The game of food

I am participating in the
 Slice of Life.  
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, 
on Tuesdays.
Thank you, Two Writing Teachers!

It's been awhile since I've shared about my grandchild, 'Frog'. 

These days, Frog is a foodie. 

At eleven months old, she has six teeth and can basically eat any food, if it is prepared in small and soft enough pieces. 

I love to watch Frog eat, and feeding her is a bit of a game. 

Though I think I am, she's in charge. 

She loves 'finger foods,' always happy to feed herself morsels from the tray of her highchair, picking food up with a delicate pinch of her fingers. She will also eat from the spoon I dangle in front of her mouth with some savory bite... and, ever so quickly, she loves to grab that spoon right from me, flailing it this way and that, trying to get it into her mouth by herself - and leaving me to pinch the food on the tray for her. I am always surprised by how she catches me off-guard, and I am left thinking - wait, how did that happen?!

She eats with gusto, big smiles, and sounds - "mmm hmm hmm!," she says.
Frog has big, squishy, lovable cheeks and she will often let a few stray pieces of food sit right in those cheeks, to savor a little later, after the meal. She loves to sit at the table with us, and she loves to try new foods - which means, she wants to eat what you are eating. She watched with big wide eyes as her Poppa ate corn on the cob - riveted by every munch and chew. She even banged her spoon in accompaniment. How she would have loved to have eaten that cob, herself!

We no longer eat while she drinks her bottle. We've learned - if we dare to eat while she is drinking her bottle, she will throw the bottle down with gusto and pound her high chair tray, indignantly.

She just wants in on this game of food, and wants in NOW.

SOL19 - Slice #2 Frogs symbolize transformation

I am participating in the
 Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOL19)
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day for the month of March 2019.

A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity
for teacher-writers to share and reflect.

One day in late October, at about five in the morning, my daughter-in-law went into labor, and we became grandparents to the most amazing little dark-haired girl.

On that very same day in late October, at about five in the morning, my mother suddenly became very ill and was rushed to the hospital; she died two days later.

My Mom left this world as our new baby entered it.

I feel the holy in this.

The height of joy, the depths of sadness, abundance, all.

I want to share so much about this beautiful child (*Frog) in our lives! She has been a healing balm for me these past months. We are so lucky that Frog lives only 20 minutes away from us, and we get to see her lots and lots. 

Let me tell you about Frog.

That dark, full head of hair,

a mix of black, brown, auburn, and light.

Those wide eyes,

penetrating, watching, absorbing.

So many precious faces she makes, 

even when she is asleep.

I love to sit and watch her, 

emotions flowing by,

happy, worried, wondering, surprised, serene,

and, oh, that heart-wrenching frown with the bottom lip puckered out -
you best hurry with that bottle you are fixing!

Her Daddy made that face when he was a baby.

There are often noises with the faces, 

coos, cackles, and cries.

She is just learning to laugh.

She finds freedom and joy on the changing table,

smiling with delight,

at her body free from the trappings of clothes,

legs dancing and stretching.

Frog's hands are so expressive, 

long, delicate fingers,

finding their way into her mouth

grabbing on the bottle or my hand, as I feed her,

or blanketing her face, 

discovering, 

and, often,

when sleeping,

held in tight fists.

I wonder, 

is she dreaming about all the work ahead,

as she changes the world?

*FYI - As I begin to share stories from my heart, I've decided to write fictitious names for my loved ones - however clunky that may seem - in the interest of preserving whatever shreds of anonymity one really has in this world. I'm going to call my grandchild 'Frog' - I love frogs...as a spirit animal, they exemplify renewal, transformation, metamorphosis, and so much more.