Every once in a while, as a parent, you realize how fast time really goes.
This weekend was one of those times.
Audrey turned 4 years old on Friday, July 11th. Four years old. Old enough for public (pre) school. It's been four whole years since the day she came into this world. Four years since the day I fought with the nurse to send me home (probably the only woman to ever decide she was NOT having the baby today, they had to be wrong...). Four years since her daddy passed out on the delivery room floor (love ya, The Hubs!). Four years since I became a parent.
And it made me think.
There are times that you think time is dragging... When your two year old is throwing a tantrum. When you're waiting for husband to get back from a business trip so you can have a break - because you need it. Bad. But the truth is, when you look back, it seems like it went even faster then...
My baby doll is four years old. I only have 14 more years until she is grown... And won't need me anymore. Hopefully she'll still want me around (haha), but she won't need me. And I used to kid around... "Ugh! 6 months til she gets out of the terrible twos" "3 months until I can wean her"... But I've discovered I miss all those things. I miss Audrey the baby, Audrey the toddler... I LOVE Audrey the preschooler (sounds so grown-up, right?). She is the most caring, beautiful, compassionate, smart, funny child anyone could ever dream of (not that I'm biased or anything). But once those phases go away, you still grab for them... It's like trying to keep a handful of sand. You're so busy with life, that you don't realize that it's slipping through your fingers...
I don't have any regrets - besides maybe being able to stay home with my babies from the beginning. But I was lucky in that I had wonderful people caring for my kids.
I am so glad that Audrey was my baby, and is my little girl. She is now a four year old (who can read). She makes me SO proud.
Onto other updates...
JT has been talking. REALLY talking. His behavioral therapist, Amy, has started, and he is beginning to label things. We've got car and ball, and he has been saying tons of other words, although those seem to be his echolalia.
He also made huge progress last week... At Target, I was looking at something on the shelves, and all of a sudden, I hear "Ha". I turned around to see my son waving... And saying his version of HI to me. It was SO precious. We spent the next thirty minutes greeting each other - me, Audrey and JT. Audrey was just as proud as I was (see? sweetest child EVER), and he was proud of himself! Since then, he has been saying it frequently (and appropriately!).
His other favorite words are 'whoa' - as he's falling off something on purpose trying to send me into cardiac arrest... 'Whee' - for anything fun... 'Uhoh' - for obvious reasons... And he tries to count - un, doo, free, fow, fie, see, said, aye, nigh, teh! Woohoo!!!
I also got three kisses in a row yesterday!!! He pulled my face to his and kissed me, then pushed it back a little, then pulled it back, pushed it, then pulled it back again... There is nothing better than kisses from your baby. Especially when you know they don't really like it... Cause he REALLY means it...
Life is good. We're all doing SO well (knock on wood, right?).
I hope everyone else is doing well!
Lots of love!
