Early October Kirton Kids

My babies are amazing.

When other moms say things like this, I roll my eyes so far back I may accidentally end up falling backward one day.  Its nauseating for people to brag about their kids.  "Yeah, we get it.  Your kids are gorgeous and smart and talented."  But I really need to get over myself, because when I say my kids are amazing, its a statement made 100% of love and pure awe at what is possible despite my innumerable failings, and I might at well just decide that that's how everybody else says it (why bother thinking the other thing?)

Georgia likes to name things and pretend to read lately.  I wish we had a new pet to name because we'd get something stupendous, I assure you.  For a little while she was naming everything Binky.  Now she names everything Bikshaw (BEEK-shaw) or Buk-shaw-shaw Wah-wah, and such-like things.  Its cool.  I think Bikshaw is pretty gangsta.  And clearly, I am quite a thug.
When she reads, she just says sounds, which I find to be an interesting brain-thing. (Sorry for the jargon-heavy post.  Bear with me.)  My hypothesis is that because she can't make sense of the letters she's sees, her mind automatically makes sounds that she also does not understand.  But I do not know.  Maybe my mom should blog about her offspring's brain-thing thing.

pretty standard

No exaggeration, she was screaming, "Land, ho!!!"

Russell speaks more, and compared to Georgia it seems like its not much that he's speaking still, but I started writing down all the words he was saying that I could understand and I stopped after I was satisfied that he's doing just fine.  Anyway, I was saying prayers as I was putting him to bed last night, and he started repeating the things I was saying, like Georgia has been doing, to practice saying prayers.
Me: "we're thankful for Georgia"
Russ: "Jo-juh"
Me: "We're thankful for Daddy"
Russ: "Dah-dee"
Me: "We're thankful for the doggies." (sticking to things I know he can say)
Russ: "Dah-geese"
Me: "We're thankful for Gemma"
Russ: (pause) "Bee-bee"

He's so tender and squishy and he loves me so much.  He loves to cuddle, and I couldn't love it more.  Today I looked up from sweeping to see that he was playing with Gemma in her saucer.  Engaging her and making her laugh.  My heart melted with gratitude for him, his love for her, and that I can have kids and give them siblings.  They are one of each other's greatest blessings.*
Ah... I can't leave out: Georgia regularly says things like, "We were chasing our-chother." (LOOOOVE!)

He loves his baby.

I am so thankful for Gemma.  She even smiles while she's crying if I smile at her.  I usually only do that if I'm going to pick her up from her crib and she's been crying to let me know she's awake- I don't toy with her and grin at her to make her smile while she's crying- that seems a bit terrible. Anyway, she has the cutest giant smile and she does that thing where her baby gums stand in place of her eventual teeth.  Big gummy smiles are hilarious.  We were at Costco today and I heard the tell-tale quiet repeated gasps of someone standing behind me smiling back at her, doing that surprised gasp-grin that we do to babies.  (Did you just do it?  I did.  I tried not to, but I was powerless against it.  Powerful stuff.)  The reason I was holding her in Costco instead of talking to her while pushing her around in the cart is that she had a wet diaper and didn't want to sit in it (diva), but I knew that even if I wasn't going to change her until we got home, that she will put up with nearly anything if I hold her. Let this be the evidence that to repay her for this kindness, I owe her an extra $1000 on her wedding budget.  (Slamming of a gavel.)

I love my babies.  Maybe they're amazing to just me, but boy am I amazed.


Little giant miracles.



*A word to those who have faced, or do face infertility:  My heart aches with your heart and the hearts of all of those that love you.  For what its worth, I try to be ever grateful that I am able to have these precious loves in my life.  I wish that all good parents got to have children.  In a perfect world it would all work out, and in the eternities, I believe it will.