Around Here

I believe we have a case of the post-Christmas cabin fever. We have been mainly at home for the past few days, as the boys are playing with their new toys and the weather has been uninviting to say the least. Although I long for the great outdoors, I have enjoyed watching and playing with the boys. Unfortunately, I have also enjoyed far too much sugar from that cake I made and the stocking stuffer candy (both grandmothers seem quite fond of this approach). I think we will even polish off the Egg Nog tonight.


Evan's birthday is quickly approaching. This is the first time we are experiencing the immediate post-holiday birthday since Evan wasn't even born yet last year. I must say that I do not feel ready to buy birthday gifts and plan a party so soon after Christmas. I am excited about Evan's birthday, and feeling particularly nostalgic about this time last year right before he was born. I fondly recall the excitement leading up to that moment when my water broke, shortly after we went to bed on January 3rd, 2010. I remember a quiet New Year's Eve in 2009, one that was full of anticipation about the joy awaiting us.


As I'm sure many babies do, Evan is ramping up his repertoire of skills as he approaches his birthday. He is standing by himself for longer periods, walks freely while his hand is held, throws a ball, giggle snorts, and says several words. Just the past few days, as I frequently found myself in the kitchen, Evan has said "cook" on more than one occasion. It is likely no coincidence that he has also improved his eating skills and has pretty much mastered the art of eating with two teeth. By the way, where are those other teeth?! Most of all there's that noticeable change of a child who is just more aware of human interaction and the world around him. I love the way he looks over at me whenever he tries or experiences something new.


Benjamin has also developed some new skills. The coolest is his newfound understanding of humor. The latest joke around here is the one where you ask someone, "hey, you know what?", they then say, "what?", and you say, "nothing". We do this back and forth for a while, and Benjamin also enjoys saying, "you got me", or "I got you" afterward. He is also a very sweet boy. Today he accidentally knocked Evan over and made him cry. He then apologized to Evan and, when Evan didn't stop crying, Benjamin spontaneously sang "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" to him to ease the pain. It was precious, and it worked.


We have had some good times over the past week, and we are looking forward to another year of fun with these awesome boys.