Stop, Time.

It's still the beginning of April, so I can't very well post a "month-in-review" blog. I am, however, compelled to reflect on the all-too-rapid growth of my little sweet ones.

I went to drop Connor off at Mother's Day Out this morning, as I have every Tuesday since August. He handed me his backpack and juice and bounced off to join his friends, just like he always does. I watched him join right up with his little friend Keaton, the only other boy in his class, and the two of them set to work pushing little balls thru an obstacle toy, giggling every time one got away across the floor. The three girls in his class were across the room, huddled around a miniature stroller, into which they were trying to fasten a baby doll. Everyone was engaged in organized conversation and play. It dawned on me. These kids used to be babies. Last fall. Look at them now! Little people. Wow, that was fast.

In the past year, Connor has learned to socialize like a big kid, draw recognizable shapes and objects, and he's ditched the diapers (hallelujah). He's able to tell a story based on a sequence of events, and express complex thoughts and opinions. He's even trying to scrawl out letters and numbers. I sometimes miss the days when a teething toy would keep him occupied for half an hour. Still, it's so much fun to watch his personality emerge. He's really into yard tools these days. Not just his beloved lawn mowers, but leaf blowers and rakes and hoes and hedge clippers. Maybe someday he'll go into landscaping. The kid spends literally hours outside just "working on the yard," as he soberly describes it. I notice him developing empathy, as he worries about his sister when she cries (he can make her laugh again like nobody else). He can also come up with some real zinger questions. "Mommy, what's a lie? Mommy, what does hope mean?" He's so excited about his third birthday coming up. He's put in a request for a tricycle with pedals.

And at nine months, Miss Mimi is on the fast track to toddlerhood. It seems like she was just in my tummy. She watches her brother zoom around the house and I can see her yearn to chase him. Until recently, she was more than content to sit and observe the passers-by, but it's simply not enough anymore. She squirms to get off my lap, even though she can't go anywhere once she's down. She's now cruising the furniture with increasing steadiness, and grabbing at anything within her reach. She eats like a garbage disposal, anything she's offered, and she loves to cram table food into her own mouth. She's making efforts to crawl, although she can't figure out how to propel forward yet. I think she's going to be a "backward crawler" for a little while, like her brother was. If she's like him, she won't crawl long. My next project is to rearrange everything in the house that's lower than 2 feet from the floor! I love the little sounds she makes when she's content. Little singsongy, distinctly feminine gurgles. She still loves her thumb and pink bear blankie for comfort. She wore the loving out of them last week when she cut four teeth at the same time. What misery that was. Now they've all come thru, and that makes six total. It makes me nervous when I nurse her, but she hasn't nibbled me in a couple months. I'll miss her toothless smile!

Maybe the most delightful thing to watch lately is the blossoming relationship between Sister and Brother in our house. Mia's always idolized him, from the time that she could focus her eyes. Connor's usually bent on avoiding her, but increasingly, I catch the two of them actually playing together. He makes her absolutely cackle. At mealtimes, they sit across from one another and flirt. He brings her toys and even shares his own once in a while. When she wakes, he finds me to let me know, then goes to her crib to entertain her until I can get there. Once she's mobile, the two of them will be unstoppable.