Fertilizer

I had a blog post planned. I was going to write it after the kids went to bed. A few more things have transpired since that first idea, but I'll go ahead and start with the original post and move forward (because it will transition nicely into my next story):

My friend Myca had a good point about blogs the other day. She said that she figured that if you're reading her blog, then you love her and her family enough to allow for some bragging rights. Saying things on the blog, that you can't say in real life, are okay because the people reading really care about what's going on with your family. Well, she sort of said that, but probably more seamlessly than that. So, because I agree with that sentiment, I am going to do a little bragging of my own. :) This post is to tell you about how much Lily is growing, learning and how creative she is.

Today we went to visit Grandma. As we were leaving Lily and Drew noticed a man on some sort of yard machine that wasn't a lawn mower. They both asked what it was. Ann explained to them that it was a fertilizing machine. When she said that, Lily informed her that fertilizer was NOT good for the ecosystem. She'd learned about it on Eco World (a PBS computer game) she said. Then Grandma told her that it was good at keeping the weeds out of your lawn so only the pretty grass could grow. Lily was not satisfied and told Grandma that they should pull the weeds instead of using the fertilizer. That girl is so smart! For her to play a computer game, retain the information she learns and then recite it correctly in a real life situation baffles me. I know she's five and growing up...but I just sometimes can't get over that she learns so much so quickly!

And now for the second half of my story: Lily has a book all about the body. She love learning all about how her body works and all the interesting things that are going on inside of her. Because of this, I got her a new book at the library yesterday. I should have looked through it more closely because it has the reproduction system, complete with diagrams! On some level she must understand that this has something to do with the baby being inside a woman. I have no idea how she figured it out, but she's been asking lots of questions about how she was made since getting this book.

This is not the first time that I have had to field questions from her regarding making babies. Rewind several months and I used to tell her that to make a baby you needed lots of love and a little bit of magic. Up until a few weeks ago, that was a perfectly fine answer. However, a few weeks ago she started asking for more information. Wanting to know in depth how it all worked. So, I told her that the man has a seed and he gives it to a woman (i was using the gardening analogy) and a baby grows. That was enough for awhile. Long ago enough for me to forget that I'd mentioned anything to her about a man having a seed. (WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?)

Today on the way home from Grandma's she asked me again how the man helped that woman make the baby. I didn't answer her right away. I wanted to think about it. By the time she asked again (during story time, Drew had gone to bed,thank God.) about the baby thing I had decided that I would be matter-of-fact about it. I would explain it scientifically, to a point. Explain it just like I had when I explained to her how lungs work. So, we sat down with the Body book and when we got to the page with the women's reproductive system (I did manage to avoid the male page!! Again, thank God.), I pointed to a picture of an ovum. I told her that she had started as this very tiny cell. That the cell went into the uterus and grew into a baby and then the baby came out through the vagina. Yes! I said it! I told her about the VAGINA! (The fact that babies come out through the vagina is not news to her. We spent the weekend at the farm and saw, a little too up close and personal, a calf and his mother very soon after the birth).

I thought it was enough. I didn't want to say any more. I thought that saying the ovum grew into a baby all by itself was just enough information. She could learn about the fertilizing later (ha ha! I just realized this post is all about fertilizer!!) I'd forgotten about the seed. How did I forget about the seed??! I wish I could say that she too had forgotten. I am not so lucky. When I finished telling her all about it, her first question was, "How do they get the seed up in there?" Oh, shit!! Oh shit!! What in the hell should I say now!? So, I stalled. Aren't you supposed to turn the question back to the kid? Don't you just let them answer it themselves, satisfying their need for more information? Nope. It didn't work. She wanted more. Her answer was, "I don't know how...that's what I want to know!!" So, I did what any sane person would do. I stalled again. I told her that she'd learn about that part in fifth grade at school. Still not enough. "I don't want to learn about it then. I want to know now!" Oh, geez. And then it happened...she said, "DON"T YOU REMEMBER HOW TOM DID IT TO YOU?!"

Yes, yes she did. It made me laugh out loud. My answer? Let's go ask Daddy.