The days & weeks are flying by... and here I am loving *almost* every minute of it.
The cleaning up of disgusting things that emanate from three small boys?
Not so much.
But the running into my arms for hugs when I pick up at school?
Yes, more please thank you.
Writing the above paragraphs took approximately seven hours. Seven. No joke, I swear. Trips to & from school, refereeing squabbles minor & major, several baby feedings & potty stops later... here we are.
Some days I feel like I'm getting the hang of this... kids are fed, clothed, loved & I manage to keep everyone alive for a 24 hour period. Good times. Other days I have little-to-no patience, yell too much & generally feel like I have no idea what I am doing. Thankfully on those days I have still managed to keep everyone alive, so I guess there's that.
What I am (slowly) learning is that the key to having more good days than bad is to set the bar low. Like, really low. Having reasonable expectations... as in just keep the little ones alive each day... really helps. Anything else above & beyond is just icing on that cake called life.
Which might explain why inside my house it looks as if a hurricane hit.
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This little one...
Oh-My-Goodness...
Holding Soren, small, warm & snuggled perfectly against my body, sometimes I stop, take a deep breath to try to drink in all of this sweetness. And I think, "This. This moment right here will sustain me when you are 16 & take the car without permission, or sass mouth, or whatever form your rebellion, your stretching to break free, will take." Storing these moments up... stockpiling precious memories one on top of the other... waiting to be rationed out during tougher times.
I must have done something right because this one is such a good baby.
He eats well... he naps anywhere & through anything... he happily rides along to whatever big brothers have scheduled next.
He sleeps at night.
Like ALL night sleeps, woo-hoo! (Wait, shhh don't tell anyone, I don't want to jinx it).
He smiles, coos and goes-with-the-flow.
Yeah, we are sooooo keeping this one.
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Then there is this one...
... this wild, tempestuous, limit-pushing, little bundle of boy.
Nobody warned me about this four-year-old thing.
That nearly every request will be met with NO!
Or, LET ME DO IT!
Or, an over-the-top-movie-cliche-style temper tantrum.
But oh is he ever a good big brother...
Someone once told me that how your child is at age four is a sneak preview for the next phase of limit-pushing... the early teen years.
And if this is even a little bit true, we are in big, big trouble.
Sometimes I really miss my sweet boy of three...
And then there are those just-as-sweet moments that remind me he's still in there, somewhere...
Yep, keeping this one too.
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And the biggest little one?
The one who continues to grow bigger & stronger & smarter every single day?
Yeah. He rocks.
This guy is in one of those phases of blossoming...
Working so hard with using his words & learning to read & starting to understand about how to be a good friend.
Challenging us to keep up with his growth... to push him forward & remember to let go whenever possible.
Wednesday was International Down Syndrome Day (3/21 - represents three copies of the 21st chromosome) and we celebrated by being grateful that we get to be Quinn's parents in this life. Thankful we have him to lead us on this great adventure.
Keeping this one too...
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So 15 hours later... well six weeks & 15 hours that is... am going with my old friend, the better late than never adage.
Exhausted, yes.
But bored? Nope.
And that is a very good thing...
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| View from our front porch a few weeks ago... |
