The Po Show

Happy Holidays

On Saturdays I'm generally allowed to sleep in. Ross gets up when Matthew comes out of his room, and Tessa joins them at some point (some days she insists on "sleeping" some more with me, which consists of her curling up in bed and poking me accidentally with her feet and knees over and over as she thrashes about, obviously wide awake). Ross tries hard to keep them quiet, and I appreciate the effort very much.

This morning I stayed in bed till about 8:15, but I didn't sleep much after the rest of them were up at 7:00. There were repeated cries of indignation from Tessa, aimed at Matthew, and loud taunts from him to her. Ross, bless his heart, kept trying to shut them up, but to little avail. So I finally gave up and came out to the living room, which caused Tessa to go into a mad scramble with the pieces of paper she had scattered all around her. Realizing she was in the middle of a project designed for my benefit, I tried to retreat into the bathroom and then the kitchen while she gathered everything up.

She kept trying to work on her stuff in a corner, telling me not to look. I kept assuring her that I was not looking. Matthew was beside himself, trying not to tell me what she was doing, but he was having trouble controlling himself, which was throwing Tessa into paroxysms of anguish. Finally she took all her materials into her room.

After Ross and I had had coffee, he and Tessa disappeared. She then scurried into the living room, thrust a taped note onto my computer, and scurried away. The note said, "Go to Tessa's Room NOW!"

I called out to her that I was having my breakfast, but then I realized that she was holding Ross hostage in her room as part of her activity, so I abandoned my breakfast and knocked on her door. No answer. I knocked a few more times, with no answer. Finally Ross called out to me in Japanese to come in.

"DAD!," Tessa shrieked as I walked in. Then he popped out from under her bed covers and she crawled out from under her bed, bumping her head as she came. Apparently Ross was NOT supposed to tell me to come in, because they were surprising me.

There was a colorful sign on her blinds that read "Happy Mom Appreciation Day!" Tessa danced around and sang a Mom Appreciation Day song, then handed me a gift bag. Inside was a piece of paper with a heart drawn on it and fancy edging. "It's a placemat!," Tessa informed me. There was also a card shaped like a pink cat that read, "Dear Mom, Happy Mom Appreciation Day! I you. oxox. Love, Tessa." I was later given a "Job Copon" book, with pages of coupons: car washing, plant watering, dish washing, and vacuming [sic].

Very cute stuff. She's been telling me for a few weeks that Feb. 7 was going to be a special holiday, but I had no idea it was all for me. Of course, I privately told Ross that a Mom Appreciation Day might have included actually letting me sleep, but really, it's the thought that counts.

Happy Mom Appreciation Day, to all you moms out there.

Posted by: po / 9:16 AM