1. “When did they grow up and become parents of small children? Shouldn’t that be me?” (Para. 3)

“他们什么时候长大且为人父母的? 我不是才长大，才为人父母吗? ”

2. slip (Para 4): v.  to go somewhere quickly and quietly, especially without being noticed

e.g. The ship slipped into the harbor at night.

She knew that time was slipping away.

slip away 逃走；悄悄溜走   slip in 悄悄溜入；偷偷溜进去

slip into 溜进；使滑入；匆忙穿上；[俚]大吃

let slip错过；无意中吐露；放走

3. in particular (Para 4): specifically or especially distinguished from others

e.g. Was there anything in particular that convinced you this was something that you wanted to revisit?

The crowd was excited; the youth in particular were clapping and cheering.

4. toss (Para. 4): v. to throw sth. lightly or carelessly

e.g. She tossed out junk food  from her refrigerator and set a goal to lose five pounds in one month. 

她把冰箱里的垃圾食品扔出去，并设定了一个月减肥五磅的目标。 

5. stuffed (Para. 4): adj.

1) filled with sth.

e.g. For the past five weeks, the department invited people to bring their children to decorate the tree and get a stuffed animal in return.

2) having eaten so much that you cannot eat anything else

e.g. Having been stuffed, the milk cows were crouching down on the ground.

stuff: v. to fill a space or container tightly with sth.

e.g. He stuffed up his ears with earplugs before diving.

6. There were pillows on the floor where they had been tossed from the couch and a few stuffed animals lying around where the children had been playing.  (Para. 4)

The pillows on the floor had been thrown by my little kids from the couch and some stuffed animal toys were also scattered around the house.

7. think back to (Para. 5): to think about sth. that happened in the  past; to recall

e.g. The photographs made me think back to my trip to Europe.

这些照片使我回想起了我的欧洲之旅。 

8. sort through (Para. 6): to look through a number of things, either in order to find sth. or to put them in order

e.g. In an age of information explosion, it is vital to sort through masses of sources and select what is needed.

在信息爆炸时代，对大量信息源进行分类并选择自己所需信息至关重要。 

9. residence (Para. 6): n. a house, especially a large or impressive one

e.g. 10 Downing Street is the British Prime Minister's official residence.

唐宁街10号是英国首相的办公所在地。 

10. I decided to sort through the toy box and I found a flying dinosaur, a skeleton, and a Frankenstein that had mysteriously taken up residence in my box of toys. (Para.6)

我决定整理一下玩具箱里的玩具，结果发现了一只会飞的恐龙、一副骨架和一个弗兰肯斯坦怪物，也不知这怪物是如何在我的玩具箱里安家的。 

11. leave behind (Para. 7):

1) to go away from a place without taking sth. / sb. with you

e.g. The picnickers left behind litter and leftover food.

2) to cause or allow to remain as a consequence or sign

e.g. He left behind nothing but happy memories.

12. “Now, she can’t put it under her pillow. I wonder if it will work if I put it under my pillow. The Tooth Fairy is going to be so confused!” I laughed. (Para. 10)

“现在，她没法把牙放在她的枕头下了。我不知道，如果我把它放在我的枕头下，那传说是否会奏效。牙仙子会弄不清是怎么回事了！”我笑了。 

13. last but not least (Para. 11): in addition to all the foregoing

e.g. Last but not least, thanks so much to the fans and readers for making me feel my work was valued.

14. outfit (Para. 13): n. a set of clothes that you wear together, especially for a particular occasion or purpose

e.g. Our athletes should wear an outfit they can feel pride in, not embarrassment.

15. scrub (Para. 13): v.  the act of cleaning a surface by rubbing it with a brush and soap and water

 

e.g. She got down on her knees and started to scrub the already shining floor.

16. remind (Para.  14): v. to cause sb. to remember sth.

e.g. These photos remind me of the days when we skied in Canada.

17. even if / though (Para. 15): despite the fact or belief that; no matter whether

e.g. Even if we achieve great success in our work, we should not be conceited.

18. look back on (Para. 15): to think about sth. in your past

e.g. They like to look back on those unforgettable years in the army.

19. Memories happen even if we aren’t aware of it. The stressful and difficult moments often become memories that we look back on later with laughter and joy. (Para. 15)

有些回忆总是悄悄地涌上心头。当我们回首往事时， 我们会对那些压力重重和艰难困苦的过往时刻报以欢笑， 心生喜悦。

20. I never knew then that I would one day be the one waving from the driveway and feeling my heart drive off down the road. (Para. 17)

In this sentence, personification is used. My heart is like a person who drives off down the road with the kids.  It shows the mother’s reluctance to see her children drive away.

我从没想过自己有一天也会在车道上向远方挥手， 感受着自己的心随着那路远行。

21. “To have a child is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”  (Para. 18)

有了孩子就永远注定你的心不会放在自己身上了。