They all said this would happen, and it has. I close my eyes for just a moment, and a whole month has slipped away. The days that I really feel this make me grateful that I usually keep the camera charged and ready.
This summer (for me) has been about watching. I've been trying to appreciate how fleeting these moments are, and trying to memorize my babies at this size. I know I should be writing down the things they say, because mostly they have me in stitches, but I forget most of it before the day is over.
Mikey especially has changed so much in one short season. He has leaned out, and shot up, and is just all around enormous. He is so stinkin' smart. He is obsessed with dinosaurs, sharks and still loves anything "spooky." Thankfully Netflix has an extensive library of dinosaur documentaries, and 50+ episodes of Shark Week!
Johnny has just bloomed these last few months! It has been such a delight engaging in real conversations with him, and I'm typically surprised by how much he comprehends. I recall wondering if my 2nd child would ever talk much. He apparently grew tired of his sibling doing all the talking. He is still into everything, and very strong and aggressive compared to his older brother. And he loves... everything, but is quite devoted to a few special stuffed animals, his baby blanket, and shoes. All shoes. Any shoes. He wants to do anything Mikey does, and go wherever he goes, which I think can get frustrating for big brother, but he is usually pretty sweet about it.
The other parts of this summer I will remember?
The rain. The crazy crazy rain. I'm not sure if it has gone a day without raining this summer, but I don't mind.
Also, the crazy longing to be full of a new life again. I never thought I would miss the sensation of my insides being squished up and out of the way, but I'll admit that I do. After having early miscarriages in May and July this summer, I've started to feel a little embattled by the process of conceiving our 3rd child, but we aren't ready to give up yet.
In a few days we will be leaving for our last hurrah of the summer - a trip up north to Wading River, NY, with a stop through the mountains of Virginia on the way there and back. It will be a working vacation for me (perhaps the only downside of my current work - but one that I can definitely live with since I'm a remote employee and the work follows me wherever I go). I'm excited to visit J's family in NY, looking forward to breathing in the ocean air and watching the boys put their toes in the sand. It will be a very sweet final chapter to our second summer here in the South.
