Clearly that did not happen.
I try not to focus on the very full baby book of Isabella's, the mostly full baby book of Declan's, the non-existent (but hey! there's a whole blog of your first few years!) book of Quinn's and then the non-existent baby book AND blog of Miss Eyla. Yes. I try not to focus on that.
In the past eleven months so much has happened and so much has changed. Eyla has exploded in every way-movement, noises, teeth, eating, sleeping (or not), and beaming with personality.
Isabella is a second grader which still blows my mind. I guess since I taught second grade, I have an idea of "second graders" permanently etched in my mind. And I just really don't feel as if I should have a second grader.
Declan had adjusted to school better than I could have imagined. He loves his teacher, all the girls in his class, all the female aides that help in his room and drawing. He loves drawing. He writes words and numbers, draws pictures and repeat. He is reading. He couldn't recognize all of the lower case letters six months ago and now he reads. After Christmas he had a really hard time getting back in the swing of things. He is such a home body and on the weekends he begs to just stay home. He still gets emotional about leaving for the day and sometimes asks if it's okay to quit school. The other day he came to me and said, in all seriousness, "Mom, can you just like, quit school? I want to do that if it's okay. I've decided to be homeschooled." He's still pretty frank.
Quinn misses them desperately. She tells me at least three times a day, "I just wish Isabella and Declan were here. I like it better when they are here with me...to play." She tries to convince them every afternoon that she did in fact go to school that day. She wants to be just like them and cried the other day when we left school after eating lunch with Isabella. She thinks it's unfair that they are gone all day and she's "stuck at home" with me and Eyla. They are all so different.
Eyla went from having the hardest time controlling her head (for months), to having the hardest time sitting up and balancing her body to literally army crawling, crawling, pulling up, and cruising in what seemed like a split second. She cut five (almost six) teeth in two and a half months and she loves food more than any of the other's loved it at her age. When she sees something she wants, which these days, is anything, she starts kicking and waving and grunting and very willingly opening wide.
We had the most relaxing Christmas season this year. Kate wasn't able to come home, which made it hard and a little 'unreal' feeling, but somehow we made it through relatively seamlessly.
We baked, saw Santa, took the kids to the movies and just stayed cozy and kept things simple. With age (and school) came a lot of questions this year about Santa and all of his logistics. I saw gears turning and saw how much mine will need to be turning next year. I now have two kids that can read over my shoulder which makes things--tricky--I guess you would say.
This year, Isabella really wanted a typewriter for Christmas. Quinn wanted an American Girl doll so she can continue to be just like her big sis, and Declan asked for different things every day. We still stuck to the Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read, rule and that kept things nice and focused, which we love!
We finally, FINALLY, had snow. The kids waited and waited so long for a snow day and when we entered February without one, we all gave up and decided that we were ready for Spring. And then we got pounded with a whole lot of snow.
Declan said today that he would actually just like to move to a place where he can be outside with "the animals" every day. He decided that he hates cold and he hates snow. He loves rivers and woods and critters and boats and being outside. The apple didn't fall far from the tree...
Eyla will be one next month. I probably say this more every year, and probably will continue to say it more and more...but that was the fastest year ever. I honestly feel like I just had her, yet can not fathom a time when she wasn't here. Eyla is a force. You can't help but smile when you look at her. She is every good feeling you'd ever want to have. She's a bed hog. She is hilarious and knows it. She wants to be where all the action is...so she usually parks herself in the kitchen. She wants to climb the stairs all the time. She naps happily and wakes up happier.
When I look at Eyla, I think sunshine because she just gives you that same feeling as the warm sun. At the risk of sounding crazy, which--whatever--I probably am at this point, moments before Eyla was born I had a 'moment.' I remember sitting on the birthing stool, my head resting on our bed and begging for it to all be over and vowing to never be in labor again, and every time I would close my eyes I just saw yellow. Bright, shining, distinct shades of yellow. And in those moments where you feel like you're not even in your own body, I remember saying to myself "remember this...remember that all you saw was yellow...and then try to figure out why all you saw was yellow."
And then Eyla was born.
And--sunshine.
Eyla was the sun during dark days just months after she arrived. And Eyla is our bright spot still. She is what makes me look at our other three kids in a different light and she is what makes me much more present in our days.
Eyla is our light.
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