In another life

5

The sound of my very annoying alarm awakens me and I groan at the bright light shining through the gap in my curtains. Today is my baby girl's birthday. And I have to get up.

I make myself a coffee and manage to change before the call comes through,
"Morning mummy!"
"Good morning baby! Happy birthday"
"Mummy I'm not a baby anymore. I'm six now!" She's adorable
"Oh I'm so sorry! You'll always be my baby though" I smile,
"I wish you were here too mummy. Grandma let us have cookies for breakfast!"
"Wow cookies for breakfast?"
"Not actual cookies, it's the cereal" I hear Kathy shout, ohhhhh
"Still! Can we get some cookie cereal for your house too?"
"Of course we can princess, I'll see you right after school okay?"
"Okay mummy! Bye!"
"Bye, tell Izzy I said have a good day too" Elsie nods before the call ends and I have to finish getting ready.

Last night I already hung the banners and wrapped the gifts, Jason already had a few so she could wake up to them and I have some here for after school. I also have balloons set up but I thought it would be better to blow them up after work so I know they won't go down.

Luckily for me, I have a half day today so I get to be home a little bit earlier, meaning I can do the finishing touches before my girls get here. And maybe go buy some cookie cereal.

...

The day went by fairly quickly, and I was finally about to leave.
"Okay, I'm off, see you later Carly!"
"Where's Cady's hat?!" Cady's dad runs right in which does surprise me a little,
"Sorry?"
"Cady's blue hat. Her blue hat! Where is it?" A hat?
"I'm so sorry I didn't know Cady had a hat with her today"
"Well she did so can you find it?!"

He seems awfully serious about this blue hat so I ask Carly to try look for it around the area while I look over here. Although I'm fairly certain Cady didn't come in with a hat on this morning.

"Okay, is it labelled?" I ask,
"Of course it's labelled!" Wow okay,
"Okay, Carly any luck!"
"Nothing over here" we continue looking and I find a blue hat in the book corner,
"Is this it?"
"No!"

Carly also happens to find a blue hat but he says that's not it either. We continue looking before he shoots up,
"Ah! Found it" he holds up a pink hat. A PINK hat.
"Oh, it's uh pink"
"And?"
"Well you told us it was a blue hat. But it doesn't matter"
"No I didn't!" What?
"Uh, Im sure you said blue"
"Well I didn't! And after all that I found it anyway!" He replies before storming out.

Okay what just happened?

...

I finally managed to get home and put all the balloons up. The whole living room is decorated with pastel pink and purple and white balloons, 'happy birthday' banners and twinkly lights as well as the gifts I wrapped up in the cutest pale pink wrapping paper with little white bows on it. I think it looks great.

I also brought one of those really big balloons with the number 6 on it and placed a few balloons in the hallway too.

I didn't need to buy a cake as Jason took Elsie to pick one out herself and he said he would bring it with them when they arrive. Which should be any minute now.

As soon as the door bell rings I shoot up to answer it,
"Hi girls!" I instantly bring my girls in for a hug
"Hi mum"
"Hi mummy! Look I have a badge!"
"That's lovely sweetie" the girls run inside and Jason and Kathy follow
"Hello darling"
"Hi Kathy, can I get you some tea?"
"Oh that would be lovely, thank you"

I bring in the tea for Kathy and make Jason and I a coffee, Elsie is absolutely buzzing to open her gifts and I of course have to take loads of photos and videos. She'll never be this little again, I have to video and photograph everything!

It didn't take long for the wrapping paper to be ripped up on the floor, the sun was getting lower in the sky and we sung happy birthday to Elsie. She just loved it. She and Izzy even had a little dance party after we ate the cake. The girls changed into their pyjamas and now we were all watching Barbie and the pink shoes.

Elsie loved this movie, she loved anything to do with ballet and dancing. She was cuddled up in my arms trying her hardest not to fall asleep.

"I think the birthday girl needs to go to bed" Jason smiles which wakes her up a little
"No not yet!"
"Come on princess" I pick her up and take her upstairs. Before I even get to her bedroom she's asleep so I gently lay her down a place the blanket on top of her.

I walk downstairs and Jason is picking up all the wrapping paper and putting it in a bin bag,
"Thank you, I'll sort it out later"
"No problem, we should get off but I'll see you soon, yeah?"
"Yeah of course"
"Bye dad" Izzy hugs her dad and grandma before they leave and sit down next to her.

"You okay sweetheart?"
"Yeah, I think Elsie had fun"
"I'm sure she did. What about you?"
"I'm okay mum" she smiles, "can I ask you something?"
"Anything" she hesitates for a moment before looking up at me,
"Dad's got a girlfriend" oh.
"I know sweetheart, he told me"
"Yeah he said he spoke to you. Are you okay with it?"

"Me and your dad aren't together anymore sweetheart, we both have to move on. I think this is good for him, he seems to really like her"
"But are you okay with it?"
"Yes I am" she nods, "are you okay with it?"
"It's weird. It's different"
"A good different?"
"I don't know. I just want to go back to how things used to be. You and dad and me and Elsie here all together. Why don't you love each other anymore?" The girls are everything to me and Jason. We knew we would have to have a deeper talk with them both eventually. Instead of just saying that we were going to live in different houses and now and we weren't married anymore.

Of course it's a lot for a young child to understand. And they shouldn't have too. But Jason and I both just want what's best for our girls and for them to know that nothing else has to change.

"Oh Izzy, I do love your dad very much. That hasn't changed at all, okay?"
"Then why aren't you together?"
"Your dad and I both love each other. But things are different with us. We were in love, and then we weren't. And we are still friends. It's better as friends, does that make sense?"
"I guess so"
"Good. But most importantly, we both love you and Elsie. And that will never change. Okay?"
"Okay. I love you too mum" she wraps her arms around me and I hug her tightly.

"How about you sleep in my room tonight? We can watch a movie?"
"Okay"

Sometimes I feel like Elsie gets a lot of attention, being the youngest and into all sorts of clubs. She's a very bright and confident girl. But that sometimes leaves Isabella in the dark as she's a lot more quiet and in her own world. I do try my hardest to give them both the same amount of attention, but sometimes it feels like I don't always do that.

That's why I try to have one on one time with both my girls. Izzy started to come into my room and we would watch movies together. She would do it when she was upset or when she just needed some time with me which of course I would never refuse. I get to spend a lot of one on one time with Elsie when I take her to dance classes or throughout the day when Izzy is in her room, her own little world. Time with both my girls is so special to me. They are my everything. And soon enough they'll be teenagers who are always in their rooms and never want to talk to me. So I'll take everything I can get now.