what. a. week.

At this moment, I am exhausted. This particular week, which started off rocky, has remained to be emotional for all of us, for numerous reasons, many of which I won't go into in this posting. Luckily, Mali appears to be doing well since "the bite" on Monday. Although, unfortunately this little "lesson" from a classmate has resulted in her attempting to bite both Shawn and I at other times this week, so it's been a little disheartening. It hasn't been anything too serious, once with Shawn when he was trying to brush her teeth and the other time when I was playing with her and I couldn't quite tell if it was an accident or not. However we are trying to nip this whole "biting business" in the bud, and quickly. I think what upsets me the most is that because of Mali's experience, I have felt like a little piece of her "innocence" was stolen, and that really breaks my heart. I'm not quite sure what to do about that. But this is just one piece of the emotional baggage we've been carrying from this week, a load which I am hoping will lighten over the coming week.

For the time being anyway, due to my exhaustion, I've decided to do a slightly abbreviated version of the happenings of this past week, (mostly through pictures I've snapped).

Hope you enjoy! Despite the hardships of this week...we always enjoy our time together, with our Mali :)

Firefighter Mali

Rocking out with Audrey Ayi

All ready to go to her school's Fall Fun Fest on Friday night (Mali's a frog ~ ribbit!)



Miss Brandi told us that the kids in Mali's class all get to talk about how they are feeling when they arrive in the morning, and every morning (without fail), Mali says that she is "proud"...this makes me happy (and proud too!)



Getting ready to watch a puppet show at the Fall Fun Fest (Mali loved it so much, she watched it twice!)

Doing the cake walk

After winning the cake walk, Mali got to pick out a prize! Yummy!

All set to go to Wai Gong and Gma Lisa's for a sleepover on Saturday night. Mali was excited to wear her new pink hiking boots!

I do have to add here that the sleepover at Wai Gong's went fabulously from what we heard. They had a bonfire, played on the trampoline, Gma Lisa painted her nails, and Mali was a "happy camper" the whole night and morning, having a great time with them all. Wai Gong even texted us later saying, again, how much fun they had and asking when they can do it again.

Hanging out at the pond in Goodale Park on Sunday with Mia

A couple of monkeys in a tree at Goodale

Daddy and Fred tossing the girls into the autumn leaves

Teeter tottering with Mommy

Family picture at Goodale Park ~ the leaves were gorgeous!

Getting to know her cousin Chloe at Forge's birthday dinner

Humoring Chloe and having fun crawling together

How exciting! Mali actually picked up a chip with her chopsticks!

With Uncles Flint and Forge @ Northstar Cafe

Giving Anay Wanda a hug goodbye

A hug goodbye for Gpa Rick (or as Mali called him when she saw him, "Fuzzy!")

Making a wish after throwing a coin in the fountain

Hiking her pants up tonight before bed and saying "I'm old man!" ~ what a goofball!

The Bite

I am taking a break from writing this blog in the form of letters to Mali this week, in order to talk about my own feelings about something that happened on Monday morning. So, evidently, what happened was that a little girl actually BIT Mali on her upper arm, out of the blue, completely unprovoked, and pretty much as soon as poor Mali had arrived at school! What a way to start the week, right?


I didn’t hear about the incident until after I had already picked her up, and we were just wrapping up going out for ice cream. I got a call from her teachers, telling me about what had happened and that they had forgot to mention it when I picked her up, and to have me sign the incident report. Of course they wouldn’t give me any real information, especially not about WHO the little culprit was (a girl named Taylor in Mali’s class), but thankfully Mali was more than willing to rat her out and talk about it. I felt so awful for Mali, and extremely pissed at this other little kid. Now I do realize this little girl is just a child and still only learning about appropriate behavior, yada, yada, yada. However, when it is your kid that gets hurt at the hands of another, all bets are off at “feeling” politically correct. When I got off the phone, I empathized with Mali, inspected her wound (which was a pretty good replication of all of this nasty little child’s teeth, as shown in a blood bruise on Mali’s arm), and tried to convey to her that unfortunately sometimes people do mean things and many times, we’re not even sure why. I also tried to convey that in no way did it reflect on her (of course, trying to convey this to a two year old is a bit tough, I have no idea how much she grasped), telling her that her teachers said she (Mali) didn’t do anything wrong and that Taylor should never bite anyone ever, and then I shared with her a story about how when I was just a little bit older than Mali is now, I was also bit by a kid in my class at school. At this point Mali looked at me, eyes wide, incredulously and sincerely asking, “Taylor?!?” I had to chuckle a bit, reassuring her that no, Taylor didn’t bite me too, it was actually another kid a long time ago. Then we talked about how it made us feel, to be hurt by someone who was supposed to be our friend, and discussed feeling hurt, angry, sad, etc. She seemed to feel better, especially after we cleaned her arm again, put some Neosporin on it, and then a huge band-aid.

