Monday Mission accomplished.

Those last few sentences...

(I so want to do this mission, but my mind is totally blank. I may need to do it later this week or something...)

*insert knife, rip out heart* :( She's already becoming aware that something is amiss.
still more hugs coming to all of you

that is so very sad... i wish i had some healing words for all of you. i know it's cliche, but it takes time for all transitions to become the "new norm". and the new norm isn't necessarily better or worse, just different.

Oh, Andrea.

Oh, Andrea. Oh. I always think of you as one tough cookie but watching through your eyes as all this plays out with Frances is devastating. Yes, the showing is often better than the telling.

Lovely writing. Insert knife indeed...

Andrea, those last few sentances were hard to read and no doubt extremely hard to write *hugs*

The writing mission is beautifully executed, and the story is a heartbreaker. Just knowing Frances vicariously makes this so hard to take. I can't imagine what you're going through. Virtual hugs. And more hugs.

Oh, crap. Now I feel like a jerk for yelling at my dh over petty stuff last night and going to bed in a huff and pretending to be asleep when he came in later.

Wishing all of you resilience and strength. Your post is a perfect example of a telling anecdote, though, how can anyone hope to follow that up?

PS I finished our taxes and am busy book reviewing. Except for this short blog-reading break. :-/

I wish I could think of something great to say. Since I can't here's a cyber hug for you both.

Beautifully done!

Aw, Andrea. :( It sucks that life works out sometimes so that we have to make decisions that change things so much. My heart breaks for you as I read this, but I know that Frances knows (maybe not consciously yet at her age) that you love her more than anything and that any decisions you make are in her best interest, even if it does mean that some things change. She's loved and she knows she's loved. That's what really counts.

Hugs. This can't be easy for you, no matter how much you know you've done the right thing... My heart goes out to you, always!

I've been feeling sad about this one all day.

Show don't tell, indeed.

I have no personal experience with this, so I don't know what to say. I don't think I could say anything of value anyway. If only she could be kicking one of you out of the room at bedtime, like Mme L does to me these days.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry that the sparkle is gone from her for this amount of time. I can only hope that once things are settled, you get that full sparkle back.

Here's hugs for both you and Frances.

You are really brave.

I read this and thought, "This is terrific SNT*" and then I got to the post below. Fabulous writing; very difficult living.

xo

* showing not telling.

*sigh* Heartbreaking.

Ouch. Pain, and you convey it so very, very well. I think, though, that there is another side to this. I really believe that for every child there is a spot in life where the previously safe and stable ground shifts. It could be their parents' marriage ending, it could be a move from their known, family filled home and community to a strange place, it could be a death or the birth of a sibling or an accident. Whatever it is, the child changes. But mostly she grows with the change, strengthens, learns more about herself and the world she must eventually cope with on her own.
Your bouncy baby is learning this lesson, and if she has made the adjustment from one bed to two, getting comfort from each, she'll heal. And grow strong.
Loved the post.
Hugs

I am playing catch up, but this one stopped me in my tracks. Beautifully written, but obviously very painful. I'm so sorry you're all having to go through this.

This broke my heart. My parents divorced when I was 20 years old, but it didn't hurt any less.

My thoughts are with you and your little girl.