Checking in With the Queen B (and Katie)

Since my oldest child graduated and moved away, my parenting duties have been cut in half.

Said no mother, ever.

Yes, she gets herself out of bed and off to school every morning, without my assistance.

Yes, she works almost forty hours a week, while carrying a full class load (and, straight A's!), all without my supervision.

And, yes, she pays her rent, cleans her home, buys her own tampons, and apparently manages to feed herself on the regular, but, still; mah baybee!

I mother her now from a distance, and, vicariously through telephone calls, text messages, Skype conversations, and infrequent visits, and, I'm ok with that; she's doing great!

Recently, she even handled a crisis pretty much on her own; the tooth that she chipped many, many years ago, finally gave up the ghost, and, after too many temporary fixes, she was forced to pursue a more permanent solution.

She contacted the dental specialist that we consulted while she was still in High School, she scheduled an appointment, and, while she asked Hugh to accompany her to the appointment, she handled everything basically on her own. She is even splitting the cost of the new tooth with us, which, I didn't think was at all necessary, but, am willing to accept since it clearly makes her feel like she is taking responsibility.

The dentist did a temporary repair of the chip while we wait for the new tooth to be manufactured. QB will return to his office in a few weeks for the permanent repair. In the meantime, she is dealing with some pain and the fear that the temporary repair will also fail. My mommy heart hurts for her, but I am confident that this will all work out.

Before

During

After...for now

In happier news, QB and her besties visited Hawaii over Spring Break; I may have mentioned that, previously. They appeared to have had a very good time, and, can check several adventures off their collective Bucket List, including snorkeling, para-sailing, paddle boarding, and flying over the ocean without a mommy to hold their hands (that one may-or may not-have actually been on the list).

Even happier? Katie was recently accepted into the nursing program at the University. This was a huge accomplishment, given that 100 people apply and interview for half as many spots in the program. We are very proud of her, and, if we could take any credit for her success, we totally would.

These girls make us look good, is what I'm saying. Also, while QB moved out of the house, we basically gained Katie, so, my parenting duties actually increased, rather than decreasing.

Ok, that's not true, at all.

But, mah baybees!

So, so proud of these girls.