Ellie and Mother-Woman Go to College

Last Thursday, at the ripe old age of six months, Elliana went to college for the first time. Socially, she was a hit; apparently, a sunglasses-sporting baby being toted around in a Bjorn isn't something college kids expect to encounter on campus, and so she got tons of giggles, smiles, and "Ohhh, she's so cute!!"'s, along with one "Dude, that baby has a hangover!"

My cousin-slash-other-half (code name: Bittle) had been invited to a community college to give a guest lecture based on one chapter of the dissertation she's working on, and she asked me along for moral support. Since the milk stash is running low these days, I brought Ellie-Bug along, too, and hoped we wouldn't end up being more of a distraction than anything else. This was to be my first time on a college campus in 7 or 8 years (could it really have been THAT long?!).

Bittle and I grew up together, and at one time had planned to be college roommates, major in English, and become teachers together. Had I not met Bear, there's a good chance we would've done exactly that. Instead, I stuck around my hometown for my bachelor's degree and teaching credential, while she transferred a few hours away and went on to grad school. Our lives are similar, but distinct: while I'm competing with cartoons and Guitar Hero for the attention of the elementary school kids in my class, she's competing with frat parties and, well, Guitar Hero for the attention of the college freshmen in her writing class. We're both sleep-deprived: me from the duties of motherhood, and she from the stress of her Ph.D. program. We're the only two people in the known universe who text in complete, correctly-punctuated sentences. We are, simply put, Bittles.

Her lecture--or, rather, what I saw of it--was awesome. Ellie-Bug, for her part, could use a little work in the listening skills department: she chose to poo during the first 5 minutes, and upon returning from a complicated diaper change (high schools these days have daycare centers, but college restrooms can't pony up a changing table?), she started blowing raspberries as Bittle discussed the portrayal of Mexico and Mexicans in Kate Chopin's The Awakening. Tiny heckler!

As her grand finale, she contributed to one of the most ironic moments I've ever been part of: while we listened to Bittle discuss Edna's alienation from the nearby "mother-women" who were constantly doting on their children, I looked down to find that Ellie had spit up all over my leg. Mother-woman duties called! Out we went again.

This little field trip took a giant highlighter to the ways in which my life has changed in the past decade or so. Although I've never regretted opting out of dorm life, sororities, and the like in favor of working and spending time with Bear, I felt a little nostalgic for the college atmosphere as we left the campus. Would I trade one second of baby snuggles or Kiwi cuddles to go back and experience a little more "me time"? No way. Still, it was nice to visit that other world, briefly, and to take a tiny piece of my new world along for the ride.