"now, let go"

runway clear. ready for takeoff...



one layover in hunterland...



ahhh, to be 2 yrs old again. reagan has little silver cardboard wings she likes to wear, and i fly her around the house. if she stops flapping her arms/wings, she goes lower... flaps quickly, and she rises. well, at least until my arms give out. so last night during flying lessons, she told me "now, let go!" she thought she had mastered the flying thing enough that i didn't need to support or steady her any longer, and she could just fly around on her own.

so i let her go and she dropped, got a concussion and died. and no newtonian eureka moment on the way down, either, like the proverbial apple falling on newton's head.

what a world kids live in to think that flying is that easy, that magic (and elmo) are real, and animals/plants understand english. a complete merging of real world and fantasy worlds.

but the bigger issue is that 'let go now, papa' stuff. we're slowly (actually too quickly) moving through the last milestones of baby stuff. yes, we are done (errr.... i am done). the changing table and diapers are gone. the little portapotty thrown out (yesterday). her crib - sold on craigslist. even her little toddler bed - sold. cupboard child locks - removed. outlet covers - disappearing. gates around steps - long gone. nooks/binkies/patsies/bottles gone/gone/gone/gone. onesies - bagged up. booster chair / highchairs - gone. baby silverware/plates - etc... still have bins of kid toys, but i'm sure i'll blink and they'll be replaced by laptops/ipods/DVDs/school books.

"now, let go"

"no. not yet... not ever"