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Despite all those slow, peaceful, sleepy moments that come with having a newborn and being able to nap during the weekends, life has been coming at us quickly since you arrived, Julia. It's hard to keep track of all that we do: little things like Mommy/Daddy/Aidan dance parties evaporate into the ether, but will never be completely gone. Big things like first trips to Target or the Zoo or the Museum are eternal while we experience them, but recorded to nostalgia as soon as their over. It's hard to keep up with every detail; and I definitely try to. But, there's something so nice about losing a few details and, instead, being covered and warmed by a quilt made up of all these day-to-day experiences. Every little victory over an upset gassy baby, and every little defeat like being told "no" and "leave" by a cranky two-year old meld together into one big blanket. And, all-in-all, the patchwork is working well.
Here are some patches I remember.
Julia, you're growing bigger every day. You also sleep alot. These two are definitely related.
You sleep while wrapped to Daddy.
You sleep while wrapped to Mommy.
You sleep at the Grocery Store, you sleep at a family-fun trip to the mall.
But this is very, very good. The more you sleep, the more you grow!
You used to be a teeny weeny handful.
And now, a few weeks later, you're a bit bigger of a teeny weeny handful:
You're a month old already, and getting stronger, cuter, and more alert every day (that is to say, when you are awake, you're more alert!).
While your brother really wanted nothing to do with a pacifier, you, young lady, are loving yours. Giving it to you was not a decision that came lightly. Quitting a passy can be a tough thing for a kiddo. But, from the number of times you were just needing to suckle for comfort and not food, your Mom knew that you might need some additional comfort away from her breast. So, we experimented with a passy...and immediately, so much of your night time fussiness (oh yeah, did I mention there was night time discomfort and fussiness? no? well, there was) instantly went away. You just needed some additional comfort. And it didn't take long for everyone in the house to learn that!
(Don't worry, I'm wearing shorts. I promise).
Aidan, you're continuing to grow to. And sometimes growing up is hard to do; sometimes you get frustrated and terribly upset, like when the carousel ride at the zoo was over. But, that's understandable: the carousel was incredibly fun. It was amazing to watch the pure sense of wonder on your face when the carousel started for the first time.
It was less fun to deal with the aftermath, but deal with it we did. And that in itself was amazing. You and me (and Pops) worked together to get over the 'end' of the ride and we went on to have a really rewarding and fun day at the zoo together.
It's little victories over adversity like that that amaze me about the toddler experience. You're able to fall down, get hurt, but get back up and keep on playing. And, with you Aidan, the victories far outweigh anything else.
Lately, you've been really amazing us with your brothering skills. You tell lots of people about your sister, Julia, and you love to kiss her and hug on her.
You are getting protective over her as well, and start to get concerned when she's upset.
One day I came home from work while Mommy was cooking a delicious dinner. Right as I got in, Julia was starting to get fussy. While I was putting my stuff down and taking my jacket off, she began to cry. Okay, okay, she began to CRY LOUDLY! You got concerned and came over to tell me what to do.
"Green Daddy, Green!"
Me, being dense, didn't get it.
You, being clever and patient showed me. You went and grabbed her pacifier (which, cleverly, you called "Green" (this is something you do when you don't know an object's name...you simply refer to it's color...for instance...the carousel you wanted to ride was "Pink! Yellow! Pink!")). So you grabbed her pacifier, handed it to me and went to Julia.
"Green, Julia, Eat it! Eat it, Green, Julia!"
Moments like this really make you feel like your doing something right as a parent. You were concerned for your sister; and you knew how to make her feel better.
Days later you'd removed me from the equation altogether...trying to push the pacifier in her mouth yourself. We're working on that one.
Your cleverness and imagination never cease to amaze me. Whether you're turning into a kitty to get away from a fee-fi-fo-fumming giant, or turning into a monster or a witch simply by putting a marker cap on a pinky finger, you're always using your imagination. (and cracking us up)
One day I asked you what a plane does. "Zoooom...up high!" Was your answer!
And recently you've improved the alphabet to be more in line with your interests. "T,U,V" has been completely replaced by "DVD."
Life comes at you quick, especially when you have two children, two loving doglets and a beautiful wife in the home (and don't forget about grandparents, aunts, uncles, birthdays, cousins, new babies and impending holidays), but at the end of the day, the really important things have a way of sticking around, and the rest just make you feel nice and warm.
And with winter settling upon us now, it's a great feeling to always be nice and warm at home with your mother, and with both of you.
I love you both to a million, billion, trillion pieces and I can't wait to see you tonight.
