ah parenthood

Already there are things to miss: All the times we had to stoop to pick up "ho" when she dropped him (accidentally, perhaps) from the stroller. The gratified look on her face when she had him back. How easy it once was to set the world right. That feeling more than made up for the annoyance.

"Ho" was Grover the muppet, or her word for Grover. And it actually was worn down from an earlier form, not really a word but an owl-like ululation; "whOOooOOooOO." Which perhaps what what it sounded like to her when Grover talked, who knows.

His companion, briefly, was "ai," which was her word for Big Bird. But she soon lost interest in ai -- who knows why? And from then on Grover was her "guy" of choice, despite frequent, but temporary, infidelities with other "guys" -- montey, port top, 'potty, Peanut Pretzels Harper, Elmo, Eet-dee Boo-jie. Gover was always the one she always came back to.

Except that now she's stashed his scraggly blue ass somewhere so obscure neither of us adults can find it, and even she doesn't remember anymore. That was weeks ago.