The next morning at school, she was fine. I had been worried that she’d have some reservations about returning to school the next day, but she did ok. I, however, have remained a little ticked, and unnerved, about the whole thing. I know this kind of thing is inevitable for kids to go through, and that these kinds of events, while difficult, can prove valuable lessons for us all. However, I just felt so horrible that I couldn’t protect her, and that this is just the beginning of my not being able to protect her from hurts in life, both physical and emotional.

Additionally, this week after school has been a challenge with Mali as well. She has been cranky, demanding, and assertive in all sorts of new and persistent ways. I wonder if it is just her age and normal childhood development, or if it is related, somehow to the unfortunate event that started her week. I suspect she isn’t sleeping well at school right now, and once again, I wonder if she doesn’t quite feel safe there after what happened. I wish I knew what to do to make this all better. I wish I could rewind time. I wish that Taylor were never in her class. I wish that I could be there to protect Mali at all times. I wish, I wish, I wish… It feels awful to not have many answers and to just have to try to muddle through, and know that there are some things in life that I just have to let happen and hope for the best. School has been wonderful for Mali in countless other ways, but every good thing has a down side too. Such is life.

Mali’s teachers have not mentioned any other incidents, and Mali appears to be doing fine at each morning drop off, no clinging, crying, etc. I don’t know if I am making a bigger deal about this than it really is, but I know that for myself there is a lot wrapped up into this little event that I can process, learn, and take to heart. I know that there are much, much worse things that happen to children every single day (I shudder to even write that), and I have regular pangs of anxiety and fear just conjuring up all of the what-if’s in my mind. Thankfully, there is the wonderful tool of blogging to help take the edge off my neuroses so as not to fully inflict them on Mali. So, thanks for letting me get this off my chest. I feel better already. Each day is a new day, and hopefully I can teach Mali that each day holds the potential to be wonderful, regardless of what happened to us the day before. We just have to remain open to it. However, in comparing Mali's reaction to mine this week, I suspect she already knows this even better than I do.

Pumpkins, Nature Walks, and a Family Reunion = Lots of Fun

Maliana ~

So, Lao Lao said twice this week, out of the blue, I just love being Mali’s grandma. And she’s not the only one who feels lucky to know you :) I thought you should know that and wanted to start this post with that...

As for the week, your sensitivity and friendliness has been emerging more lately. Abby got sick and threw up on the carpet earlier in the week, and initially you began scolding her. When I told you that she was actually sick and it was an accident, you went back to her bedroom and, when you didn’t realize I was watching, you stood there in front of her, looking at her for a few minutes, then asking, “Sick? (pause)...Sick? (pause)...(lean in to her) Ok?...” then you gave her a big hug and stood back again and asked, “Happy?” It was too cute. You also love when our mail comes each day and you can check out the mailman and his mail truck. On one day in particular, you made a point to stand in the front yard and wait for the mailman, waving at him as he drove by. He slowed down, grinned really big, and waved back. (I think you made his day.) Then in another example, you were getting in the car another afternoon and saw one of our neighbors, a teenage boy who usually is not smiling and generally tends to stay to himself, walking down the street. You made me wait to buckle you in your car seat so you could lean out the window and say hi to him. He actually cracked somewhat of a smile at that…I definitely think you made a difference in his day too. How do you intuitively know to reach out to people so easily? Regardless of how you seem to know this, it’s really neat to watch.

I was also excited to catch you on film this week, singing and dancing to the Imagination Movers’ theme song on your CD. You have figured out how to work the CD player very well and so one afternoon, you spent a lot of time replaying this song, singing, and dancing along to it. I got one of those times on film and it was so adorable. You can tell you felt pretty proud of yourself.

