It's been a while. Let's see, "last post … May 2007". Basically, the last we talked, Hilda had just turned 1, and Hannes - the original "Hilda" - was four.
Raising kids is time-consuming, what can I say.
Here we are now, with a six-year-old Hilda who just left the house to attend her kindergarten's May 1 festivities, dressed as a princess. She's wearing a crown, her fanciest dress, and even white gloves. Now, you might think that the fact that her gloves have three strikes on the back of her hand would bother her, but no. In her six-year-old beautiful brain the Sleeping Beauty's crown goes perfectly well with Minnie Mouse's gloves.
And then we have a nine-year-old Hannes who left the house ten minutes earlier so he'd make it to school on time. It was the first time he took the bus-subway combo down there on his own so I asked him to give me a call when he got to school.
He's the only one in his class who doesn't have a mobile phone, he told me the other day, so this morning he got to borrow my iPhone so he can make the call. And possibly, maybe, play Angry Birds on the subway.
We've also moved to the north side of the city. Well, we moved three years ago so this house is pretty much the only home that Hilda remembers. Sometimes, when we go to the south side, I drive by our old house to show it to her, and to Hannes, but she can't really remember anything.
"And that was our balcony," she'll say, in her happiest voice because she wants to connect. To me, to Hannes, to the house.
"That's right, that was our balcony," I say.
"What did I do on the balcony? Did I run there naked?"
"Yes, sometimes you did. And sometimes I put you out there to sleep."
"You made me sleep outside?"
"Just a nap, when you fell asleep in your stroller."
"Phew," she'll say.
"And that was our bedroom, that's the kitchen, and that was my little office," I tell her.
"I thought kitchen was your office," she says.
"It is. Sometimes it is," I say.
Like right now. That hasn't changed.
Labels: Update
