Today marks two weeks since our plane landed at JFK and we introduced Isaac to his new home. It also marks two months exactly since Isaac became officially ours! It does not nearly feel like enough time to encompass all the memories we have made. In fact, it feels down right impossible.
As I finally have a quite moment it is hard to even know what to share. How can you summarize what takes place when your world is turned upside down? It feels a bit like the first few moments of sky diving when your brain can barely process that it is no longer standing on something solid. You've already fallen 1,000 feet before you even notice the view. Everything is new, you have an idea of what is supposed to come next but it's nothing like what you expected and you're just praying that the parachute opens.
You might think I am describing a negative experience but I am not. It is simultaneously exhilarating, overwhelming and over before you could take it all in. Does that describe parenting for anyone else? Perhaps I could add exhausting, LOL.
Isaac is adjusting incredibly well. It feels like he has always been here. Our house is almost always filled with laughter. One of the best things about Cara is the way her eyes sparkle when she laughs. It happens so often now that I'm afraid I'll start to take it for-granted. I said to some friends the other day, "Our biggest problem is that Isaac is silly and fun all the time. There are moments when I'd rather he eat his dinner than make his sister laugh, but if that's my biggest problem than we are doing okay."
It's still true. At bath time Isaac wants to splash and lay in the water like he's floating in the pool. Mommy just wants to scrub his sweet face and get to bed. At breakfast, Isaac and Cara eat their bagels into masks and make faces at one another. Mommy just wants to get everyone dressed and get to school on time. When it is time to get dressed Isaac likes to dance around the room in his undies and impersonate a crab. When it's time to be quiet Isaac wants to celebrate life at the top of his lungs. "Yeah (sleep!, eat!, potty!, etc.)" As often as I can, I try to remember to stop and laugh before I move things along. These moments will be gone well before I'd like them to be. I need to cherish the chaos and join in the fun.
I sat yesterday with a grateful heart as Isaac and I played with one of Cara's old toys. It's a plate where each dessert is a different shape and you have to put them in their proper places. As we sat there finding "circle" for the fifth time in a row it was so wonderful to know that I wasn't procrastinating. I wasn't running late for anything. This is my day, this is what I am meant to do...to help my little man learn and understand the world around him. It's my job to raise him to be polite and respectful, to take on new challenges and try again when we fail.
Moments later I had to laugh when I was sitting on the toilet and a remote control tractor ran over my feet to the sounds of giggles from just outside the door. Ahhhhh motherhood with it's lack of privacy and constant irony. There are moments of tantrums and time outs and "pleeeeeeeaaaase just nap!" but I count my blessings and I am so thankful for this chance to love our little man and to teach Cara about being a big sister. They might not all be clean or cute, but each moment has value and it adds up to the best job in the world.
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