Ordinary Miracles

I have a friend in Texas who is somehow knowledgeable about almost everything mommy-related. Seriously, she is a great source on everything from early ear infection detection to how to properly sanitize the laundry. And she's sweet about it, too.

So at Christmas when she commented, "Hun, I think the boys may have outgrown their car seats," I took a long look. And indeed, WB had his knees next to his nose, and SK's head was about six inches above the head rest. Who knew they would grow?

Today was graduation day. We bought SK a new booster seat, and WB moved up into his big brother's forward-facing car seat. The infant car seat expires this year--did you know they have expiration dates? The plastic gets brittle over time. Ask KiSA about it; he'll explain it to you in detail--so it is officially retired.

It was sentimental for all of us. Well, except WB. He was very tired from a big day. SK was misty-eyed about not sitting in his seat any more. But he was relieved that it was just moving over, and not going away completely. He decided it would be okay to give it to his little brother, since he got bigger and all. We marveled at how little WB looked in that big boy car seat.

We also had to pick up some new shoes. WB got his first pair of tennis shoes, or "go-fasters." SK got some sandals and tennis shoes--size ELEVEN. How fast they grow. How unbelievably, breathtakingly, stunningly fast.

WB got his eighth tooth on Friday. Now he has four on the top, and four on the bottom.

"My, what nice teeth you have!" I told him.
"All the better to gnaw on your arm with, Mother," he replied. "And the grocery shopping cart, and the armrest on my car seat, and the edge of the recliner, and the pacifier neither of us ever used."

It's like having a Labrador puppy all over again.

I love nap time. WB has gone to one nap a day, which means that he and SK are finally-FINALLY-napping at the same time.

We lunch, we read, then me and SK give hugkisses. I turn on the quiet music and the white noise machine. He complains about being left alone, I promise to return, and then I take WB into the living room.

After 20 minutes or so, I return to their room to lay the milk-drunk toddler in his bed. I cover him with a quilt made by his great-grandmimiglo, and he clutches his lovey and sucks his thumb for a moment. Then, he breaths a deep sigh of contentment, and the wrinkled thumb slides out of his mouth.

SK is pretending to be asleep, so I sit on the edge of his bed. He reaches out his hand, which I take. I tuck an elephant puppet under his arm, pull the quilt up under his chin, and wait. Soon, his hand goes limp, and his breathing slows.

I do a silent happy dance, then tiptoe out of the room, trying to avoid the squeaky board in the floor. Even though I am tired, I don't want to miss this quiet time to myself. It is so thick around me that I can almost taste it's richness. Silence.

We received a highly anticipated call this weekend--from SuperKid's T-ball coach. His team is going to be the "Tornadoes," an appropriate name if I've ever heard one.

He and ten other four year-olds will be reporting to their first practice this Friday evening. Their shirts will be purple. At this point, I think we are more excited about it than he is, mostly because we know how much fun it is to be a part of a team. He is a little nervous about not doing well, I think.

The coach repeatedly emphasized his desire that this be a fun, skill-building experience. I think it's going to be great.

WonderBoy wants to be a chatterbox. Lately, he's been puttering around the house and babbling, "diddle-diddle-diddle-diddle." It's his version of "doo-dee-doo," what he says when he's busy and happy.

I joke with him and say the old nursery rhyme: "Hey diddle-diddle/the cat in the fiddle/the cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed/just to see such a sight/and the dish ran away with the spoon."

Both kids just stare at me as if I've gone bonkers. "What are you saying Mom?" asks SuperKid. I admit that I have no clue what it means, it's just funny.

Moms can be weird.

WonderBoy's nose is flowing again. He has had a cold about every other week since winter began. It's McDonald's fault; I'm almost sure of it.

I don't care that they post a "sanitized by ______" sign at the entrance to the playground. There is no way that structure isn't the world's biggest hotbed of communicable diseases. Of course, we could just avoid it, but several moms go there after Bible Study each week. It's my only time with my friends, which would be a hard thing to miss. Then there's the grocery carts and church nursery--can't avoid it all!

I shudder to think how ill he would be were we not breastfeeding. I have renewed my commitment to good hand washing practices, which proves to be a big challenge with a 14-month old. I know, I know, this is all a part of building a strong immune system, it's not dangerous, etc., etc.

I spotted a travel size package of Lysol's Anywhere wipes in a friends diaper bag some time ago. I've been looking for it since and having no luck. Does anyone know where I can find them?