altarflame | Geez, man, what a day!

Ananda is sick, Isaac is potty training and I'm trying to be really extra good to Aaron after a huge emotional vent last night (to Grant) about guilt I have that he always gets the least of me. Throughout all of this, I've mostly been wearing Jake. I am so beyond beat.

But, they have all been pretty good, and are sleeping now, and I feel I have to share how BIG all of my kids are getting. They're changing so fast...

It's been a long time since I sorted socks. A really long time. Even when all the other clothes are put away, socks sit in baskets in the laundry room. We don't even use them; aside from Grant working or special occassions, all of us live in sandals of some kind or Robeez. We buy socks in the winter. But I did it, over the course of an entire week. SOooooooo many socks. And...all the ones I thought were Jake's, don't fit Jake anymore. All the ones I thought were Isaac's fit Jake. All the ones I thought were Annie or Aaron's, fit Isaac. And I honestly have to squint and concentrate, to tell Ananda and Aaron's from MINE.

Jake - you all remember Jake, right? The big announcement that I was pregnant, all that tentative VBAC planning followed by Birthing From Within drawings and midwife appointments and belly shots. The crazy birth and c/s story, the NICU stay...JAKE IS SEVEN MONTHS OLD.

I don't know what to say to convey how big that is to me. I cannot believe that my fourth child, my little baby, the newborn, "Jacob Luke" - is 7 months old. And, not a little 7 months old, either. He has 6 teeth out right in the front, and more coming in, in the back. He crawls back and forth between the couches, pulling up to stand and look around, plopping back down to sitting, and going to the other one to pull up. He crawls all over the place now. He comes into the kitchen and sits at my feet when I'm doing dishes. He goes down the step to the dining room. He crawls all the way down the hallway, pulls up on the kids' storage bins and digs through their car drawer. He's noticed the cat this week, and is suddenly transfixed anytime he's nearby. He chases him around the house - granted, this is only with Sebastion's tolerating him, because he really isn't fast enough that it would work if S didn't humor him.

I don't know how I would cope, seeings how he doesn't even comfort nurse AT ALL, if he wasn't so affectionate and peacefeul. But he loves to be worn, and cries just for company, and sleeps with me, so I'm not having a panic attack. Sweet little Jake. I have to get some more video footage of him.

Isaac is taking naps and short grocery store trips in underwear, now. Goes out for tea in them, as well. He stays naked in the house. Diapers are only for overnight and long outings at this point, and he does really, really well. The only accidents we have are poop.

He strings things together now - like "No more pee", "Thank you mama", "warm milk", "tea outside", "hot day". Yesterday I called, "Isaac?" and he yelled back, "What?" clear as day. That's never happened before, he usually just comes running or shouts gibberish.

If he's nursing and Jake starts crying, he pops off and says "No more - Jakey milk". And he has very clear preferences now - there's no mistaking that he and Annie are friends, but Aaron is the pits. He'll share his cake with Annie, if he doesn't want the rest, but he'll throw it away before Aaron gets any. He's actually much nicer to Aaron than he used to be, but Aaron still harbors a LOT of resentment, so now he's instigating things between them. They're leery of each other. Before bed, Isaac will give all of us hugs and kisses - but he and Aaron just blow kisses, and that's on a good night.

The big kids, you know, they're just big kids. Not babies or toddlers. They change more slowly, but shock me more thoroughly with their hugeness. Annie is going to have her little "Kindergarden Graduation" at PATH's promotion ceremony next week. She spent all of PATH yesterday climbing trees and gathering leaves with this little girl Mikayla who was in her dance class at Donna Lee. I think that must be who got her sick. She's excited because we got some interested people planning to come to our "Mothers and Daughters Knitting Circle". For her birthday (June 1) I have planned/started:
- a felted wool purse and zipping change purse, each painted in a rainbow gradient with kool-aid dye
- 2 different styles and yarn type headbands
- a Hermione doll
- 1 or more of the mermaids I made that won't sell
- a skirt that zips in the back, from some silk brocade Jo-Ann's had on sale that she was oohing and ahhing over. We dropped her off at Teresa's long enough to go and pick it up.
- one pair of babylegs. She won't quit asking for them, because all the ones we already have are "boy kinds" according to her (flames, solid black, etc).

Aaron is less concerned with presents and more interested in a party. He wants to invite Travis, from PATH, Isobel from down the street, and his friends Darian and Eli from La Leche League, and have a pirate party. I'm cool with that; I saw a great, easy treasure chest cake the other day, and eye patches are cheap. Grant and I can print out some maps and make a hunt with some little prizes or something.

Aaron and I read a lot today, and spent awhile chasing a frog around the backyard. It thought it was very clever letting us get really close again and again while it sat very very still. Jake thought it was hilarious to be in the kozy while I was crawling around.

So there you have it. On to the pictures!

Apparently at night my kids become evil. And chew gum.