Wednesday, May 11, 2011

A Flash Forward to the Future for Kid B, and Why I Cried Yesterday

Hey y'all. Yesterday marked The End of the Chimichanga Challenge:


Team Tamale (me): 25,641 words in 21 days.


Team Gluten Intolerant (Bree Despain): Excellent progress, until a trip to Disneyland sidelined her.


Both great showings, but nothing close to the winner...


Team Churro (Kristin Thetford): 40,222 words in 21 days.


That is pretty amazing. So I asked Kristin to share a couple of her favorite lines from her WIP (Work In Progress):



As soon as I received that black envelope, I knew it would be bad.
I wasn't wrong.

I approach the girl in front of me. "You do know that you will most likely be killed."
She nods, and her smile is a sinister twist of thin lips. "I was born for this."

He knows that, despite my ultimate goal, I will have nightmares over what I have done here.


Pretty engaging lines, don't you think? So, if you get a chance, give her a holla in the comments. I will be personally mailing her the grand prize, which is a burrito. Why not a chimichanga, you ask? Well, because burritos are healthier, and I don't have a deep fat fryer. 

On to the post. 

I had a brush with the future yesterday. Kid B is graduating from his special needs preschool, and they sent us this photo to commemorate the event:

 

They obviously explained the solemnity of the occasion to little Kid B. He looks like he's 5 going on 18 in this picture. I imagine it went like this:

Picture taker: "Okay, Kid B. Try to look like you never had any fun."

Kid B: "But I want to smile!"

Picture taker: "Play time is over! Real adults never smile."

Kid B: "But I'm five!"

Picture taker: "Not for long! You see that thing around your neck? That's called a tie. And it's never coming off! Mwah ha ha ha ha."

I don't know how they got him in a shirt and tie. I can only imagine the whole get-up is an all-in-one sort of thing that they threw over him in the last minute.

What I do know is this: I am so not ready for him to grow up. 

This is a new feeling for me. I never understood those mothers who cried on the first day of kindergarten. I was always the crazy neighbor raising my Diet Coke glass and shouting "Mazel Tov!". Usually, beginning in the labor and delivery room, I start counting down the days til they turn 18 and head off into the world.

I used to wonder why we couldn't be more like animals in the wild. Have the babies, make sure they survive their first week, chew their food for them, and then push them out of their nests to see if they could fly. (Why the baby tigers were in the nest in the first place was always a mystery.)

I even tried to do this at home. First priority was to get them to hold their own bottles. Next was to change their own diapers. Then my master plan was to push them out the door and yell, "Fly, little one. Fly!"

But seeing this picture? *sniff* Really, Pingree School, you're killing me.

16 comments:

  1. At least he looks handsome in his getup and you know he'll look handsome when he graduates from high school. :)

    Way to go Team Churro! :)

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  2. Jenni- Doesn't he look so grown-up? Where are the pills that stunt a child's growth when you need them?

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  3. Awwww...that is a very cute picture!

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  4. That pic of Kid B totally rocks. I also ate 4 chimichangas in honor of your victory.

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  5. I totally came up with the name for Team Churro. Not joking. Kristin! You owe me half your prize burrito! ('Cause, as everyone knows, writing the two words of the title is just as hard as writing 40,222 words of the story.) Go, me! Oh, and Kristin! Thanks for doing your part!

    My husband texted me today to begin a discussion on whether we should hold our speech-delayed 5-year-old back for another year of kindergarten. You may want to consider this solution to your woes: if he never graduates, you'll never have a graduate. :)

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  6. He looks good! That smile he's holding back makes me think he knows something, something sinister! Don't ask.

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  7. Nicole- Thanks!

    Sam- I'm in for a great night.

    Robin- Don't even get me started on speech-delayed kids. Our little Kid B thinks talking is so overrated. And Kristin totally owes you half a burrito. When she receives it, she should tear it in half, and get your prize in the mail!

    Jenny- He does look like he knows a secret... that he'll never tell. Dunh Dunh duunnnnn!

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  8. I am one of those moms who held a celebration when my kids went to kindergarten. Not a kleenex in sight. My husband says I am emotionally deficient. But once in a while, they reach some random milestone that gets me teary-eyed. I just make sure no one sees it.

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  9. Brodi - Thanks for the including me in your post! :) And thanks again for the challenge. It really got me moving on my WIP.

    I love burritos, by the way. That is a great prize. *Waits anxiously to receive it*

    Kid B's picture is brilliant! But maybe he'll slow down on that growing stuff for a little while.... :)


    Jenni - Thank you so much!


    Robin - You definitely deserve half of my prize burrito. I am so glad I could do my part. :) Seriously, thanks for your encouragement, and thanks for the team name! You are awesome. :)

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  10. Awwww Brod. He's so dang cute in his stuffy tie and tassel. But seriously. It does age him. "Mazel Tov!" You kill me. Glad you're not giving him the boot yet. ;) Hats off to Kid B. He's had an awesome year!

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  11. Ruth- I'm the same way!

    Kristin- Way to go on the challenge. That's seriously a huge accomplishment.

    Cath- He really did!

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  12. Brodi, I'm exactly the same way with my son. He has autism and has done 2 years of special education preschool and now he's in a learning center kindergarten. Starting preschool was hard, but now I send him off to school with a smile, because he loves it so much. But every now and again he just seems so old and I get a little sniffly. But I definitely enjoy the moments when they own a little more of their independence. :)

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  13. i'm telling ya brodi--next week, kid B will be 17 and entering his Sr Year in High School. Then EVERYTHING will make you cry! he sure looks cute (and WAY too grown up!) :O(

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  14. Ahhh *hugs* Just love the time when you have them and keep them wanting to come back home ... for a visit.

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  15. Dorien- Why is parenthood so dang hard?

    Donna- :)

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