Two Years Old and thoughts

It is amazing how different "two" can look amongst children. I only say this b/c Lauren is such a different two year old than Hadley. Tonight she put on her pajama bottoms all by herself! She is such an independent little spirit and always insists on doing things 'self'. She can ride Vincent's tricycle - a skill Hadley was uninterested in learning until she was almost five. In the same ways Vincent takes after or looks to Hadley's example, Lauren does the same with Vincent. They are much more alike - except for tonight when I came downstairs and saw the girls both sitting with open library books on their laps. Vincent has NEVER looked through a book by himself. There again, Hadley at age two was well-versed and read books to herself all the time while Lauren is just becoming interested in them.

Ask more than just me but it feels like Lauren has been with us forever. There is no way she has only been here for two years, most of which she was just a baby. I don't know why this is. I have caught myself checking, double-checking my math and her birth date. It is amazing.

Every day I am amazed by the new skills they all acquire. I can't believe that I have two children who can dress themselves (for the most part). Maybe I never thought the day would come or I thought I'd always be dressing four kids but it doesn't happen like that. Someday we'll say goodbye to all diapers for good. Someday every one of them will dress themselves. And you know what . . . I think it'll be okay b/c then I know we'll be on to new and better things and doing more stuff.

"I have only known her for two years. But if you took every memory, every moment, if you stretched them end to end--they'd reach forever."
Jodi Picoult -My Sister's Keeper

This phrase struck me after Lauren's 2nd birthday this past week and thinking about all the memories of all of my children. As a mother, the memories of every moment are indelible.

Sick Days

Having sick kids is never a picnic. While some kids seem to handle illness better than others there is usually a little silver-lining: cuddling. Oh and letting them watch as much television as they want guilt-free - that is, I don't feel guilty. I love that since my kids are still all so young when one, or two, or three, or all of them are sick, I try to throw out all other considerations. We hunker down for sick-fest: blankets and pillows on the couch, television, movies, whatever you want to eat, whenever (within reason). Of course it makes it much easier if a)there isn't an infant/baby who depends on you for pure sustenance and b) for everyone to be sick together or at the same level (rare). As frustrating as it can be, sometimes it is nice to have no better excuse to let bedtime rituals/routines fall by the wayside than they are sick - nothing else.

Now sick kids during the middle of the night? Whole other story.