Tater

We have a little spud in our family who goes by the name of Tater. I can only imagine how she got the nickname. I think it's a spin off of her actual name, which is Caitlin. I don't usually use that nickname though, I prefer Caitibug, or just bug for short.

Tater is turning five tomorrow, and she will be joining her older sister Hannah at Lake Superior Elementary in the fall. Yes, our baby is going to Kindergarten! Cierra is also going to kindergarten, but she is not technically the baby of the family. The girls are exactly one month apart in age. So there are no more Meys family babies. That is a sad thing. I tried to plead my case that perhaps they should try for just one more..... but that fell on deaf ears. Ok, there were actual swear words and the polite suggestion that I have my own baby if I like them so much. :) Elise and David are young though, so I still hold out hope!

What can I say about Caitlin Ruthmarie? She was named (middle) for her Grandmother, and looks very similar to Grandma Ruthie at the same age. The only child who does out of all of us. She does not, however, act like her. Tater's Grandma Nancy seems to think she is the payback owed to Elise for all the trouble she herself caused as a youngster. Nancy is probably right. I love listening to the "Tater" stories. One day when she was two/three she came into their living room singing ABC's, swinging a large knife her father had accidentally left out in the kitchen. There are murals of permanent black marker on walls/furniture, it is her favorite medium.

My favorite memory of Tater is the first time I ever spent any time alone with her. She would have been two or three days old, and had just come home from the hospital. Ash, Hannah and Elise were all napping, and I was looking out for the baby. Such a tiny peanut that I held in my arms, and we talked of many things. Then she pooped, and I panicked because it had been some time since I changed that tiny of a diaper. I didn't want to wake Elise, so we muddled through it, Caitibug and I. Snuggled back together to finish our chat, and she did it again! Troublemaker.

The day I actually met her for the first time there was a tornado warning, which are rare here. Omen? Perhaps. There is another side to her though, that is so sweet it brings tears to your (well my...and that's hard to do) eyes. Sometimes she will send me a surprise picture in the mail, which I love! The last time she was here she came right up to me and gave me a rose. It was just the very top of the flower, in bud form. I kissed her and put it in water right away. Turns out she had snapped it off of some flowers her mother had gotten and stowed it away to give to me. First her mother knew of it was when she saw it floating in my dish. Hahahahaha

Happy 5th Birthday Caitlin! My wild, wonderful, willful, sweetheart child! You are going to set this world on fire, and Auntie Jo will always be right in the front row cheering you on! All my love always little bug. ♥