Naptime Monologues: April 2013

I suck at this blog thing...I have good reason, though, and I'm not apologizing. Up until X-man's 5th birthday on October 27th, I at least did a good job of getting birthday blogs posted within a few days of their birthdays, but I have certainly faltered this time. So...I WILL get this thing written even if I have to do it a bit at a time. Squeaky D has finally nearly perfected his sitting up technique over the last few days (see? I wrote this forever ago...the dude is crawling and now wants to walk in the worst way) and is delighted to be able to sit and entertain himself for a bit here and there which has made my life infinitely easier! So, my sweet 5 (and a half) year old...here's your very belated birthday post!

It's been another big year...lots of growing has been done, another baby brother has been added to our family and I continue to mesmerize at the boy you have become. Let's talk about the growing. At your 4 year appointment you measured in at a very tall 43 1/2 inches, which is the 95th percentile! I thought that was amazing until your 5 year appointment where you measured in at 47 1/2 inches, which is the 97th percentile...4 inches in a year! You are now in size 6/7 clothing and it seems as soon as something fits you perfectly, you hit another growth spurt, marked by a bottomless stomach and heavy sleeping, and then I'm left trying to figure out what I can dress you in...and where my baby went. :(

The year of silly faces...

Would you just smile for me, boy? :)

Seriously??? *melt*

But, it seems we have found a way to keep that fleeting infancy stage fresh in our minds...keep having babies! :) Squeaky D arrived on July 31st after another long pregnancy and your brotherly skills have continued to excel. Leading up to his birth you were also an excellent mommy care-taker. Thank you for that! I often had your little sister on one hip and a giant belly pushed to the other hip, so you were the best of helpers when I dropped my keys on the ground for the 87th time in a day, scooping them up almost willingly, with only a barely perceived eye roll. You also took great interest in all things pregnancy and we talked about, read about and watched lots of videos about the subject...all of which absolutely fascinated you. There were many questions, but my favorite was not, "how does the baby GET in your tummy," but, "mom, how do you STOP having babies?" You have really taken this big brother business in stride, but it became apparent during this last pregnancy that you are beginning to feel a little crowded. You have expressed concern that we may run out of room in our house if this baby-having routine continues. It's OK, buddy, we have the same concerns. :)

A natural...

Sharing HIS box! :)

Showing baby brother all of his new birthday toys...

Trying to calm him down...can you see him saying, "SHHHH"?

Your Big Brother skills are stellar. You are (mostly) so kind and nurturing to all of them, but you and Gokey have certainly learned to battle in the last year and a half. There are days when all the two of you do is fight, but when it comes right down to it, that little brother of yours is your best buddy. Recently, the two of you were jumping on the couch in the basement when you lost your balance, falling into Gokey, causing him to crash to the floor. It was immediately apparent that something was wrong with his arm. He screamed in pain and said he couldn't move it. As I tried to figure out if it was broken or just sprained and was asking him questions, you were just standing by, seemingly unconcerned. But then I mentioned the hospital and that he might need x-rays and suddenly you were a puddle of tears and between sobs you cried, "I just hate that this is happening to him because he is my best buddy and I love him so much!" To which Gokey began to sob, "your my best brother!" and I sat between you both trying to console each of you, when truthfully, the moment was so sweet I was unable to stifle my own tears.

Helping with the grocery list!

At four years of age, I wrote that we were bombarded with, "what does this do?" and "what does that mean?" This year has definitely been the year of "WHY?" You question EVERYTHING...even the most mundane of things. A short drive to school in the morning, which happens every day, will contain 40,000 questions about why that bird flew in front of the van, why those cars are speeding, why the police officer didn't catch them, why there are white lines on the road, why that house is painted green...those are all reasonable questions from a 5 year old. But then we come to the more complex questions...why does Jupiter have a storm that never goes away, why is Venus hotter than Mercury if Mercury is closer to the sun, what is DNA??? You have made me WORK! :) I often wonder how I ever would have survived you without the internet. Google and Youtube are visited daily in order to satisfy your unending desire for knowledge and then you back it up by absorbing it all...nothing gets by you. At a recent parent-teacher conference, your teachers both expressed that they had learned more about space and black holes this year from you than they had learned in their lifetimes. Mrs. Castello also said that she has learned to never make you line leader if the walk that day is going to be a long one because the incessant questions that fill that time leave her exhausted by your destination. My brilliant boy...you will be starting Kindergarten in the fall and that terrifies me. That milestone seemed SO very distant when I held you in my arms for the very first time, yet here we are...in a blink! Another blink or two and I will be sending you off to college or watching you board a space shuttle on your very first mission. I will be proud of you then, but none of it will surprise me...you are one fabulous kid and I am so proud of who you are already. Let's slow down and take our time, OK? Happy 1/2 Birthday, baby!