Honest To Blog

I missed you, all of you. I really did. I'm even willing to bet that I missed you even more than the heart and soul of my readership (my kids' grandmothers) missed me. But not by much. I miss being told how witty and entertaining I am on paper (or computer screen, as it were). I have missed these brief moments in which I can relay a story, and, in a perfect moment, without any children begging or crying or needing, I can remember why, oh why I became a mother: those two are the absolute BOMB!

Since it has been a lil' bit since you last heard from us, some catch-up:

Aurelia is a giant. At almost 20 months old, she could rival a full-on three year old in WBWE (that's World Baby Wrestling Entertainment). People are unfailingly surprised that she is an overgrown 20-month-old of slightly above average intelligence rather than an average-sized, unintelligent kindergartener. Pardon the exaggeration; you may recall that I am prone to hyperbole. But, I digress (I'm sure you get it--she's big; enough already!). She is also a talker, which I love and proves unequivocally that my incessant narrating at her for her entire life has paid off, if, of course, my goal was to create a chatterbox.

In addition to talking, she is fond of running around without pants on (entirely naked is also acceptable), her new tricycle and to my everlasting delight and awe, her baby brother. She LOVES her baby brother!! And I don't remember if I voiced my concern while I was pregnant for her attachment to me (and I, her) and what that might mean when we added our little boy to the mix. It.turned.out.stellar. She loves him so much. She watches how I care for him, and is more than eager to help. If he is carrying on about being stuck in his carseat, she holds the handle and rocks him for me, chanting "okay, baby, okay" or singing nonsensically to calm him. Once, she even pushed my hand away so she could take over. Matt had them today while I was working, and while Thad was bobbing in his exersaucer, Aurelia took it upon herself to retrieve a blanket and wipe the spit-up from his chin. Everybody say "aww!" (aww!)

Thad is also a monstrous little person. Four months old, 28 inches, 16 pounds. What?! It is also almost time to start him on solids (semi-solids, I suppose), but still spoon-related foods! I can't believe it. When Aurelia hit five months, it had felt like.five.months. We had barely been able to leave the house; I didn't have work yet. Each step was new and different for everyone involved. It's amazing that, even after being a parent for as few as twenty months, this second baby already has a been-there-done-that type of connotation to our experiences. Squishy newborn: done. Holding his head up like a boss: check. Trying to grab at stuff (generally in order to stick it in his mouth): way aheada you! And, now, cereal. I wish I could say that writing this out will force me to really take the time to marvel at the little things he learns, watching his eyes finally comprehend that his feet are attached to his legs and, hey!, they taste GREAT! And I'm not saying that I don't appreciate his milestones; I certainly don't casually glance at him grasping a rattle for the first time and shrug a whatever and move on. I am amazed. However briefly. He is amazing, and it is unfair that my attention now has to be divided from him as it never had to be for his sister.

And therein lies the first installment of my re-blogging. Once a day (I will surely try).

Honest to blog, I missed you.