Mama Yay Yay

Bambina and I have a little dance we do called the "Mama Yay Yay Dance." She initiated it after the first time I drove the car again post-transplant. She insisted we sing it when I noted that my little hair wispies post-chemo are now bona fide sections of short hair sticking out weirdly among some longer hair. We now sing it every time I drive the car even though the WOW factor of being allowed to drive the car has long since passed, but I love doing it because it makes us happy. (The Mama Yay Yay Dance involves me picking her up and dancing around the room shaking my butt while we sing, "Mama yay yay! Mama yay yay!" Bambina then makes anyone in the vicinity say, "I don't like that song." She and I then have to very dramatically look at each other, then look at the person and yell, "TOO BAD!" Followed immediately by "Mama Yay Yay" at decibels a full factor greater than before). I take no credit for any of the music, arrangement or dialogue whatsoever.

Anyway, we did the MYY Dance today in a big way because this was the first time I've been to a playground with her for real since May. Sure, I've gone to the park since then, but if any other kids or parents are around I have to stand over to the side away from people and watch her from afar being pushed on the swings for instance by her dad. It has been my now-long running joke that I'm mystified why the cops haven't been called on the strange lady with the mask and huge sun hat standing at a distance watching the children at the playground. I look "off" and I know it. Anyway, today was pretty damn freezing so the park was empty. So the three of us went running toward it and laughed out loud at how cool it was to own the park. Bambina sat on her swing and I got to push her for the first time in 8 months. Eight months! Then I jumped on the swing next to her and did her favorite thing of swinging at the same speed and height while singing, "Swinging in the Rain."

This is going to sound like the biggest cliche, but I do believe I have not in 36 years had a happier day than today, swinging in a playground next to my kid, singing at the top of our lungs. To cement the cliche, I heard this tune in my head as we were swinging:

Mama Yay Yay indeed.