Bedtimes this week were also super enjoyable. You have been in pretty awesome moods and not only are we reading books now, but also singing and dancing (just general silliness) with the radio for a bit before you go to bed. You also have come up with a new way to say “I love you”…evidently, you are so used to saying it before hanging up on the phone, that now when you say “I love you”, you add an extra “I love you, bye” on there. The first few times you said it, I cracked up, which made you laugh too. So one bedtime, we just laid there, saying it to each other over and over again, laughing hysterically. One of those slap happy moments, I’m sure.

On Friday, I was a bit heartbroken when I picked you up at school. You were doing ok when I got there, but Miss Brandi said that you had had a little accident again. Unfortunately, since we had forgotten to bring extra underwear after the last accident, you had to wear a diaper until I picked you up. Miss Brandi said that the accident was because you had waited a few seconds too long to go to the potty since you were having fun, but you were so upset by it that it actually took her about 15 minutes to calm you down. (You really did not want to wear that diaper again.) Poor thing. I felt awful that I had forgotten to bring extra underwear for you. I am so sorry sweetie. You are doing so well, I hope you are able to shake this one off. I told you on the way home that you are still a big girl and still doing so well, and as soon as we got home we put on some new underwear. You seemed like you felt better after that.

After getting the undie situation straightened out, it was such a beautiful fall day that we headed off to Freeman Farms to pick some pumpkins and check things out. You had a blast there! They had a pony, calf, rabbits, goats, and sheep for you to pet. You especially liked the pony and kept going back to rub his nose, as well as asking for more and more quarters to get corn to feed everyone.

You liked climbing on some of the pumpkins, on your quest to find the perfect one, as well as riding in the wagon we used to cart them back to the car.

We then headed into their little farmer’s market and picked out some food for dinner. It was a really great afternoon, until we got to the car that is. I could already tell that you were tired, so when I put you in the car and asked you to climb into your car seat, you threw a fit. This is actually a struggle in general right now, as you fight me every time on getting in and out of the car. (You just love to goof around and play in the car). Anyway, it got so bad that you were slobbering, screaming, crying, and trying to hit and kick me. You were beside yourself, and the longer it went on, the more frustrated I became as well. Finally, I just gave up and pulled you back out of your car seat, cradling you in my arms until you calmed down. You were so angry and sad. Once you were a bit settled, I asked if you were tired, and you actually admitted that you were (no surprise there!) So, I explained (once again) why we need to make sure to buckle you in the car seat and then I apologized for getting so upset with you, making you look in my eyes when I apologized. You seemed to really take it in and perked up after I apologized, however I felt awful, once again. It was such a good and a bad day, all mixed into one. I know that this won’t be the last time I feel like I’ve made a parenting mistake with you, however hopefully the fact that I can pause, collect myself, and model good behavior too (apologizing, taking responsibility, modeling empathy, etc) then maybe I won’t completely mess you up. And each time something like this happens, I can take a lesson from it. Like today, never underestimate stating my expectations to you, ahead of time. In spite of how trivial or obvious they may seem (e.g. expecting you to get in the car and allow me to buckle you in your car seat). However, my fears and worries, I think, will always be here in some capacity, feeling somehow inadequate, puzzled, and surprised by your behaviors. Some days, like this day, I just wish there was a rulebook I could consult to know exactly what to do in every situation. But there’s not, so I just hope that my best is good enough. Sorry in advance kiddo, Mama’s not perfect. But I promise I'll keep trying. Fortunately, and not surprisingly, you fell asleep quickly on the way home.

Saturday brought a better day for us all. We had a family reunion on Daddy’s side so we drove down to Meigs County. You got to play with a bunch of kids, including your cousins Joey and Alex. It was a gorgeous fall day. There was a big hill next to their house, so all of you kids took turns sliding down the hill on some big flattened cardboard boxes, (good ol’ fashioned Meigs Co fun right there!)

Anyway, I loved watching you jump right in with all of the kids, like you’d known them forever in spite of just meeting most of them. You are definitely not afraid to get dirty and you got as rowdy as even the biggest kids did – I love that about you! Joey especially took an interest in you and you both had a ball together. It was so sweet to watch.

