Card-carrying member

Today might be the best day of her life.

We stopped into our local library for storytime today, and I told Abby on the way there that she could pick out a new book to bring home. I may as well have told her she could eat cookies at every meal for the rest of her life. The girl loves books, and the offer of a new book, and one she could pick out all by herself is almost more excitement than she can handle.

We arrived at the library and she could barely wait for me to park the car as she rambled on about how we were going to "go listen to storytime with lots of kids, and get a book, and come home and read it to Abby and Caleb!" I turned the car off and proceeded to dig through my purse for my library card.

"I want to go inside, Mommy," said my impatient 2-year-old from the backseat. "It's storytime and I'm going to get a book."

"We'll go inside just as soon as Mommy finds her library card," I answered, referring to myself in the third person because that's what moms do. "If you want to get a book, I have to have a library card so that they'll let us check it out and bring it home."

Silence. This, apparently, was key information that I had withheld upon previous mentions of what we were going to do. I could almost feel the wheels spinning in her brain as she turned this new detail over in her head.

Then suddenly, she resolved the issue.

"I want my very own library card," she said, using the 'big-kid' voice that I'm having trouble getting used to. "I'll get my own book with my own card."

It sounded like a good plan to me, so I gave up my search and dragged the kids inside. Crouching down to her level, I showed Abby where the information desk was and pointed out the librarian behind the counter.

"See that man at the desk, Abby? He's in charge of giving everyone their very own library cards so that they can check out books," I told her. "Do you want to go ask him if you may have a library card, please?"

Apparently she did.

She ran up to the counter and waited until he noticed her.

"Can I help you?" the librarian asked, peering under his computer screen to see her little head sticking up over the counter. She looked up at me and I smiled, encouraging her to do it herself the way I knew she wanted to.

"May I have my very own library card, please?" she asked.

"If it's okay with your mom," said the kind old man. He slid a form across the desk to her, and she stood on her tiptoes to take it from him. "Just fill out this form and you can have your own library card."

We stepped aside and I put a pen in her hand and helped her fill out the form, then showed her where to sign at the bottom. I told her that by signing this piece of paper, she was promising to always return her books on time and to take very, very good care of them.

"Can you do that, Abby?" I asked in a very serious tone, to try to convey the great responsibility she was undertaking.

"Yeah,"she replied, and held the pen up for me to help her spell out her name.

We wandered the aisles and she finally choose a book, a collection of stories about a puppy she loves. We returned to the information desk and she handed her form and her book to the librarian.

A few moments passed as he prepared a card with her name on it, then he got us checked out and handed Abby her very own library card.

"Thanks," she told him, then turned and handed it to me. "Mommy, keep this for Abby so it won't get lost. I'll hold my book."

On the drive home, she made me call her dad and all four grandparents so she could yell "I got my very own library card" into the phone. To say she's pretty excited would be a major understatement.

I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot more time at the library now.