New Mommy Time

"Mom, I don't like you."

"You want a new Mommy?"

"Uh-huh," Keira looks at me, tilting her head to the side, all sparkly-eyed.

"Ok, go get your shoes on and you can go outside and look for one."

"Yeah, ok, I will go and see my little Brianna and she can be my new mommy."

"Oh, really? She's not big enough to be your mommy. Why don't you like your mommy now?"

"Uh, Kainoa likes you!" jumping up and down and trying to cheer me up, but I was so amused, I had to stress to keep a somber face.

A few minutes later, she came out of her room with her ballet slippers, half-eaten chocolate chip cookie in hand, "Okay, I'm ready." We took a good-bye picture.

"You're going by yourself, you know. I can't help you."

"It's okay."

"Where are you going to look?"

"Just...outside, and I will go look."
"Okay, here you go!" I held the front door open speculating how long she'd last in 40 degree weather, no jacket, and her dress-up summer "princess" (dress), as she calls them.

"Bye!"

I closed the dooor and looked through the peep-hole, but my hopeful spring wreath I hung last week blocked my view. I'll just wait. Twenty seconds later, I heard her talking outside the door. I opened it.

"But--I can't go, I don't know where she is."

"Do you want to come back inside?

"Uh, yeah, I need a jacket. Can you come with me and look?"

"You want me to help you find your new mommy?"
"Uh, yeah, let's go."

"Mommy stays here," I said as she came back inside. "Keira, I'm sad that you don't want me as a mommy anymore."

"But, Kainoa wants you! And Dada! And I will have another one!"

"You don't want me as your Mommy anymore?" Finally, I think she caught on that my feelings were a little hurt (though they really weren't).

"But--I like you as my Mommy! I do!" She gave me a hug...and I actually felt relieved, despite I was just "playing" sad.

We watched some TV. About 5 minutes later, she says, "I want a new Mommy."