Today, Daddy went golfing and so you and I woke up and went to breakfast with Lao Lao. Then we all headed to the nearest metro park and played on the playground and took a nearly 4 mile nature hike (you in the stroller most of the way). Lao Lao is so knowledgeable about nature and so it took us a while to get through the hike as we kept stopping so she could teach you about all of the plants (milkweed, thistle, crab apples, wild pears, and all sorts of berries), along the way.

You LOVED learning about it all (visibly processing all of the information Lao Lao was giving you) and whenever we’d move on, you'd sign and say, “More? More?” I love that you love to learn. That will be a very valuable gift throughout your life.

Love,
Mama

Surprise Daddy!!

Maliana ~

What an amazingly packed and fun-filled weekend! Just got back from the Italian Festival with Daddy, you, and our new friends, Angela and her 4 y/o son, Renzo. We had one of the most fun family times here with you last year, so we were excited to take you back this year. You were a completely different kid this year...running all over the place and trying out new things right and left. I'm happy to say, I am completely in love with both of you :) Renzo decided that he wanted to get his face painted, and as soon as he said this, you said that you did too, saying "Mali face painted, same, Renzo" ~ it was soo cute. You surprised Daddy and I by sitting perfectly still for the whole thing (we were very impressed as you'd never had your face painted before)...here is the finished product, a pink and purple sparkly tiger!

You both also rode the train with me, bounced in a few different bounce houses, and even rode a swing ride with Daddy! You are getting to be such a big brave girl! When we all left, you even wanted to give Renzo a big hug. It was so sweet. Here you are, chowing on some pizza with your new buddy.

Pizza Time!!

Along with an amazing time today ~ we pulled off one of the best surprise parties ever for Daddy yesterday. We threw a surprise 40th birthday party for Daddy last night, out at Dill's Greenhouse. He didn't suspect a thing and everyone had a wonderful time. You ran all over that greenhouse, making your way from family member to friend, playing with everyone and having a blast. We even went on a night hayride in the dark! You know what I got to thinking as I watched the festivities for Daddy, and of course you spreading your joy to each guest? I got to thinking that you and Daddy have one more thing in common, you are loved by soooo many people, naturally, just by being yourselves. That's definitely an amazing gift that you both share. I feel so lucky to share my lives with both of you.

Anyway, we all had a blast...here are just a few photos of the festivities ~

You were so happy to see your cousins Alex and Joey 

 Here you are with some of Daddy's oldest and dearest friends

Hayride!

Going backwards, here are some other highlights from the week...

This morning, you had me cracking up. I'm so happy to realize today that we are spending enough time with both Mia and Niubei to make an impression on you already. Here are two examples ~ you were searching through my hair accessory drawer, and finally found and put on a headband, turning to me and saying proudly, "Mali's Niubei!" This was especially endearing because Niubei frequently wears these super cute headbands, and I just think it is so sweet that you pick up on these little details. Then a little later, you were walking around the house, saying to yourself over and over again, "Mia, Fred, Michelle, Mia, Mia, Mia" ~ no idea what it meant, but it was so cute.

Saturday, you woke up and sweetly told Daddy "Happy Birthday" in bed. I just love to hear your little voice first thing in the morning. Then, before the party, you, Daddy and I went to eat lunch at North Star Cafe @ Easton. It was so nice and relaxing. You wore your new pumpkin shirt and orange and black striped leg warmers and were so stinkin' cute. As we walked back to the car, Daddy held you and you insisted on me walking close enough so that you could put your arm around my neck too as we walked. I love that you love simply having us three together, as a family. It means so much to me that that kind of thing makes you so happy.

Unfortunately, Thursday was a bit of a rough day. I felt awful when I picked you up at school. Evidently, you had just woken up from a nap, and there was a bit of a miscommunication, and so you had had a poopy accident and were just standing in the bathroom there, with no one helping you. To give them credit, when Daddy took you in on Friday morning, the teachers apologized profusely for the oversight, but it still made my heart break for you. When I took you to the car, you had a tantrum, and neither of us said much on the way home as you just seemed so profoundly sad. When we got home, I asked you if you needed a hug, and you said yes. Then I just sat there, outside the car, rocking you back and forth and whispering to you how I am still so proud of you no matter what, how you are still a big girl, and that being in a new classroom is always hard at first, but it gets easier, and that I love you so much. It seemed to help, as you seemed to feel a bit better once we went inside. It has been a hard week since this has been your first full week, all morning long, in the "big kids" classroom. You are expected to know when you have to potty, get to the bathroom and wipe, all by yourself. You have been doing exceptionally well, however like any big transition, especially with these new expectations, it has been a challenge. I am hopeful and pray that next week will be easier for you.

