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Let's Panic: The Book!

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How to Endure and Possibly Triumph Over the Adorable Tyrant
who Will Ruin Your Body, Destroy Your Life, Liquefy Your Brain,
and Finally Turn You
into a Worthwhile
Human Being.

Written by Alice Bradley and Eden Kennedy

Some Books
I'm In...

Sleep Is
For The Weak

Chicago Review Press

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Let's Panic

The site that inspired the book!

At LET'S PANIC ABOUT BABIES, Eden Kennedy and I share our hard-won wisdom and tell you exactly what to think and feel and do, whether you're about to have a baby or already did and don't know what to do with it.

Lets-Panic.com → 

« Give me your highly conditional love. | Main | I love you. »
Tuesday
Feb202007

No one told me it would be like this.

Dear Four and a half,

You’re amazing. Never leave.

Love,

Mommy

Hey baby,

Aww, sweet thing. Four and a half’s gonna be here for a good long while. Shh, now, don’t fret. Four and a half’s gonna tell you how beautiful you are. Gonna stroke your hair, now. Four and a half can’t stop looking at you, is all. Remember how Four would slap you upside the head and not care what you thought? Four and a half might do that, too, but it’s by accident, see, and then he’s going to kiss you all over that head of yours and make sure you know it weren’t meant to hurt.

Hey, can Four and a half have that cookie? That one you thought Four and a half wouldn’t notice, all wrapped up in the pantry? No, you say? That’s cool. See? Four and a half wants you to know he can wait—he’s got all the time in the world. Or maybe that cookie isn’t for him and never will be. No matter. Some other cookie will come by, some other time. And when that time comes, Four and a half will be there. For that cookie.

Sweet, sweet love,

Four and a half

Dear four and a half,

….

Love,

Mommy

My love,

Speechless, aren’t you? I know. I know it all. Hey, want me to hold that door open for you? I knew you’d like that. Ain’t nothing I don’t know. Like spelling, baby. Like, you know what letter “word” starts with? Wuh..wuh… that’s a double-you. So it starts with “D.” D starts double-you. See, baby? Try to correct four and a half on that one, and your head will spin. Just smile, baby. Four and a half’s got it all figured out.

Four and a half’s going to draw you a picture of Obi-Wan Kenobi, now. Only instead of a light saber, Obi-Wan’s gonna have a flower in his hand. For his beautiful mommy. Oh, Four and a half is so gonna get that cookie.

Marry me,

Four and a half

Reader Comments (61)

Oh, I love four and a half!
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered Commenterjessica van dyne evans
Yes, indeedy. That's just right, right for both my boys at that age. The mother-son dynamic is pretty impressive -- almost makes you want to believe Freud, but not quite.

Unfortunately, 5 1/2 mocks 4 1/2, and 9 spits right in his face.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered Commenterslouching mom
Oh too beautiful.

Please let that happen to my son! We are only four here. We already know everything. We are sensitive at the most surprising times. But when there are other children around or when sugar is consumed our four year old psyche becomes deaf, but not mute, with a fast-forward pair of feet that jump off high and wobbly places to land on whatever may be under it's shadow.

Please let us be four and half with the same newfound grace as yours.

Please.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterDaphne Enns
If I ever become a mommy, or have a mommy blog, I hope it will be like Finslippy.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered Commenterelise
What a glorious time, 4.5 - sons are so sweet. My guy turns 6 next month; SIX. I will be sad to see these years go.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterLisa Milton
You are so right. Four and a Half is better than a hot latte and a frosted donut!

Just this a.m., when I told Four and a Half she could not watch 'Little Einsteins' b/c her baby brother needed to watch 'Baby Galileo' (I am quite a model parent, I know, at least when it comes to scheduling the TV watching) Four and a Half looked at me, said, "OK!" and skipped over to the cabinet to get the video out. Oh, she also kissed her brother on the head.

Who is this alien Four and a Half? Please tell me they will never ever leave.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterE
yeah, i remember four and a half. those were the days

unfortunately, five came in a knocked four and a half on its ass and five is now rearing it's stubborn, petulant, foot stomping head all over the place right now. further more, two and a half is trying to emulate five to great effect.

i'm holding out great hope for five and a half and three.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered Commenterelaine
Oh, how I miss thee four and a half. I miss thee so much. All I am left with is 12, 10, 8 and six and a half. None compare to you four and a half.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterMoMMY
Dear Alice,

I love reading your letters. I think four and a half should get the cookie. If he doesn't, can I have it?

Leslie
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterLeslie
Dear four and half,I like you more than my husband, 24 and a half. Let's run away together. I will give you all the cookies you want as long as you draw me pictures of jedi with flowers and tell me I'm beautiful.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterMonkee
oh, thank you for sending me back in time to my favorite age with Tyler. Now he's 14 1/2 and it's all Whatever mom with a lowercase m, you're like, such a 'tard mom with a lowercase m. What teh hell is your damage mom?
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered Commenterkelly
Oh yes. In perfect words, four and a half has come to live with us, too, and the thoughts that go through my head every day are, "I can't believe that in all the time I've known you, you are cuter now than you have ever been." Four and a half will always give a hug, kiss your cheek, and say sweet things about your outfit. What IS this perfection?
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterRae
I've never met four and a half. We're at three and a half here, and it's not too bad, but now I'm actually excited about what's to come! Thanks! Nothing like offsetting the dread of two that's approaching with the younger one.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterLisa (the girls' moma)
A simple punctuation gaffe made my comment sound very arrogant. I meant that YOU had perfect words for four and a half. Just to be clear about my effusive adoration. Okay.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterRae
That is too funny!

Alice, give. 4 and 1/2. the cookie. Now. Give it. Before 4 and 1/2 turns 5. :)
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterStarshine
Thank you, Alice! We're stuck with three here ("NO!" is our word of choice lately, ugh), and you give me hope that someday four-and-a-half will come! :)
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterChristieNY
Oh man, I think your four and a half and our four and a half used the transporter at the same time and one of us is in dark parallel universe v4.5. And it's us.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered Commenterbraine
really? Because I about lose it with my four and a half year old son on an almost daily basis. I'm a bundle of envy...
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered Commenterblythe
I would like to fold up Four and a Half and put him in my pocket.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered Commentersveedish
I think my model is defective! Wanna trade?

Darn, I didn't think so.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterVelma
Four and a half,

WTF? You've gone soft. No! I say No! to you. NO! (throws Cheerio across room, runs off)
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterThree
Dear Four and one half,Come back to me. I strongly dislike "Barely Five."

Love.Me.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterAlissa
My kids are 12 and 13 - I don't specifically remember 4 and a half, just remember when the little one thought the big one was Wonderful. Ah, I miss those days.

Thanks for Code Monkey - I'm loving it, and I'm proseletizing (sp?) as much as possible.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterWheezy
Awwww.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered Commentervictoria
Oh, right now I have almost 4. Almost 4 is way sweeter than I expected, because the halves are usually better. I did not like 3. I was not looking forward to 4. I'm still not looking forward to 4.

But I cannot wait for the sweet, sweet happy 4.5. Especially since that is when the other will be angry angry 1.
February 20, 2007 | Unregistered Commentersilvermine

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