The power of FOUR

Another one of those afternoons, making my way through the school pick up line, waiting for my baby. Oh, there she is, no longer a 'real' baby. She comes bouncing to the car with her loaded backpack and dance bag. "Do you want to drive today?" No, I'll let you do it today Mom.

We are off to the Dr's for a scheduled shot. Her day was great, as it usually is. Her car snack today? An almost brand new box of Cheese Its.

I look over and see that she has neatly stacked FOUR cheese-its and swiftly all four are plopped into her mouth.

I laugh...and notice that she again does the same thing. FOUR.

Four is her number.

I ask her about this and she says she must do all things so that they add up to four.

Again, she pulls out four cheese-its and silently counts as she puts one in her mouth...then two...then three...then four. Then she starts over again.

This brings me to giggles. I try to drive and still watch her work on those crackers.
I ask for some.
How many does she give me? FOUR.
NOT three. NOT five.
She tells me that "if I don't eat them in the correct way, then I can't partake because I will mess things up."

This gives me more than the giggles. I am in full on belly laugh while driving. and while eating my FOUR crackers.

I inquire further, because I must know the method to her madness.
"What if you have a partial cracker, a cracked cracker?"
"Well, it depends on how big it still is...and what my mood is too. Sometimes I just save those for last."
Again, I am laughing.

I reach over for the box of crackers, trying to get MY hand in there.
She pulls it back and states: "you won't do it right, let me"
again, I am given my FOUR crackers.

I know, this is some form of OCD. I know we all have 'our thing'....and I realize that this is something ELSE that she and I can laugh at.


I ask more questions. And get more silly answers that make perfect sense to her.
Pretty soon, we are both laughing.

But still, she is counting. One. Two. Three. Four....
and all is right in her world.