Everyone says that the first year of your baby's (or, in my case, babies') life flies by.

Good gravy, they're SO right! I can't believe that this year is nearly over. So much has happened! Bruce and Zoë were born, I became a mommy, I learned to breastfeed and change diapers and dress babies and play with babies and give them baths ... and try to still be a good wife in the process (Sorry, Michael, I think I owe you about, oh, five BAZILLION mind-blowing nights of pleasure by this point. I'll try to catch up!) ...

It's almost Christmas, for heaven's sake! I have to figure out what to buy the bambinos and get those things wrapped up and then plan their birthday party and get them birthday presents and we have to do our taxes ...

Life is just busy. When I was pregnant with these two (can you believe that wasn't quite a year ago?), life didn't seem to go by as fast. I mean, yeah, it was faster than I wanted ... but not quite THIS fast. I enjoyed being pregnant (well, except for when it hurt to do a certain activity alluded to above -- nudge, nudge, wink wink, know what I mean, know what I mean)(Or when I swelled up like Shamu because of the preeclampsia, talk about water weight ... that was about 30-40 POUNDS of water weight!!) ... but I wasn't sure I was READY ready to be a mom. I made sure to sleep in as much as I could and to read, read, read, read, read as much as I could, since I knew I wouldn't be reading nearly as much as I would want to in the coming months (and, BOY, was i right!!).

I know I sound to sentimental about when I was pregnant ... and I most likely am, but I did really enjoy it all. The morning sickness wasn't so great (but it was usually ONLY once a day for 17 weeks, that wasn't very bad! And I only was really sensitive to the smell of bacon fat and fish ... I don't run into a whole lot of that!) nor was the swelling up of EVERYTHING or the hurting-enough-that-I-couldn't-um .... yeah. BUT I enjoyed incubating my little ones, knowing where they were, feeling (and seeing) them move around. Gosh, i really miss that.
Enough that I almost am ready to get preggers again. But I'm not. We don't quite have the room, the money, nor the patience. Once Bruce and Zoë are out of diapers, I think I'll be ready. Really ready. I don't know if I'd want a boy or a girl. Or one of each (again). Just a little-little. I'd enjoy that.

I wish I had a camcorder (especially digital) that worked. There are so many things that I'm so sad that I haven't captured: the sound of Bruce and Zoë's baby-laughs, how they play peek-a-boo through/around Grandma's doll cabinet, how they LOVE to be startled or chased ... These things aren't going to last forever and I am the world's BIGGEST SAP since I'm starting to cry as I write this. Gahh!!!

When Bruce and Zoë were born, I could hardly wait until they smiled, laughed, crawled, talked, thought I was the coolest, etc, etc, etc. Now I just wish they'd stay this age forever. I already really, really miss how Zoë would (as soon as she was born, really) look around from her swaddling, taking in the world ... and then roll her eyes and sigh, as if she were saying, "This is the best you could do? ... Huh. I SUPPOSE I'll have to make do." It just endeared me to her that she was that expressive. Bruce ... oh, Bruce. I still am bitter that I didn't get to see him for 24 hours, except for that little peek they gave me before they took him to the incubator for observation. He was always so sleepy and so quiet ... except when he was hungry. I worked so hard to make sure that he got enough food those first couple of weeks, so he'd get over being jaundiced. Sakes above, I worried about him. Zoë's always held her own, she's so independent (unless she's not feeling so good, THEN I get to cuddle her ... while my heart is torn into pieces since I can't fix everything immediately for her). But, Bruce ... oh, he's always been my cuddler. Anything that can possibly be fixed with a nurse and a cuddle? With Bruce, it is.
He's inhereited his mother's grace ... which is why he nearly always has some bruise or scratch healing ... and why, as soon as it's nearly healed, he's gotten another to take its place.

Have I mentioned that his top two teeth have (finally!!) broken through? Yes, my little boy is getting his central incisors ... and the lateral incisors are close behind. He'll have a six-toothed grin like his sister.
Zoë's been a little sick since this weekend. She got a fever Saturday afternoon (which went away with some motrin). It returned for a bit Sunday ... and she threw up on her daddy. Again, Monday saw the return of her fever. So I gave her some Tylenol and pushed fluids as much as I could. She also has a diaper rash, poor girl. We cuddle for a bit, too. When she NEEDS to be coddled so much, it tears my heart up, since it's so obvious that she's feeling so bad.

Sunday, neither she nor Bruce really napped while at their Grandparents'. Bruce had JUST fallen asleep when we got there after church. Zo woke up (after a 10 minute nap ... maybe 20 minutes) and wouldn't fall back asleep. I took the sleeping Bruce to Mom C's room where it was quiet, with hopes that he'd sleep for AT LEAST 20 more minutes. He started to cry. And as I was telling my in-laws that I'd let him cry for about 10 minutes, since he NEEDS this nap (seeing as how he and Zo-zo don't nap at church) and Mom C is listening, Dad C leaves as I'm TALKING TO HIM and gets the boy up.
Ugh.
Picture me doing my "martyr look." Because that's how I felt. I was talking and pleading that my son get a nap and does ANYONE heed my anguished prayer that my son get a nap?
No.
When Bruce and Zoë were screaming, screaming exhausted, did I tell everyone "I TOLD you SO!! But did you listen to their mother who knows them better than anyone in this world?? No, you did not!"
(Well, except Michael, who listens to my rants at night after we're home ... another reason he's so deserving of married bliss of a million kinds ...)
No. I bit my tongue. And cuddled my sick little girl. And fed my son. And tried not to scream along with them.

Yeah. So that's THAT story.
And I've been pushing naps. TONS of naps to get these two back on schedule ... since they really didn't get their afternoon nap on Saturday either. Since Grandma's and Grandpa's house is too exciting (and Michael and I went to see Casino Royale, which was very good. I don't think this new Bond is the handsomest Bond ... but he may be the best one.)

Still, gosh! Where has this year GONE?? It's FLOWN!! I want some of it back, dang it!!

Oh, and sorry that I hadn't blogged for a while (if you cared about that, that is.). Like I said, things have been crazy. Like Crazy-chicken crazy. That's how nuts it is.

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My mood right now is:

Christmas Newsletter - 2006-12-21
Llanna Spills the Beans - 2006-12-16
Electricity, Electricity!! - 2006-12-15
The Book Quiz - 2006-12-14
I have no (printable) response to this. - 2006-12-12

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