Not long ago, I stumbled across a link to this old blog of mine. As I began to read through the entries, I laughed so hard at my stories of early motherhood that tears came pouring out. It was not long before these sounds attracted the attention of my offspring. G learned what I was reading and nuzzled in close, and soon began laughing along with me. "Wow, Mama." she said. "You sound really tired in these." In truth, I was so tired during this period of life, but reading through the blog posts was such a blessing. Each entry was a small gift, waiting to be unwrapped by me and my children. It made me realize that of all the memories I could leave my children, these posts were some of the most priceless.
I stopped writing as life became busier and busier. I was a working mom of four small children, with a husband that worked alternate and opposite shifts. I had begun a second part-time position teaching in an early childhood classroom and worked more than full-time hours. Something had to give and writing a blog about my life was no longer the priority it had once been. Since my last post, life has gone on much the same and also none of the same. The children keep growing. G is now a teenager and in just a few short weeks, S will be one as well. C is not the cantankerous preschooler, but rather a fiercely independent and stubborn pre-teen. N is not a baby, but a vibrant second grader. Our family has lived through a pandemic (and continues to juggle this new reality).
G began high school and thrives as she carries out her passion for writing. She is still the same articulate, opinionated, intelligent, introverted, and assertive person she always was, only now she no longer wants to be a cat when she grows up. We've been talking about where she might want to attend college. This is hard on my mama heart.
I homeschooled the younger children during 2020, so S missed his first year of sixth grade. I was a bundle of nerves at the thought of my sweet, friendly, and absent-minded little man wandering the halls of seventh grade, but this little man is not so little anymore. At nearly five feet and nine inches tall, he towers above me and his older sister. As much as he's grown physically, he's also grown mentally. Not only has he succeeded in middle school, he's totally rocked it. He recently made the basketball team (one of the few places where he doesn't tower over everyone). His teachers are so pleased with his transition to middle school that he may no longer need his IEP or Autism support services. I didn't know if this day would ever come, let alone arrive so soon.
C continues to be the do-it-myself person he always was. One of his favorite past-times is creating dishes in the kitchen and I've never seen a 10-year old boy so enraptured by the Pioneer Woman. He's one of the most accepting children I've ever met - of himself and of others. He wears his hair long, sports nail polish as he pleases, plays basketball with his older brother, and then turns around and plays Barbies with his younger sister. He has an uncanny ability to turn any negative comment around into a humbling moment for the injuring party. "Can I help?" is still one of his most-uttered phrases. Cross him though and you'll still see that stubborn side. He sets his mind and never budges, both an endearing and frustrating quality.
N is not the tempestuous toddler from when we last met. All of those strong emotions channeled themselves into an empathetic and compassionate older child. N is a friend to everyone she meets. She loves without questioning, trusts without judgment. She's also still quite the artist, although is no longer using my walls and curtains as her canvas. N is gentle and kind, but ever so sensitive. Like her father, she shows her love through gifts. It's not uncommon to find out that a misplaced toy or item has actually been given away as a token of her affection.
Randy still has the unaccommodating schedule of any meteorologist, but he mostly works during daylight. Having older children means that the tag-team approach to parenting is no longer as necessary. While he occasionally still laments missing out on family time on the weekend, he's awake when we are and we're all that much better for it.
And I, well I've been on a bit of a journey myself. I obtained my Child Development Associate a few years ago and then enrolled in an early childhood certificate program which I continue to chip away at slowly but surely. I left the corporate world this year and settled into a new full-time position as an early childhood educator working with infants and toddlers. It's not a financially prudent career move, but one that brings me joy each and every day. I may no longer have toddlers running amok in my own house, but I still get to wipe those noses, diapers those bums, calm those tantrums, and rock sleepy little ones as they drift off to sleep.
So dear friends and families, will you join us again as I document the special moments that I want to preserve for my children? I cannot promise our story will be as entertaining as it was when they were so very little, but with teenagers in the house, it's sure to be interesting.
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