cute! How exciting to get a manicure with mommy!

I just love how they dwell on things at that age. It's just gotta make you laugh, because one of these days they may end up not talking to us for days at a time (when they are sttttrrraaannngeeers!)

LunaNik said...

Oh sweetheart I feel your pain! I'm guilty of this type of thing too, but I get so excited myself that I just can't help but spill the beans. Sending you earplugs and sanity thru the blogosphere!!

Kristen said...

That is such a cute story!

And, what a great mama and me tradition you are starting. Even if you are going to hear about it oh, like, every 2 minutes!

Too cute!

Lisa said...

That's so sweet and wonderful Priceless, I tell ya! I swear, moments like these make all of the drama that comes along with girls so worth it!
Every time she starts driving you batty with the whole deal, remember that when she's a "stranger" some day, she may not want to get her nails done with you!!!

Cynthia said...

Oh, you two will have so much fun!

Mr Lady said...

HAHAHAHA! You know better than that!

Anonymous said...

Aww! But it is really cute! Don't forget the pictures!

Amy said...

What a cute tradition!

Holly (2 Kids and Tired) said...

But, you'll have fun! We're going to California in April. My son has had his backpack packed for a week already. Every day he talks about when he gets to fly. We have 5 1/2 weeks left!

Big D said...

Sounds like fun!!! Except seven more days of questions hahaaha but still fun

carrie said...

I have made this mistake many, many times!

I just can't help myself! :)

Just think, you have 7 days to pick your color . . . or Lola has 7 days to pick YOUR color!

Mamarazzi said...

so much fun...even if you have to talk about it over and over for the next seven days (or more). Jordan and i love getting pedicures together and have been doing it for years. FUN!!

WILLIAM said...

That is hysterical.

Unknown said...

That really is quite cute.
Make sure you get the inserts for those stilettos!

Stephanie said...

How sweet... What a great tradition to start with your daughter. But maybe next year wait until 3 days until her birthday ;)

If I figure out a way to stop the eggs, I shall let you know. But I did stop on my way home yesterday. Oh my! :)

Amy said...

i reckon you won't make that mistake again! i have learned from experience to what til the morning of ANYTHING!!! children can't comprehend time, and plus you never no what can happen!

hope you enjoy your girl time!!!

Anonymous said...

you could call it a secret tradition that you can't talk about or it will jinx it. ;)

Beth Cotell said...

I have made that mistake several times before. But I have finally learned my lesson and keep my mouth shut!

Anonymous said...

Too cute! I know all too well how this works! My girl is 8 now and not so bad anymore. But she would get really upset when she woke from a nap and wanted to count that at a 'sleep'. You'd think I'd learn my lesson, but I'd still tell her exciting news so we could share the joy together - no matter how many questions.

Beth from the Funny Farm said...

You MUST let her pick the colors. You MUST match. And, you MUST show us pictures!

lol

How sweet!

Irene said...

That is so funny.

I know exactly what you mean. I have learned in some cases not to tell my oldest about an upcoming event just to save me from answering the constant questions.

Mommy to those Special Ks said...

haha I have made that mistake once! LOL Never again. Of course now the older two keep up with the calendar so they KNOW... they're counting down to Halloween right now and ask me at least once a week what they should dress as. I REALLY don't care right at the moment! HA! Can't wait to see your purple and pink patterned nails! :)

Stephanie said...

It's funny you blogged about this. My TWO year old has been talking about our upcoming vacation the last few days and driving me crazy...something my mother in law did. We're going to Gatlinburg, TN and one of the stops is the Ripley's Aquarium. So of course all she's talking about right now is the "fishies." She got upset yesterday when I was getting her ready to go to the grocery store because she thought we were leaving for our vacation. Then I made the mistake of taking her by our new house and letting her look in her new room through the window. She cried when she saw me pull into our current neighborhood. "Wanna go to new house!" *Sigh* I think she's as ready for a vacation and a change as I am!!!

MommyTime said...

Ah, yes, in our house the conversation is about the type of birthday cake. Which does not mean chocolate or lemon cake. It mean train or rocket ship or race car cake. We discussed cake aesthetics for DAYS before the birthday. Not to discourage you, but we continue to discuss them now (6 weeks after the birthday), as in, "Mama? When is my next birthday? On my next birthday, I want a train cake. How much longer till my next birthday?" Do you think I can get him to count 312 more nights of sleep?

GoMommy said...

Sooo funny! I make the same mistake with the boys ALL THE TIME! They are relentless! But adorable!

Unknown said...

i am sitting here, thinking to myself "how many questions can lola possibly think of about nails and lunch?" please count them and let me know. maybe then i will stop laughing about your post!!

Unknown said...

