Stories of a Thursday

After searching high and low for our video camera all week, we've determined that we almost definitely left it at one of the houses we looked at last Sunday (we were using it to take pictures).  Grrr.  And, since my phone was slammed in the trunk of the car back on Memorial Day (I've reactivated my old Samsung flip-phone-circa-2006 because I didn't want to pay for a new one), I currently have NO method of taking pictures or videos.

We are going to remedy that situation just as soon as we possibly can (I'm hopeful that we'll get our video camera back... we've notified everyone whose houses we looked at).  But in the meantime, I'll just entertain you with a few stories.  Not as exciting without visual aids and multimedia, I know, but I'll try to write them as best I can.

A Story About C

Last night C was really exhausted.  I was teaching some lessons at the house, so M laid her down for what we thought would be a quick nap at around 5 PM.  When I finished teaching, I went up to check on her at about 7 PM (when she usually goes to bed), she was so sound asleep and peaceful-looking that I didn't want to wake her, even though she was still in her clothes and had missed her last feeding.  Just as M and I laid down to go to bed, however, she began to stir.  I had brought up some pj's and a new diaper, so I just brought her over to change her in our bed and nurse her.

I sat up in bed, stretched out my legs and laid C down lengthwise in the valley between them.  I used to change her this way when she was a newborn, and although I haven't had to change her at night for probably 3-4 months now, it was a familiar position to me.

But not to her.

I realized, all of the sudden, that the C of today is a completely different creature than the C of 3-4 months ago.  So different, in fact, that I believe she wouldn't even relate to that newborn version of herself if they could somehow meet.  Laying down on my legs, her head was a good 6 inches past my knees.  She crunched her stomach muscles and tried to sit up, nearly succeeding.  She pushed her foot against my leg, and as I tried to swiftly exchange the dirty diaper for the clean one, she rolled easily over my leg and landed face-first on the bed.  She pushed up on her arms and looked back at me, surprised.  Then she grinned toothlessly and chuckled.

No more unfocused, crossing eyes.  No more slow, uncoordinated movements.  No more legs curled up in froggy position like they were inside my belly.  C is now closer to little girl than she is to new baby.

I don't think I fully realized how quickly she is growing up.  Funny how a split second like that can bring it all to clarity.

A Story About Haircuts

I cut N's and L's bangs today.  They were both getting quite shaggy.  As I snipped the hair across L's forehead, her laughing blue eyes peeked out at me, and when the shag was cut away, the features of her  face sharpened and I was struck by her beauty.  

Later when I trimmed N's bangs, the same effect took place.  Only with N, as I cut the hair away I saw the line of her nose... the height of her cheekbones... it was like I had a glimpse of the adult version of her face, she looked so grown up.

And then I saved tiny locks of each girls hair for their baby books, and the rest we shook outside into the wind.

The fuzzy, softest soft, little-girl hair floated away on the breeze, and I watched it go, knowing that it would never grow back that same way again.  It grows more coarse and thick and adult-like every day.

What is it about us mothers, that we constantly want to freeze time?  Why do we want so badly to hold on to the little baby?

Well... who wouldn't?

N: 3 days old

L: 3 days old

C: 3 days old