Day 1,091 - The Stages (Not?) Set

3 years old. Holy toddleredo.

As the stages and milestones come and go, I sometimes catch myself forgetting what we've all been through. I mean, while keeping it in perspective, it's been...really hard. By perspective, I mean that I'm well aware that we're all reasonably healthy and we have the food and shelter we need. Good fortune. Given that, man has it ever been rough!

Now back to aforementioned forgetfulness--before it's too late. We've made it through the spit-up-geyser stage. We've survived teething, averbal frustation, diapermania x2, and a handful of ER visits.

And what have we learned, class? For one, I've learned that we adapt. And adaptation doesn’t always feel warm and cozy. Sometimes it simply means that our survivalist minds make/allow us to forget how much the previous crises hurt relative to the current one(s)! In other words, damn this whiny, "I don't want to ______!!" Stage. It's the worst ever! Nothing could be worse than thi—oh, right. I literally cried from all the spit-up in year one. I didn't think the three-hour sleep cycles would ever end. I thought for sure I'd be changing 12 diapers a day. Forever.

Well, we forget. To some degree. But, sadly, we forget much of the good stuff too. I don't remember what it felt like to hold two babies whose combined weight was about that of a gallon of milk. And I can't quite access the thought of how it felt to pat their little bottoms as they stuck up in the air while they slept.

So all I seem to have, aside from terabytes of pics and video, is the thought of the current bads and goods. And so I try to stay mindful that the bads are just stages that will fade into history. BUT, generally speaking, they don't make it onto video!

To stem the excessive curmudgetude, please note that the twins are far more delightful than not! I am so happy that they can often verbalize their needs and that potty training is well underwear. Way. They are funny, learning, and increasingly different in personality.

And I love the socks off 'em.

Wait. Didn't I already write this blog?