How very sweet. And how very apropos that she mistakes 'stranger' for 'teenager'.

Betsy Mae said...

oh frig i do the same thing!

justme said...

classic

Maria said...

The first person I thought of when you said this was my sister Irene's daughter! She really is the same way. But look how happy you made her!

amanda said...

awww so sweet :) i sooo look forward to birthday traditions! can't wait to see how the nails turn out!

Mary said...

Little kid countdowns are the worst!
Have fun when the big day comes though:)

Amy said...

That's why we have calendars. And they are allowed to put a sticker on their calendar for each day of the countdown, and sticker time is the only time we get to talk about it, otherwise they will drive me BANANAS!!! But of course I've gone through 3 girls to come up with this little rule!

Angie @ KEEP BELIEVING said...

My 4 year old turn 5 on Friday. I didn't tell him until yesterday for that EXACT reason.

KEEP BELIEVING

Anonymous said...

She is adorable!! But I hold information now too for this very reason!! LOL

Karen MEG said...

An honest mistake... I do that all the time. Often I'm so excited myself I can barely contain it, then I pay for it.

But I am soooo excited for you! This is a great mommy/girlie date! She may not be so up to it when she's a stranger ... unless you bring some of her friends along.

Four years old. Wow. Enjoy!

AutoSysGene said...

It's going to be a long 7 days, huh? How sweet is this new tradition your starting.

And Naturalizer Stilletto's, hysterical. What shade of blue do your suppose your hair will be? ;)

Katie said...

What a great mommy you are though, just think of it that she is SO excited to get to have time with you!! :)

chichimama said...

If it makes you feel any better, I told A TWO MONTHS in advance that we were getting our nails done for her 4th birthday. TWO MONTHS. What kind of a fool am I???

suchsimplepleasures said...

i told my, almost 10 y/o daughter, that she would be getting her haircut soon. i should NEVER have told her that because...every day, she asks if today is the day. and...every day, i respond...soon. so...it never will end, my friend. NEVER!!
xoxo
have fun getting a patterned manicure with your stranger!!

Anonymous said...

Brilliant child! Teenagers ARE strangers. My husband and I have weekends to ourselves nowadays, teen social lives are jam-packed.

Cherish the chatter while you are still invited to participate.

just jamie said...

Naturalizer stilettos. LOL.

Miss Lisa said...

That's so sweet! My girls and I are off to nail appointments next week for Easter--she'll just have to get a flower on her nail :)
I must agree with another poster though--teenagers are strangers!

John-Michael said...

PERSEVERATING "continuing something (as repetition of a word or idea) usually to an exceptional degree or beyond a desired point"

"Matthew has a problem with his habit of PERSEVERATING." his teachers agreed whilst in our IEP (stories abound ) meeting. "What the hell is PERSEVERATING?" Matthew's Dad (yours truly) demanded (just knowing that this was some new and daunting medical/psychological/emotional challenge to confront. They all looked at each other and then at me as if I was the only person on the surface of God's green earth that had NOT attended whatever conference was recently held and in which the buzz word for the next year (PERSEVERATING) was introduced.

Thanks for the flashback!!!

Kelly said...

I too have made that mistake many times!! But how fun that will be!! That's one of the only downfalls of having all boys, not having anyone to do that girly stuff with.

Anonymous said...

Oh funny! My little one is the same. He fixates. Yesterday he went on and on about how he needs a snowmobile. Even though he doesn't. When I said he could get one when he's big like A-who is 15 he gave me a list of littler kids who all get to drive snowmobiles.

he's not even 4 yet!

Melissa said...

oh that is just tooo cute. Probably tiring for you, but too cute :)

Rachel said...

Ha ha Ha Ha Ha!!!
Lola and Princess think along the same lines. Similar personalities too. I've learned to be vague and to not tell her too far ahead of time when we have something going on :-)
Can't wait to see pics of your 'girls day'.
Happy Early Birthday Lola!!

just jamie said...

P.S. I have a homework assignment for you over at my blog. :)

McMommy said...

As a mom of two boys.....I'm a teeny bit jealous!!! I would love to do birthday manicures with a daughter. But, for some reason, my boys think eating ants is MUCH more fun. Sigh.

Lizzy in the Burbs said...

It will be a special day and a special memory for the two of you! I think it's adorable that she is so excited about it! (of course, I do live pretty far away and I can't hear her!) Have lots of girly fun!

Lizzy

Anonymous said...

7 more days of freakin cuteness!!! I wanna go get my nails done!

Ashlee said...

I've done it too. DOn't feel bad. Right now in our house it's 4 more days until we go play at our cousins house for the weekend. The questions keep coming....sigh. At least they're excited!

Anonymous said...

