Thursday, May 29, 2014

I'll see you in the oatmeal

I always say goodnight to my kids like this: "Goodnight, I love you, I'll see you in the morning". The "morning" part was obviously a joke for many months, we all knew I'd be seeing them multiple times before morning. When L finally started talking, he liked to jump in and sing-song the "mor...ning" part. One night I was telling him how I'd see him when he woke up and we'd go downstairs and eat oatmeal (which he demands immediately upon arising every morning). So when I said goodnight to him, he substituted "oatmeal" for "morning". (Well, actually he says "annam", which is his own made-up word for "oatmeal") And now that's our thing.

Its been our thing for at least a few months now but I'm sure the days are numbered. In fact, he already switched from "annam" to "oa-mee" and now to perfectly enunciated "oat-meal".

I miss "annam".

I've been struck lately by how fleeting it all is, how impermanent. As much as I look forward to seeing what new and amazing thing is next, I can't help feel a bit wistful for what is already behind us. All the little jokes and rituals---they come and go so quickly that I sometimes never get a chance to savor the sweetness.

Lately I really feel like time is speeding up. Wasn't it just winter? I remember counting down for spring, checking the weather report every day for warmer temperatures and a minute each day of more sunlight. And now spring is more than halfway over? Summer will come and go. L will turn three this fall. THREE. Not a baby anymore at three.

B is four and a half. We have a year and a half before kindergarten. That sounds like a lot, but I know its not. And I've heard it over and over from friends and colleagues that things get infinitely more complicated when you have a kid in school. Our leisurely mornings and unplanned evenings are not going to last forever. Weekends where the kids want to be with us and only us, also limited.

I say this again and again, but I really want to step back from the busyness and enjoy our summer. G and I talked a couple of weeks ago about moving a lot of our weekend chores to the weeknights. Instead of the two of us watching TV while the kids slept, we could get our stuff done and have a chance to relax or have adventures all together on the weekends. I'd like to start implementing that this weekend, its supposed to be a lovely one. We also discussed making a summer fun list---I was shocked that G actually suggested this, its not his way to plan things or to even be excited about any family activities---and I'm going to start on that tonight.

And its not just about the kids. Maybe it came from having another birthday (I'm 38 + 3 days old now, will tell the tale of the horrible birthday another time), but I feel like I've entered another stage in life and I'm ready to embrace it. I want to spend my time and energy a lot more intentionally because I know its not infinite. More on that to come, but I definitely know what I want to weed out of my life, and am considering what (if anything) I want to add in.

I've got about 10 posts lined up, and I'm planning to write a lot more regularly over the next few weeks. So I'll see you all in the...

10 comments:

  1. ...internet?

    Anecdote: This past week, my daughter has been saying, "[Her adorably mangled name] nah baby! Nah Baby! [Adorably mangled name] GURL." Usually she says it after I've called her my baby and she's correcting me. She must have picked that up at daycare. She's also taken to calling her big brother, "boy" (instead of "bruu-er" or his name).

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  2. You're back! Yay! If time is moving too fast away from the baby stage, you could always have another baby :) ha ha.

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    1. I had a *nightmare* about that the night before last.

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  3. It is so fleeting, and I know it's cliche but damn they grow up fast.

    I haven't been writing down the things Osita says in her own special way. She's always been really verbal and she doesn't mess things up much but when she does I love it. One of her few "Osita-ism" is "But ____ will feel me better." I love that saying. I have to write it down.

    Monito has started shaking his head vigorously and I wonder, is he trying to express "no"? It seems like maybe he is but I'm not sure. His face is so solemn when he does it. I'm not ready for him to be trying to communicate anything yet. I just want the sack-of-potato weight of him sleeping on my chest.

    Osita will be in K in a year and half too. Terrifying.

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  4. Happy birthday! I love how my kids day things, too. J still can't say th, and says nothing so it rhymes with muffin. C's new thing is NoDonTOUCH! Which, apparently, I say to her a lot.

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    1. Yeah, L says everything in his own way, but there are very few words B gets wrong and I LOVE them, like "rappost to" instead of "supposed to".

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  5. i tried like 50 times to post a comment from work but my computer hates your blog! anyway was going to say i am excited for the upcoming posts. and, that i need to take more videos. photos just don't capture those words/moments well enough.

    annabel's favorite phrase right now is "that's so nice!". i love it.

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  6. Happy birthday! Would love to hear more often from you.

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  7. Please post your summer fun list!!

    I feel like we're getting reimbursed for the horrible winter with a beautiful protracted spring. I hope you guys were able to make the most of it!

    I hear you on how fleeting things are. Dyl went from saying, "It's mine's, mommy. Go get your own's," to saying it correctly overnight. Fortunately, she still says, "Broceebee," for broccoli and refers to herself as Dilly-pickle.

    It's not too late, Ana. LV is right, you could still have a third one....

    ;-)

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  8. It's so crazy how fast they grow up! Our first son called milk "moke" and I miss it! I try to write these things down, but so hard to keep up!

    Would love to hear your summer fun list!

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