These Months: You're All My Favorites

And just like that, these months have turned into twelve. Which means that today we're having a birthday!

Late last night before I went to bed, I quietly opened the two doors to the rooms where our children sleep. I pulled the covers up over Silas, who had Lion and Monkey, two Lightning McQueen blankets, and three plastic frogs in bed with him. Then I took the last look I would get at the babes (who are really babes no longer) before the clock turned and they weren't zero anymore. I won't forget the way they looked last night. It was a sweet moment. I'm grateful to have it etched in my memory.

So now for the next 10 days we have a 2 year old and two 1 year olds. It is still crazy to me to think that last year at this time we had three children under the age of two. Sort of makes me want to laugh in a did-we-really-survive-all-that kind of way.

At 1 and almost-3, our children are as different as can be, which is something I have been learning in these months. They are different from each other, different from other children, different from me. But their differences, their uniquenesses, their strengths, and even (if not especially) their weaknesses are what I find has endeared them to me in a deep way. A way I never expected. A way that lets me truthfully say (as one of our best books puts it), You're all my favorites.

Darling Lieren has started pointing at everything this past week. She is trying desperately to talk but uses a form of da-da for most things. She does say hi, uh-oh, and nigh-nigh (night-night) consistently. I also think she says di-di for dance-dance but am not as confident about that one. Lieren understands a ton and I am amazed every day at the nouns and verbs she knows. She is crawling all over, pulling up and cruising. But her little legs don't quite let her stand on her own yet, so I think we have a bit before we have another toddler in the house.

Speaking of toddlers, Simeon has transitioned to walking as his preferred method of getting around in just the past 2 days. He holds his arms out in front of him to keep balance and off he goes. Shane has dubbed him the "child of Frankenstein" since that's how he looks when he walks. I really think he walks that way because he is not quite stable enough to walk, but too motivated to let it stop him. He's fearless, this boy. He, too, is beginning to talk with hi and uh-oh. And his understanding blows me away.

I dropped Sim and Lieren's morning nap a couple weeks ago. It's been working out great for us. They sleep better overall now. And I think we're down to 2 bottles a day (not ready to say for sure yet). They are eating mainly table food so I'm moving into that tricky stage where it's hard to find veggies they will eat. (Story of my life. I'm just resigning myself to the fact that I'll never be a hero at getting my kids to eat veggies. And I'm ok with it.)

One of my favorite times with Sim and Lieren right now is when they wake from their nap. We stay and play in their room for a while and they are the snuggliest bears you've ever seen. They sit in my lap, lay down their heads, crawl away, pull up a blanket, climb back up, over and over again. I can't get enough.

In these months, our firstborn has been a gift beyond measure. As he grows, I am more aware of what motivates him, what frightens him, what excites, what delights. I love that I am getting a deeper glimpse into his thoughts as he is able to put what's in his head into words. I love getting to giggle with him at what he thinks is silly, and find ways to strengthen him where he is weak.

Silas is still a learner. Just this week we were typing his new verse, "A friend loves at all times." He typed "at" and "all" with me just saying what word came next. It was cute, surprising, and fun to hear him say that he needed "two l's". I have thanked the Lord countless times this year that Silas is who he is. Take yesterday as an example. He read books for 20 minutes while I got the babes changed and down for their nap then excitedly did puzzles for the next 20 while I showered. That is a gift.

I love them. I love these favorites of mine. And I hope that every mother out there can say the same thing about the little ones in her house: I am so thankful that God chose these three to be in our family, just the way they are.