She is WAY too cute. And a typical woman, already...over-analyzing the whole nails/lunch trip. LOL

Heidi said...

Yeah, I try to make a point of withholding any information that might be construed as exciting.

Sometimes though I forget. And then I endure.

Kellan said...

I have often made this same mistake myself - and ... I haven't learned - I still do it all the time. Cute post - she sounds so excited!!

Have a good day - hope the snow is out of ya'lls way and you are getting some sunshine. Kellan

Kat said...

I never tell my boys anything anymore. I just can't take the questioning.
Good luck making it 8 days. :)

Janice {Run Far} said...

Cute cute cute-

We are taking the 6 year old to Disney World in two weeks and we thought about not telling her till right before, But I couldn't stand it and told her three months ago.

ConverseMomma said...

Bless her little birthday heart. You are such a good mommy!

Monica said...

LOL. A few months ago, I told E what preschool class she was going to be in next year, and she asks me EVERY. DAY. if she's going to that class today. Dumb. REAL dumb mommy, I am. You - you only have 8 days. Not so dumb. Me dumber.

imbeingheldhostage said...

Well you had me giggling by "matching Naturalizer stilettos" and sympathizing by the end. It is going to be loooong seven days, isn't it? It really is sweet how excited she is.

Momo Fali said...

I feel your pain. But, my daughter is nine, so I learned my lesson long ago! This is why I didn't tell her she was going to see Hannah Montana a couple of months ago, until just two days before the concert.

Burgh Baby said...

She was on to something with that whole 'teenager' and 'stranger' are interchangeable thing. They really do become strangers when they hit the teen years.

Have fun for the next 7 days! At least she's excited. Right?

Big D said...

yes I am a lurker on your wonderful BLOG

Anonymous said...

Treasure these days; I'm told that one day she might not talk to you at all :) (or until puberty is over, anyway)

3 Peanuts said...

Sounds like a great little tradition. I look forward to doing this with my daughter when she is old enough.

Kim

P.S. But I won't give her too much advance notice. Now that I know.

Mom Of 3 said...

How sweet is that! Every little girl needs a tradition with their mom. I need that with my girls. Not so much a mistake as it is going to be a little bit of an annoyance the next few days asking how many more days. LOL

Mom Of 3 said...

How sweet is that! Every little girl needs a tradition with their mom. I need that with my girls. Not so much a mistake as it is going to be a little bit of an annoyance the next few days asking how many more days. LOL

Anonymous said...

I just pray that you counted right - if she's counting down and you were off a day, you're really going to have some troubles!

Thanks for sharing the cute story.

Victoria said...

This is the cutest story ever. I can't wait to have a manicure with my daughter. You are going to have a long week though :)

Anonymous said...

IM BACK!!! I have so much catching up to do! OH MY! You are totally crazy to take your four year old to get her nails done. I am having visions... What ever you do... DONT AGREE TO MATCH!!!!

raising4boys said...

I know how that feels, my kids like to know every detail and count down like that too (how many more times do I go to bed?) I have learned that I can't tell my 3 year old we are going somewhere exciting before he takes a nap, or he won't sleep!

Purple Teacup said...

I do crap like that all the time.

I would go for purple matching nails. =)

I have seen your comments on several blogs I read and finally came to check you out!

Putting the FUN in DysFUNctional said...

I love it! And I love that she said "When I'm a stranger". Too cute!
I sometimes do the nail thing with my 12 year old....it's fun!

Narci D said...

Oh, this cracked me up--who hasn't made that mistake with their preschooler? :)

Found your blog through another--so glad I did!

Don Mills Diva said...

Aww - you will be treasuring this memory when she's a "stranger" and you have to drag her to the nail salon... really!

Karen said...

There is so much to love about this post! First of all the fact that she cannot wait until you and she get your nails done together is absolutely adorable.

But calling teenagers strangers is so, so funny. And fitting. We're living with 1.5 strangers.

Wendi said...

How did I miss this one? And such a great one at that! I love little Lola and her perky little personality!
Strangers...too funny!
If I tell Claire about this...she will be calling the spa for "our" appointments!

As Cape Cod Turns said...

People laughed at me the 2 times we took the kids to Disney and didn't tell them until that morning! They couldn't understand why we would torture them and not tell them sooner! HA, to not torture ourselves of course!

♥♥♥ A- Licious ♥♥♥ said...

adorable!!!!

Rhea said...

Oh, boy, she's going to be one heck of a stranger...uh, I mean, teenager. You're going to have your hands full.

Did y'all go get your nails done?

Rach (Mommy Learns to Blog) said...

So sweet! I was not yet a reader when you wrote this, but I really enjoyed it. I can't wait until MH and I can have our own special little annual tradition. Did she go with the pattern?

 

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