On Wednesday, it was another tough day. I call it our "Grumpy Girls Day 2010". We went to Easton to paint some pottery for Daddy for his birthday (you picked out a rice bowl and did a super job!) Well, we both were grumpy with not much patience for anything or each other, so I decided to stop fighting it, and embrace it. I acknowledged it, asking if you were grumpy, and you said "yeahh", then when I asked if you thought I was grumpy, you emphatically said, "Yeah!" So then, after poking a bit of fun at our grumpiness, you and I got some photos in the photo booth, with some of our best 'grumpy faces'. It was fun, in spite of all of our grumbling! After the photo booth, we headed to Starbucks to get some cocoa, which you thought was super cool since you got your own coffee cup like mine. Thank goodness we figured out how to turn even one of our toughest days into a memory maker :)

Daddy's rice bowl that you painted for him. We get to pick it up on Tuesday next week, after it's been all fired and glazed...I can't wait to see the finished product!

On Tuesday, Audrey Ayi and I took you to Children's Hospital for another full team evaluation since it's been 6 months since your palate repair. They were all impressed with how well you are doing. You passed their tests with flying colors, and while you have some work to do with your speech, it's nothing that wasn't expected and with how smart you are and how much you put your heart into everything, I am hopeful that our next evaluation will be just as great, if not even better. If I said it once, I'll say it a million more times, I'm  proud of you no matter what. You had Audrey and I laughing all afternoon, and it was nice to have Audrey there as she also made the 3 plus hour evaluation much more bearable and a lot more fun. You particularly had us cracking up in the parking garage as you told us to "Huwwee up! Winwee outside!!" (hurry up! it's windy outside!) You are so dang adorable!

On Tuesday night, we took dinner over to Niubei, Shawn, and Jen again. It was great to see them. Bei Bei is getting sillier and sillier, just like you. I also got to see the first inklings of something like "sibling rivalry" in that you are trying hard to adjust to sharing the attention of everyone with Bei Bei. It's very interesting to me, particularly since I didn't have siblings very close in age to me. I am looking forward to seeing how this all plays out and how you work this out for yourself. I have a feeling though, like I've said before, once Bei Bei is up and as mobile as you, you girls are going to be hilariously unstoppable!

Finally, a few more adorable notes. On Sunday night of last week, you surprised me and were so helpful. After brushing your teeth, you went into our room, turned on the sound machine, picked out some books, and climbed into bed, all by yourself! I couldn't believe it. Then, the next day, you began something else new, talking back to Mickey Mouse on the Disney channel and also responding to your toys that talk...it's the funniest thing! You also started a new tumbling class at school on Mondays and you LOVE it so far. In fact, later this week, you started doing somersaults everywhere and jumping up, saying "Ta Dah!" And on Monday, you, Daddy, Abby, and I walked to the park after dinner. It was something so simple, however so special. You were running up and down the jungle gym, sliding over and over again ~ boy how much you have changed since this time last year! Daddy and I had such a good time, watching you have fun, and playing together as a family. We've waited for these simple joys for so long, we're so glad you are home.

Love,
Mama

The first truly autumn weekend

Maliana ~

We just got back from a day at the zoo. It was Lao Lao's company picnic and so Lao Lao, me, Daddy, Uncle Flint, and Uncle Blaize all went with you. (Uncle Blaize came with us since you had just camped out at their house last night, but I'll talk all about the camp-out later). Anyway, it was cold, windy, and a bit drizzly - but that didn't stop you from having a blast! You know your way around the zoo pretty well by now, and in spite of being tired, you ran around, took lots of pictures (especially of the polar bears, letting out a maniacal laugh each time they'd do something silly), and even went on your first pony ride!

It was super cute too as you would do a head count with our little group, every now and then, to make sure we were all there. I think you are just about the most responsible and conscientious 2 1/2 year old I know. Daddy was also so happy to finally be able to go to the zoo with us ~ It was a really good day for us all.

