To Tristan: Things I want you to remember

A few of my favourite things about being your mum right now...
1) We live in a 4-story building right now. On the 3rd floor. Sometimes, I forget silly things like my phone in the car (actually, I believe this is the only thing I forget)... And because it's quite a hassle for you to get dressed and shoe-d, as you've got little hands and it still takes a while, we have an awesome arrangement. You put on your jacket (if needed) and hat, and hop on my back. The whole shoe thing is removed from the equation. It's also then much faster to go down the stairs (or the elevator... takes a while!) and I love how you hold on so tightly while we run to the car and back. You giggle because the wind and my silly running is rather entertaining. I love it all.
2) You continue to refuse spending a whole night in your bed - at least the majority of the time. And I love it. You might wake up in the middle of the night calling me (you used to just show up, but I think you figured that I will come and get you if you call long enough, so you stopped getting out yourself). Or you'll simply request to sleep in my bed at bedtime. And you fall asleep only after you tell me to turn around (facing away from you) and to put my hair in a pony-tail. You love to run your fingers through it. And your toes. That's entertaining, though you still need to work on your 'gentle touch' with your feet. It's trickier and I understand :) I love how you fall asleep holding onto my hair. And if you're almost asleep, you'll wake if I try to leave the bed, until my hair's in your hand again.
3) The way you ask what street we're on while we're driving. And the fact that you know not just our address, but also the directions to our home, and to your Abba & Buo's home. It still amazes me what an enormous capacity for memory you have.
4) The way you love to sing. You sing while you play, while in the car, for no reason whatsoever. And you sing not just silly kid's songs, but grown up stuff too! I hopefully will never forget the day you decided to start belting out Kelly Clarkson's "I do not hook up" in the middle of Loblaws. I knew that day, that you wouldn't be a shy kid forever. And I was so happy that because you still can't pick up completely on the lyrics, you were singing "I don't do that". You also enjoy singing "Life is a Highway" (or in your words "knife is a nighway") and to Chuck Berry's Route 66. You're well versed kid!
5) Your love for Thomas the Train Engine and ALL of his friends. The way you flip through the catalogue like a well-loved book, and how you memorize all the names of the trains, and have specific ones assigned to each of us... my train is Rosie, Abba's train is Lady, Buo's train is Toby and your train, naturally, is Thomas. And you're not greedy with aksing for all the trains at once. You wait until you get a new one, then review the list, and select the next one(s) that you want.
6) I love that you ask me to give you Reiki when you get hurt (or "breiki"). And that you give me Reiki if you see I have a bruise, or when I sliced my right index finger and had a bandaid on for weeks. I love that you are that nurturing.
7) I love the way you'll hug me or hold me and say "my mama", and I respond with a big crushing hug back and say "my Tristan". And when you run at me at preschool saying "mommy, mommy, my mommy, my mama". It's cool to see the influence of other kids wearing off on what you call me, but that you still go back to our first chosen name.

xoxo,
Your mama.