June 2011 At A Glance

After a crazy busy summer, which flew by too fast to keep up with, several people asked me when I would start writing again, as they missed my posts.  What a compliment.  Thank you.

Since my first pregnancy, my number of brain cells has been significantly reduced.  Both children confiscated them while in utero and there is absolutely no chance that I will ever regenerate these cells or somehow get them back.  I comfort myself with the notion that it just means that my kids will be smart.  Due to my reduced brain capacity, I had to rely (heavily) on my Facebook posts and photo collections of the past several months to recall what all had been going on between my return from Europe and this moment, here in November.

But…long live technology:

In April Kai really started putting letters together to spell words.  The dishwasher was the place of amazement (for David and me). Walking into the kitchen and discovering words that he had put together with the magnets – awesome.  Then looking at each other, wondering if the other had helped.  Simultaneously shaking our heads “no” and raising our eyebrows.  Really?

Over time, Kai’s passion for letters and all that they can create has reached impressive heights. One night in April, I tucked him in and he asked me to “do the alphabet” with him (again).  However, he started at “Z” and continued to recite the alphabet backwards.  In the dark.  No book, no cheat sheet.  Nothing.  I got him to do it again and was able to record it.  Now if I can only figure out how to upload an iPhone voice recording file…

This summer, the most asked question was “How do you spell ……..”.  In addition to that, precious moments of silence quickly got filled with “A” is for “Appetite” (this says enough I would think), “K” is for “Kai”, “M” is for “Mommy”, “P” is for “Papa”, “R” is for “Ryder” and other letters, linked to food wherever possible.

The boys spent a large part of the summer determining what toy belonged to who, and of course the battle for the toy that the other one was playing with at any given moment, was an ongoing one.  One that drove Mommy up the wall at times.  Though I now truly understand why parents to two kids the same gender, buy 2 of each toy, I still refuse to do that.  Though I understand.  I do.  I truly do.

You know how some moments are engraved in your memory and you will remember them forever?  On June 17, I posted on Facebook: “This moment, right here and now, marks the first period longer than 1 min. this afternoon that my 2 boys are NOT trying to kill each other. Lovely.”  I remember that moment.  And it was lovely.  I don’t remember how long it lasted, but I know that it lasted for a little more than a minute and it truly was one of those moments that stuck. 

Ryder spent the month of June eating.  Eating and eating.  Everything.  Ryder loved it.  Mommy loved it.  Whatever I made, it went in with grins and lots of enthusiasm.  He was such a grateful person to cook for.  Long may this last…is what I thought.

All this enjoyment of culinary exploration, helped him manage to remain in the 100^th percentile for both weight and height.  At 15-1/2 months he weighted 32lbs.10oz. and he measured 35.5” long.  Yep.  Big baby.

For the boys, June was spent playing outside, getting dirty and well…being boys.  As soon as these two went outside, I would fill up the bath, and take the towels and a set of clean clothes out.  A few hours later, the bath tub would look like this (yes that is dirt at the bottom of the tub):

For Mommy, June was filled with surprises.  Romance was in the air, proven by David coming home one evening with a dozen roses.  For no other reason that he loved me.  How wonderful is that?  After almost 8 years of marriage, he still manages to surprise me.  And I AM LOVING IT!!!