Bits and Pieces

So things are really speeding up around the house. My baby is inches away from figuring out how all four limbs work in motion. My four year old wants every word he knows spelled. I seem to be in constant negotiation for quality meals, behavior, bedtime, and time, time, time.
Actually what has really happened is that the 6 new books I ordered from Amazon came in and I really wanted to read one of them. So I did, at everyone else's expense. I also have spent a great deal of time on Facebook lately. It's addicting. So between my two pet loves (an old one, reading and a new one, facebook) everyone has been getting the shaft from me. This is irresponsible on my account since the baby is interested in power outlets and seems to find all the uncovered ones in the house and the four year old is leaping off of the tallest things he can find and my husband keeps coming home later and later from work. I happen to know he's going from meeting to meeting--bless his heart, he'd rather be going from green to green. It stays light here so long he can actually get 18 in before dark.
I think if I survive boyhood around here, I could start a new career as an ER trauma nurse. I've pulled grass, leaves, mulch, and a batman head out of the baby's mouth. I've kissed, poured peroxide, bandaged and magicked away pain on two skinned knees, one skinned elbow, and a head injury from a fall off the jungle gym. Our foundation is permanently rocked from all the jumping off the bed. The DVD player is about to explode from the repeat episodes of Clifford I play each day in vain attempts to get my four year to just lie down and rest for a bit.
If I consume much more caffeine, I may never stop shaking. But I don't know how else to keep up. If I have to explain to my oldest why I don't stand up to pee one more time, I'll probably take to carrying a flask with me when we go out, so that every time this question comes up loudly in a public restroom, I can just take a pull on the whiskey when we get to the car. The other day he comes to ask me, "Mom can we discuss sumpin'?" I almost fell out. All I could think of was "please don't let this be about where babies come from. I just can't today." It turns out, he wanted to remind me, "can we discuss my having a tractor cookie now?" I had told him earlier at the pool we could discuss having a tractor cookie (leftover from the birthday goody bags) for snack later that afternoon. I didn't know children had the memory of an elephant. So he got a tractor cookie and I opened a beer. It was 4pm, that's okay isn't it?
It's a good thing I was a spelling bee champion all of my elementary school life, because I have to spell words all day long. "Mom how do you spell firehouse? rooster? rock? Babysitter? Superhero? Playhouse? Poopoohead? Sword? Gun? Policeman?" And on and on and on.
Meanwhile the baby just sits back and laughs and throws things on the floor. It's our new game. "no, no baby don't do that. No no." Angelic grin, bark of laughter, and another cheerio hits the floor. He's also taken to clamping down on the spoon when I feed him anything. Ah, another fun game of "give to mommy sweetheart."
The sweetest parts of my day are between 710 pm and 900pm, because I'm holding one of them. Smoothing that sweet stick out all over hair and thanking God for the miracle I have in my arms. God's gifts have a funny way of kicking my ass, but they are gifts just the same. Tonight I rocked my baby to sleep, something I almost never do. He puts himself to sleep so well. I've trained him almost by default because my attention is always so divided during bedtime. It was such a precious precious moment. I stroked his face and even with his eyes closed, he just smiled. I laid him down and he rolled over into his lovies (one for each hand) and went off to sleep. Last night I put the oldest to bed, something I haven't done in a while as he usually prefers his father to me. "Mommy will you lay with me a minute?" Twenty minutes later, feeling unusually full of grace, I gently detatched myself from his hand--he'd been holding on for dear life, unwrapped his arm from around my neck, and left him in dreamland. We play hard, but we sleep harder around here.
So, now you know why I haven't updated my blog in several days. I've been blown away by life in action. It's never a dull moment around here.