For Nate, Day 10

Today is day 10 of Nate being away from the kids. I believe that that is twice as long as he has ever been apart from them. They miss him. Every time Jules sees a pic of him she says "Hi Dada!" and starts doing her little hyperventilating laugh, and every morning when Luke talks to him on the phone he signs off with "Bye bye Dada, Love you Dada". The pics are from this morning. We were outside and playing (i.e not inside driving one another crazy) by 8 am. Jules now knows where her ears, eyes, nose and mouth are. Her vocabulary is ridiculous. I don't know if its a boy vs. girl thing, or just a Luke vs. Jules thing, but I honestly don't believe that Luke was speaking like her even at 18 months, and she is only 13 months. She will entertain herself "reading" a book, leafing through the pages (oftentimes upside down) and babbling incoherently away. Luke is TOTALLY ADVANCED, like, GIFTED at using the word NO lately :/ . I don't know where this came from (or how the heck to make it stop, NOW) but I really really hate the NO thing. It seems to be the first thing he says, to most anything I say. We always get through it, but the extra time/conversation around every.single.thing is honestly simply exhausting. I can't wait for Nate to get home, simply to deflect some of the "NO's" away from me.

Playgroup was at our house today. The above is a few of the kids playing "Ring around the Rosie". Hilarity ensued.

I feel so lucky to have my playgroup. We have been together since our kids were 8 weeks old or so, though many of us met when our babies were but a few days old at the nursing Moms support group that we went to. Who would have known two years ago what a huge part of my life these ladies, and their sweet babies would become. From the days where we sat around talking about our birth stories while our babies nursed or lay prone and unmoving on blankets on the floor, until now, these girls have become a great resource to me ~ both in knowledge and in simple encouragement. Its HARD being a Mom. Sleepless nights are HARD. The worry and fear are HARD. Toddlers are REALLY hard. Just being able to confess my frustrations, or fears, or how a sweet little cuddly two year old can honestly inspire feelings of rage, is so freeing. Its amazing how though we all have different kids, with different strengths or weaknesses or challenges, we all experience the same feelings as Mothers. We have moved from birth stories and immobile newborns, through solids, through immunizations, through weaning, through nap transitions, through crib/bed transitions, through discipline, through vacations, through lots of laughs, and lots of tears, through many second children and here we are today, with kids who sing songs, play together, and know one another as true FRIENDS. I am grateful to share this journey through Motherhood with such fantastic women, and phenominal Mothers.

Nate, come home soon. I'm tired :)

PS ~ Nate ~ See the grass in the background? ITS GREEN! IT'S REALLY GREEN!