They Nap

 

My little guys are napping away in their room next door so I thought I'd take the opportunity to tap out a few thoughts here. It has been a solid few weeks since the boys have been sharing a room and I think they have done well at adjusting to one another. Max has been forced to quite down considerably when talking to himself in bed. And thankfully, he is such a heavy sleeper, so when Isaiah wakes up crying, I can usually rescue him before his big brother even stirs. Seriously good stuff! One thing that I so much like about this stage in life is that I can really take so much joy in the simple things. Like sleep. And the boys eating. And new words, belly laughs, Joaquin wrestling Max on the floor, and big hugs accompanied by "I wuv you, Momma." *sigh* This past week Max invited me to sit outside with him one evening. The air was perfectly cool and I had a book in hand that I set on the glass table beside me, opting to talk with my sweet boy instead. He loves it when we sit in the blue Adirondack chairs on the back patio and watch him ride with bike, wearing his "helmet-hat."  All the while he chats away starting and ending every sentence with "Momma..." And I realized that in my old age I will look back on this life stage with such fondness. I want to bottle up the way his voice sounds, and how soft those curls are atop his head, and the way he looks at me with such unfiltered love. These moments are fleeting and I feel that. There are days ahead when he will not be so easy to please, when he won't take my hand and invite me into his world. But you know? Instead of mourning what lies behind, I look forward to all those days hold. Because they too, will be precious and fleeting. God gives us just one short life. And I want to be caught living fully, drinking in the blessings of each and every day. 

Isaiah turned six months old yesterday.  Oye, what a sweetheart he is. We can't wait to see what kind of personality he has. It is so easy to bring a smile to his round face, and those deep blue-brown eyes are pools that I dive into head first. I thought that with a second baby I would be short on time or patience or whatever, to spend on this little guy. But boy was I wrong. It is easy to find time to play with a baby who laughs when you kiss him and whose entire little body springs for joy when he sees me coming for him. My task-oriented self gets pushed to the side as I think, "Eat this up while you have it. Before you know it, those baby love handles will be replaced by a lean toddler body and he won't ever sit still in your arms again." 

We are trying diligently to teach Max good manners. I feel like a broken record every day saying, "How do you ask nicely?... What do you say now?" But every now and then he surprises me. Last week I asked Max if he wanted some grapes and he quickly responded, "Ahh, no cakes (thanks) momma." Too cute. He has officially fallen in love with Sesame Street characters. Max has shown little to no interest in watching anything on tv, but in just the past couple of weeks he has been glued to the screen when I put Sesame Street on. Practically the entire show he yells the names of the characters to me. "Gro-ber, momma! Bi Bird, Momma! ELMO, Momma, ELMO!" Thankfully, this buys me time to get showered and dressed for the day. Gone are the days when I could plop him in a crib with books so I could get ready. Now Isaiah occupies that spot.

A huge factor in my life right now that makes having little ones a joy is the incredible community of friends that surround us. I am so blessed to know so many women that have kiddos our boys same age. Last Thursday I hosted a gaggle of them over at our home, and I hardly could believe my eyes as nine women and twelve kids moved in and out through our rooms. I bet this home has not seen that much action in a very long time. Oh, and speaking of this home... I so much love it. I feel like it fits us like a glove and we are just so happy to be here. Joaquin can be found lounging on the couch watching the Olympics. Max has made the back yard his sanctuary, and the 1970s style kitchen certainly is mine. The house is old-ish (built in 1965), and lived in, and has more hooks on the ceilings, walls, and hidden in cupboards then I can possibly know what to do with... But it is the perfect amount of space for us. Small and cozy and easy to keep clean. I love hanging my laundry to dry on the old-school wash line behind the garage. I even enjoy watering the roses on the side yard, and pulling out the weeds around them. We scratch our heads a bit now and then, wondering how on earth all this goodness got poured onto our laps. And all we can shout is, "Thank-you, Lord, Giver of all good gifts!" Our mortgage is being paid on our condo, and in return, we get to live an upgraded life, in a happy quiet neighborhood... with a meticulously kept up front lawn and too many sago palms to count.