Bittersweet

Today marks Hunter's 10-month birthday. Wow. He's quickly heading toward "toddler-dom" and away from "baby-dom". As if the days and months, as well as Hunter's physical and developmental progress weren't enough to remind us of the passage of time, the baby stuff itself has chimed in. 


The family room now resembles life before Hunter (with the exception of a few new toys); no more do we have the pack-n-play set-up, sticking out of an odd corner and collecting random baby toys. The exersaucer and swing are gone, too, freeing up space in the living room and dining room (respectively), and no longer tempting little girls who wish to revisit their infancy. 


I confess that I'm happy to see these large items gone, simply because I don't like clutter. But saying good-bye is sad, too, for I know that their departure heralds the departure of a time in our lives, too. While Hunter is still a baby, he isn't so little anymore. Each day is one day closer to him being a toddler.. and then a little boy. How quickly the time passes (how cliche!); the physical reminders (or lack thereof) laugh in my face of moments not-so-long-ago, or perhaps they whisper "don't put us away, not yet".  Either way, their absence is bittersweet, a sign that time doesn't stand still, so we must treasure these moments while we can.

 Sit in the crib for the photo? Uh, think again!

 Leah wanted to commemorate Hunter's 10-month birthday, too. They're both waving to the camera.

Hunter LOVES grabbing this throw from the back of the recliner.

You're Not Gonna Believe This...

Well, some of you won't believe this. Others, who don't know me as well, won't understand the issue here:

The kids and I left town today. As in, we left our nice little area of suburbia and headed north to Mt. Vernon.

Shocker, I know. It wasn't my idea though. Mel (my baby sis) wanted to take her girls (Alyssa & Kenzie) up to see the shuttle circling DC, so the kids and I accompanied her. (Good thing she mentioned this since I, who-never-gets-to-watch-the-news-and-so-is-the-most-uninformed-person-in-this-area, had no idea this was going to take place.) 

We thought we had planned our trip (and timing) perfectly. We left my house just after 9, and headed north. As we were slowly making our way up Route 1, the shuttle made its way overhead. Mel and I quickly pulled over, hoping we could get the kids out in time to witness the event. Not sure if Leah actually saw the shuttle; I pointed, but I think she was looking in another direction. (Though, when I asked if she had seen it, she replied "uh-huh.") 

We filed back into our vehicles and proceeded to our destination, a park off the George Washington Memorial Parkway. It was packed! (Guess we weren't the only ones out and about.) And... we just managed to miss the shuttle flying over the Potomac. *sigh* 

So much for taking pics of the shuttle. Good thing the kids didn't disappoint! (Though I realized after uploading these that Alyssa is mysteriously absent from them, even though she was always right there.)

 Leah was the only one of the three girls who wanted to hold the ladybug (one of three!) we found. She loved letting it "tickle" her fingers. 

 Well, at least Kenzie is looking at the camera!

 He might not look too happy, but Hunter LOVED being outside, especially since he could watch his sis, his cousins, and Diesel (my sister's Great Dane). 

 If we had let him, he probably would have tried EVERYONE'S lunch. He certainly tried wearing it all.

Kenzie's intense focus on the box of animal crackers made me laugh.

Learning Curve

Already I've noticed some differences between boys and girls (developmentally, duh). I certainly hadn't expected these differences to manifest themselves so early on; after all, Hunter's not even a year yet. No matter. He's quickly schooling us in the joys of having a boy.

A friend who also has two kids (one of each, daughter first, like us) recently told me that having the girl first does nothing to prepare you for having a boy. Actually, maybe having a girl first is a bit of a disservice; you're lulled into thinking "I can do this parenting thing; I don't understand why so many other parents (those with boys) are always so tired." And then you have a boy who totally upends that thinking.

What we've learned so far (yes, these might just reflect personality differences, but we attribute them to gender):

  -Leah: Would stay in one room as a baby, even after she started crawling.

  -Hunter: Check ya later! I'm heading to ... (bathroom, office, living room, stairs)

  -Leah: Pulled on the locked cabinets a couple times, and then moved on.

  -Hunter: I KNOW these open. If I just keep trying...

  -Leah: Baby proof? Uh, sure we did. Minimally.

  -Hunter: Gives a whole new meaning to babyproof. Hmmm, what will he get into/ explore next? 

  -Leah: When she expressed an interest in the stairs, Scott helped her climb them, thinking (correctly) that if it wore her out, she wouldn't bother with them again. (Thus we didn't need a gate at the bottom of the stairs.)

  -Hunter: I might be tired (when I reach the top), but I want to do that again... and again... and again. (We now keep the doors to the kitchen closed since little man will make a break for the stairs whenever he gets a chance. Upstairs is no different, either; looks like we'll have to put a gate up after all. Otherwise, Hunter will try to crawl headfirst down the stairs!)

Needless to say, at times it seems as if we're learning how to parent all over again. I certainly better understand where some of my girlfriends (of boys) were coming from when they advised me to move certain breakables out of Leah's reach. I scoffed at the time since Leah really wasn't that interested (or she learned quickly not to mess with them); I doubt that Hunter will be so compliant. No, I can picture him just grinning, and going back for more.