A little heartbreak and a lotta love...

A little bit of heartbreak today in the Geib household. It's not anything major... minor at best. But you know those vicious glue traps we have out? The ones that have basically cleared up our shrew issue? (Gee thanks, Guam.) Well... I found one last victim in them today and this one was a sweet sparrow. :(

The poor little guy was still alive when I found him. I used some disposable wooden tongs and spent a good half hour gently working him out of the glue with Caroline saying "Bewwwwd, hurt? I sawwy, bewwwwd!" over my shoulder. (Translation for those who don't speak toddler: "Bird, are you hurt? I'm sorry, bird! My mom sucks for having these glue traps out in the first place.")

Once I got the little guy out of the glue, I placed him up on one of our lawn chairs so that the ants wouldn't get to him. He tried to flutter his wings a couple of times, but there was just too much glue. He couldn't fly.

I left to pick Benjamin up from work and when we got back, the sparrow was still on the lawn chair. I hurried to a meeting I had to go to and when I got home, the sparrow was gone! I was half excited, half cautious. Had he flown away? Or did he die?

When I made it inside, it was the first thing I asked Benjamin as our excited toddler threw her arms around me. Sadly, the sparrow didn't make it and Benjamin was kind enough to remove his body before I got home.

Can you tell that I am feeling ten kinds of sad and guilty right now? I expected those traps to catch shrews and maybe cane toads and perhaps, an elusive brown tree snake, but a sparrow? Never! :( I think the traps have to go now.

As Caroline laid her head against my chest this evening, she asked about the sparrow. "Bewwwd mama? Where go?" "The bird went home, Caroline." {Cue my heart breaking} "Mama, I toot." "That's okay sweetheart, we all do." "Mama, I love you." "I love you too, Caroline."

In case you didn't know, a toddler contains the perfect amount of sweetness, comedy and magic to make even the smallest of sad things in life, much, much more bearable.

She fell asleep with her face nestled into my neck after our conversation. And I fell even more in love with her. How is that possible every single day? It's because motherhood is magical. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.