I barely know what day it is

I feel busy. I know I'm not alone in feeling this way, but there it is. Busy. Also? Tired. I can use these two feelings to explain why I have essentially ignored this blog for the last year. Or more. But man, I am regretting it. (Don't assume that means I will change my behavior, but know that I do feel bad about it.)

The little moments are passing me by, it seems. I notice them in the moment, and try to remember the softness of Olive's cheek against mine, or the clean smell of Milo's hair. The way Milo sweetly kisses me goodnight. The way Olive plays with my hair. But unless I write them down, those things fade away. The little things they say and do just turn into the everyday moments of our lives, like making dinner and taking baths and reading books.

I have been so acutely aware lately of how little my kids are, but also how big they're getting. Milo is coming up on four. And he's so tall, and so thin and so NOT a baby AT ALL. And how Olive is going to be TWO in one week (and I'm going to just go ahead and say that her 23-month update is just not happening. I'll give you a really good two-year update instead.) and she is barely a baby anymore either. And how I adore the under-one set, but also how thankful I am that we are past that, that my family is growing and changing. I love their ages. I think the next year is going to be amazing. I will probably love ages 2 and 4 even more than 1 and 3 (but to be quite honest, 1 and 3 could be...difficult). Man, I love those guys, and I don't want to miss a single thing.

So being so busy... why do I do this to myself? I have a full-time job. I am a parent. I (try to) run. And I have a pretty successful side business. Did I ever think I'd be an entrepreneur? No way. But I am so crazy proud of myself. I wasn't sure if running The Gender Reveal would be something that I would want to do long-term, but the farther Stephanie and I go, the more I want it. I love feeling this connection to these parents-to-be. Seeing how happy and excited they are in the photos they send us makes me grin like a fool every time. We have so much planned for 2014. I am fairly certain I'll only get busier from here.

I can't really answer the "why I do this" question other than I love the things I do. I can't see the future; I don't know where I'll be (or where my business will be) a year from now, or two years from now. But no matter how busy I get, I want this blog to be a part of it, to be my memory. Those little moments aren't going to remember themselves. And I want to tell you all about it along the way.

Awww

Olive was petting our cat this morning. "Zadie my friend," she said.

"Oh yeah?" I said. "Who else is your friend?"

She poked Andrew and said "Daddy my friend."

Then she turned to me and said "Mommy my best friend."

Ohmygawwwd, my heart melted.

Olive is 22(ish) months

Yikes, not a great month for blogging. But never fear, Olive's 22-month update is here. Finally.

This girl. She knows what she wants, and she's getting very good at putting whole thoughts together in order to express it. "Milo, hold my hand." "NOOOOOOO!!!!"  "This one's mine, Mommy. That one's yours." I can actually have a conversation with her, and it doesn't feel completely one-sided. Just amazing.

She likes dancing. We play Dora's clean-up song every night to clean up, and then the kids always want to play it one more time for a dance party. Olive's moves mostly consist of spinning around until she falls over, but she does it with exuberance.

Olive is the best going-to-bed kid ever. When she's sleepy, you can ask her if she's ready for a nap, and she'll say yes and head on up to her bed. By the time you get there, she'll be laying in the bed, just waiting for someone to tuck her in and then leave her alone. She is coming up on two years old, but when given the chance, she will still take two naps a day. At daycare she takes just one nap.

Olive is very averse to loud noises. This afternoon I was trying to get the kids to help me make Christmas cookies, and Olive was into it for awhile until the hand mixer came out. Then it was "too loud!" and away she went. She also doesn't like when I blow-dry my hair.

She is getting crazy stubborn. She refuses to clean up during clean-up time, she won't help with this or that, she refuses to say sorry when she shoves her brother. If this is any preview of what  her teenage years will be like, we're in big trouble.

She loves playing on Daddy's tablet. "Monkey game?" she asks hopefully. Maybe I'm just old, but sometimes it's hard to believe a girl who isn't even two yet can handle this device. She started an episode of Daniel Tiger without any help. "I did it!" she says proudly.

Every time I comb her hair, she claims it hurts. She does get crazy bedhead though, so it must be combed. She still doesn't like hair ties or clips, though she'll tolerate them briefly. So I still cut bangs for her. I think she  looks cute with bangs.

She likes trains. She likes dolls and the dollhouse. She likes watching Dinosaur Train.

She and Milo get along pretty well. They can make each other giggle and they talk to each other. It's adorable, actually.

Olive's 23-month update is due in just a few days. So I'll stop this one. Can you even believe how close to two years old she is getting? I can't.