Today Sophie, Malcolm's long-lost love from Mountain Valley, came over for a playdate after all of our morning Obama-oriented activities were over. It was great to see her after a few months away. I am continually astonished by how much young children develop in just a few months. After a few minutes of adjustment she was ordering Malcolm around and he was accommodating her. They were just the little pair. Sophie would fill Malcolm's wagon with blocks and then tell him when to dump it out, and they would squeal with joy. Then they would give each other turns pushing the other in the wagon, they played dress up and ate goodies from the Obama bake-sale for snack. It was all a great hit. Then we went into the yard to chase the chickens. Sophie did not want to leave, so Malcolm blew her a kiss. Then was the magical moment. Sophie bent over and give him a sweet little kiss right on the mouth! His first one! It was one of those little aaah! moments for both of the mamas. It was very sweet, and they both blew each other kisses and Sophie was strapped in her car seat to go take her nap.

I have to admit, I was very relieved Malcolm had missed her so much. I know that he is going to have to grieve people coming and going, but I really don't want him to have to yet. I really want him to have deep roots and people that he grows with. Maybe this is so important to me because I felt like I never really had roots. We moved around a lot, and it was hard even to keep up with family. I didn't have those long last friendships from early childhood, and I didn't have a sense of a cultural community either once my dad stopped being around. I really want Malcolm to have a strong sense of community and who he is, and all the people that love him.

Here are pictures of him with Sophie.