Double the fun

It’s hard to believe that Brody is almost two months old. It feels like we got home from the hospital maybe three or four weeks ago. I’m so busy playing catch up each day that I turn around and another week has gone by. I have a new found respect for stay-at-home moms, and I’ve learned that ALL of the clichés are true. The ones that resonate most right now: You will be a few minutes late everywhere you go. You can’t take your eyes off your toddler for even a second. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day. Domestic engineer is by far the most challenging job I’ve ever held, but I’ve always loved to rise to the occasion. Daily life is a series of tradeoffs and mini accomplishments that are so mundane and yet, lend a surprising level of personal satisfaction. For example, take a nap…or prep dinner? And when I do pick dinner, I’m really proud of myself for actually getting hot food on the table because I’m exhausted by the end of the day. There’s rarely a single second now that’s not accounted for in some way or another. I’m extremely organized and I’m barely keeping this circus running, so how the heck do the less type-A people (who aren’t constantly concerned with being six steps ahead) do it? Don’t get me wrong though, this brink of chaos is exactly where I want to be right now. I wake up thankful each day for the opportunity to stay at home and witness every tiny milestone as my babies grow…watching Brody’s little eyelashes fill in; the sounds of each new word Riley adds to her vocabulary. I can’t believe I never knew that being a parent is such a privilege…guess that cliché is true too…you just don’t understand until you become one.

But enough about me.

As Miss Riley prepares to turn two, she is everything a toddler should be…to the extremes. She has a great sense of humor and loves to make herself and everyone else laugh. She’s quite the conversationalist and she can repeat back anything you say with very clear annunciation. Of course I’m biased, but I’m sure that her verbal skills are far superior to most of her peers. And her little voice is so sweet and adorable that before you know it, she’s charmed you into having cookies for breakfast. Some of her favorite words and phrases include:

“waan it”

“silly dada” or “funny dada”

“Bau Bau tweet” (treat)

“ooooo pretty”

“thankyouwelcome”

“laaa you” (love you)

She can name dozens of farm, underwater, domestic and jungle animals, and she understands just about everything you ask her to do. Whether or not she complies is a completely different story.

She started dance classes on Tuesday with her best friend Kerington. I was a little worried that she might have separation anxiety, as the moms wait outside and watch through a small window. Luckily, it was no issue at all, and she loved the teachers and the different activities. In addition to dancing, they had the girls walk on a balance beam…I never would’ve thought she was ready for something like that. It didn’t phase her one bit. In fact, two days later, in the parking lot, she walked over to the cement parking guide that you pull your car up to, and walked along, one foot in front of the other, copying what she’d learned earlier in the week. I really could go on about how much she amazes me, but suffice it to say, she wows me daily.

So, now, on to Mr. Brody. First of all, he’s incredibly handsome. All babies are cute…blah…blah…blah…but some are just better looking than others. I find myself saying to myself, “man, we really do make good looking babies!” He’s so sweet and snuggly and has that great baby smell all the time. When we’re walking and he’s in the front carrying backpack, I lean down again and again just to drink in that scent emanating from the top of his head. As much as I do exhaust myself trying to keep up with daily life, I’m also continually making an effort to stop and sit and snuggle him while he’s so small because I know it’s going to fly by in an instant. He’s awake and alert for longer periods of time each day, just stretching his long limbs and looking around with his big blue eyes. He smiled for the first time on Monday and it was magnificent…again, the joy in these simple things in life.

Last but not least, Bauer Bean, our fuzzy first born, continues to “adapt and overcome;” apropos military term. We celebrated his 4th birthday this week with a big dish of frozen custard and a nice, long walk. He’s weighing in at about 90lbs right now, so unfortunately, he’s going on a doggy diet. Although, we keep saying that, and we still toss pieces of chicken and steak and peanut butter sandwich his way on a regular basis. I mean, there’s got to be some consolation prize for the fact that Riley has learned how much fun it is to try to climb on him (as she yells “hiya, hiya Bau Bau”) and pull his tail.

Well, this is more time than I actually have to spare, but I hope you enjoy the updates and I will try (no promises) to get back on to blog more often.

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