Joy in my heart

I've gotten to hang with the little girls (K and T) today. It is wonderful. We're just doing ordinary things, but I haven't gotten to do ordinary things in an unrushed manner for MONTHS. I am thrilled. I am boring, eh? I have been working too much lately.

In just a little while, we'll go get N at school and then... we plan to go swim at the Y tonight. Wish me luck! (I plan to take all 3 by myself.)

It's so amazing how much the three little girls have changed in a year. A year ago, I would hardly attempt doing anything by myself with all 3 of them. I sometimes felt kind of wimpy, but it's mostly because they are so independent.

NONE of them want to hold my hand. None of them will be carried. None will ride in a stroller without putting up a HUGE fuss. ALL of them are confident enough to run off. I read on another Mom's blog about how large parks give her an ulcer and how she freaks if she can't see one of her kids (I'd link, but I can't remember where I read it). I knew exactly what she meant. The three little girls all head in different directions as fast as they can. It causes my heart to stop. I've had many freak-out moments at parks or other places designed to be fun.

However, N (5) is now old enough to follow directions and she does pretty well....It's so crazy to see N so big....I remember when N was one-year. She was so fast. She was so crazy. She LOVED danger. Seriously. MWH and I joked that she could walk into a room and know where all the dangerous spots were in less than 2 seconds.

I remember watching her at a year and thinking she would never be able to be trusted in an unfenced park or walk on a sidewalk near cars. I remember when she was 3 thinking, wow, she can almost be trusted to walk in a parking log. Now, she's good. She is my helper. We haven't let her cross a street by herself yet, but that's coming. She's becoming a KID.

She's not a baby, toddler, or even a preschooler any more. She's in what developmental folks call "Middle Childhood." It's at this point that kids start taking on more responsibility and doing it well. That's where my N is. It's so cool. Watching the developmental process unfold completely is truly amazing.

Okay, I'm rambling now. I should go finish up some writing for work. Oops, T just woke up from her nap. That was short.