It seems like overnight Carolyn went from more of a baby to more of a kid. I guess she's still very much a baby, but I feel like we've hit that point where she's really starting to turn into her own person. Are you amazed at how much and how quickly children change in such a short amount of time, especially in those first few years?
Peter is learning something new every single day, and gets more and more capable every single day. Carolyn is starting to stand without holding onto anything, I think she's going to try and walk in the next month here. Peter didn't really walk until 13 months, and Carolyn will be 11 months in a week. She LOVES animals, we were watching a youtube video the other day and she started getting all excited, and I realized it was because a dog was on the screen for a minute. It is so dang cute.
I feel bad for Marty, because I don't think I've ever met someone who dislikes dogs more than him. He never even had any traumatizing experiences with them, but that part of a person that makes them like animals never got installed on Marty. I, on the other hand, love dogs. It was a big heavy discussion before we got married to determine if we would ever have a dog. Spoiler alert: I agreed that we would never have a dog, but made sure he knew that I would still always want one. But as it turns out, when you have two small, messy children to care for, your desire for yet another creature to feed and clean up after is reduced to zero. It will be interesting to see if Carolyn's exceptional adoration of animals persists as she gets older. She already has Marty in the palm of her hand a little, and I can only imagine how much that will be enhanced in another 10 years.
Knowing Marty he will probably get her to start a dog walking business or something instead, you know, get some revenue out of that animal obsession (after all, I had a dog walking "business" when I was younger for the same reason). And bonus points for not needing to get a dog ourselves if she's walking dogs every day.
It is so much fun to watch these two children of mine turn into their very own people, to watch their personalities blossom, and day by day get a better peek into who they are. I love them. The word love is used so often that I wish I had a better word to describe the way my heart just swells for them. I love the way that Peter lets out a big belly laugh at the slightest silliness, I love the way the apples of his cheeks pop out when he smiles, I love the bashful grin that Carolyn gives when someone says hi to her, and I love the sweet way she snuggles her head onto my shoulder. I love that Peter is always making sure that Carolyn has enough food in front of her, and I love that he always wants her to watch him do things like run and jump. I love that her whole body squirms and wriggles in delight when she sees an animal, and that she coos at people until they look at her so that she can smile at them (even total strangers).
I'm so excited (and intimidated) to get to be at their side as they continue to grow and develop into adulthood. What a truly privileged calling motherhood is.
Labels: Family, Motherhood