As for the camp-out I mentioned earlier, you and Daddy spent the night at Wai Gong's house last night. Unfortunately, I had a horrible migraine and could not come, but I am so glad that you got to go anyway! You had a ball and when I came over this morning, you were eating breakfast and having a grand old time. You all were supposed to camp out in the back yard, but with all of the wind and rain, you just camped out on an air mattress in front of their fireplace. I guess you snuggled half the night with Blaize and the other half with Daddy. Below are some photos of your camp-out. And by the way, when I mentioned that we were going to bring Blaize with us to the zoo this morning, you did the most hilarious "happy dance"...you love your Uncle Blaize!

As I mentioned before, I had one of the worst migraines I have had in my life, beginning on Saturday afternoon. Thankfully, it held off long enough for me to enjoy the Pumpkin Palooza with you and Daddy, plus Wai Gong, Gma Lisa, Uncle Blaize, Michelle, Fred & Mia, and also Shawn, Jennifer & Niubei! The gang was all able to come out for a super fun time. This was the first time that all three of you cuties were all together - it was awesome! I look forward to many more times spent together with these families. The Pumpkin Palooza is an event at Lynd's Fruit Farm to benefit Children's Hospital and they have all sorts of things to do. Your favorite things were the wagon ride (where they even let us get off to pick apples) and this HUGE dirt mound that you loved climbing up and down and up and down and up and...well, you get the idea.

Yummy, fresh picked apples!

Poor little Niubei wasn't so sure about this whole shoulder business, and started crying...so of course, you being little Miss Empathy had to join in too, and started whining to match Niubei.

 The Dirt Mound!

 Thank God for laundry detergent!

As for the rest of the week, here are the highlights...

You have begun using pronouns more and also saying cute little phrases too...such as when you say something, and someone asks you, "Really?" and you say back "Really!" (except you sound a little bit more like Elmer Fudd...making it all the more adorable!)

My birthday was on Thursday this week, and while Daddy took me out to dinner, you helped Mamaw and Papaw surprise me by decorating their house and getting a birthday cake ready for me when we came to pick you up. It was so thoughtful and cute! You are getting really good at singing Happy Birthday and kept running up to me with big hugs and saying "Happy Birthday Mama!" all evening. Melted my heart. What an awesome surprise, I love you so much kiddo.

Earlier in the day, you also made me a birthday card with the help of Miss Adrienne at school and even serenaded me with a little Bohemian Rhapsody, complete with imaginary microphone on the way home ~ I loved it!

The day before my birthday, we took Abby for a hike in Blendon Woods on their pet trail. We all had a blast and you insisted on carrying Spiderman in your pocket. What nature hike is complete without Spiderman, right?

You also insisted on holding his hand (just like I hold yours), from your pocket, while we crossed the parking lot, at a store later. I laughed out loud at that one.

Once home, you played with all the kids in the neighborhood. It fills me with joy to watch you just being, "one of the kids" now...you have so much fun and fit in so well. Here's one of my favorite random shots of the silliness...you and Ace on your tricycles.

We have begun sending you to school with a blanket for naps now. Well, I wish we would have known we could do this sooner as you have taken two 2 hour naps this week! Yay! Well rested Mali = Happy Mama. And by the way, you are now calling me "Mommy" about half the time...I'm not so sure how I feel about that, I really got to liking "Mama". But I suppose change is good and "Mommy" has a nice ring to it too.

On Monday, Audrey came over and we had a huge, silly, gigglefest all afternoon. It was a rainy day so we all stayed in, I cooked, and we all just got creatively crazy, playing your idea for a game of "School Naptime" in your room, and then dress-up with all of us. Here are some pictures of the dress-up goofiness...

That night we had a very cute moment too. I had been wearing my prayer box necklace, about which you were very curious. So we began telling you what prayer was, and taking turns whispering our prayers into my necklace. You loved doing this, and in the midst of your prayers, you would say all of your favorite peoples' names. It was the sweetest thing. I think I need to find you your own prayer box necklace (or just give you mine). Listening to you whisper your prayers had to be one of the sweetest sounds in the world.

Tuesday we had another rainy day, so we spent our afternoon with a huge bowl of popcorn and a double feature of The Polar Express and The Muppet Movie, then laying on the floor just being silly together. I generally go crazy if there is a rainy day and I am cooped up inside, but this was just the medicine I needed. This time with you is so precious. I know it won't last forever...so I'm soaking in every second I can now.

Love you sweetheart,

Mama aka Mommy