Spring

So I'm not as doomsdayish as I was the last time I posted, though I don't think I'll ever forget how hard that week was. It wasn't the sleep deprivation or the loneliness, it was wanting to give both of my boys undivided attention and full support. The good news is that we survived and that (at least I think) both boys still feel loved by their mama. Declan's still not napping and I'm still having a hard time directing that sloppy, physical tiredness into something productive or at least something that doesn't involve kicking me in the face or licking my arm repeatedly. Licking doesn't sound invasive, but imagine you are stuck in one place nursing and are fending off a toddler licking your arm over and over again, it's not fun.

And I'm thinking there's got to be some sort of magic transformation sometime soon because little Declan is headed to preschool. Yep, the licker, kicker, nose picker is headed to Raintree. If you are unfamiliar with Raintree, it's a Montessori school in Lawrence, KS. It has an excellent reputation, which is why I decided to send Declan there, but after my tour I'm both in awe of it and apprehensive about how Declan could possibly fit in there. The biggest shock to me was walking into a room of preschoolers and 1. not being noticed at all, 2. the room was completely quiet, and 3. seeing every single child in the room being completely focused on their individual project at that moment. Try and imagine this! Preschoolers quiet, focused, and learning. I'm not exaggerating one bit. And this is why I'm apprehensive.

Declan is my love. I adore how he sings Bob the Builder at the top of his lungs to wake us up in the morning and how he named two of his cars Bing Bong and Shling Shlong. And our new favorite activity is going on a bear hunt in the house which consists of turning on our light sabers, sneaking around corners, and then charging on the"bears" which are any of the pillows we have in the house, and stabbing and hitting them mercilessly. But not one of these things is done even remotely quietly. In fact, every conversation Rich and I have in his presence has a constant, full volume repeating sentence in the background. This child is not quiet. Ever. Except when he's asleep. But then he's snoring. So...ever. How in the world will he fit in this Utopian child learning environment? Um. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Wyatt, meanwhile, is my little smooshie sunshine. I am continually fascinated by how happy he is. He just loves to smile and giggle. He also has his dad's gift of gas (I knew there'd be at least one who got that trait). He's just started using his hands and is grabbing all his little toys. He rolls over a few times a day from tummy to back and I can see him working on his back to tummy. I think I'll have another early crawler. I was so proud of Declan, but I was hoping for a sitter this time around, especially because big brother toys are strewn everywhere. I'm going to have to quarantine this child or never, never leave him alone. Not to mention his brother's favorite game is "jumping over baby Wyatt". Oh well, all the lunging and screaming has got to burn a few calories, right? See, I'm taking Wyatt's sunshine approach. No shadows, just light.

I'm one lucky lady. I just got to look at the bright side.