Little handprints

I'm sitting across the room from my baby man, watching him pound the television screen with his palms. It makes him happy :), and doesn't hurt anything that can't be cleaned up, so why not? The thing is, I really hate washing those little fingerprints off the glass... Every time I think, I will never see exactly this print again. His hand will never be exactly this size, in exactly this position. And he just keeps on growing, despite my admonitions and pleas...

Ella's new preschool has occasional playdates so that the kids can get to know one another, and get comfortable with the teacher and the idea of a daily schedule. At one of these playdates I was speaking to Teacher Shaya (no, I don't know why we all call her by the full title "Teacher Shaya." But I roll with it.) and she said that she likes to have the kids do lots of handprint projects. When her kids were small they created some, and she saved them. When they were much older she went back through their school things and found that she loved looking at the memory of their growth that a handprint uniquely records, and that she had all too few of them. So she makes sure that we get them all the time. So we can watch our babies hands grow as they make their way through their first years of school.

I'm so grateful for her - in general, as she is a marvelous teacher and influence for my daughter, but especially for this. I already have three handprint projects created especially by my little girl. Proudly presented to me from her own paint-stained, happy hands :).

And if you come over and their are handprints on the tv, and on the bedroom mirror, and on the walls and the windows and the tables... Smile about it. They'll be clean again much, much too soon.