The Three Week Stretch

My Dearest Little Men,

I’d planned on writing to you every week and it’s been well over a month now since we visited St. Louis! Much has happened, the highlight being your Uncle Kyle’s 30^th birthday in April and an extended visit with him and your Aunt Jacqueline.  Your dad grilled steaks for Kyle’ nearly 20 guests and your multi-talented Aunt put on a beautiful event replete with twinkling lights encircling the sunroom, beer labels featuring your Uncle Kyle's “mug”, and a giant “30” adorned the glass doors, completely made up of black and white photos of your uncle throughout the years. I think I’ll need her expertise when planning your first birthday party…

Currently your mom is in “survival mode” with five sections of two courses and your dad finishing up his THIRD (yes, third!) consecutive week of training in Frederick, Maryland. For the first week, your “Uncle David” (who is currently on a plane to England), Aunt Nada, and Aunt Andi saw me through evenings and nights, and David even took over for the day your nanny was off (book-ended by two night shifts!).

Our family of four made our trip to Erie, where you spent your first night away from your mother while she and your dad attended a wedding in Buffalo and stayed in a hotel there.  Jack, you stinker, you sat up on your own for the first time within hours after we left.  There’s a video your “Gram” filmed of you repeating this feat; in the background you can hear me interrogating your “Grampy” for details. 

We “kidnapped” Grampy and this is week two of his stay with us and he’s heroically been handling nights so your mother can formulate words when she teaches her English classes.  Tomorrow your nanny is off again and your weary mother and grandfather will split the day.  We love you SOOO much—but as adults reflecting, you’ll realize that finals week plus double the bottles, diapers, boo boos, and spit ups can be momentarily overwhelming.  Plus you, my precocious Alexander, started crawling on Saturday!  I’m forever grateful that you did this for the first time when your mom was here… it eases the guilt of leaving you both from 7am-3pm, Monday-Friday, to teach.  I love what I do, and feel that it’s important, but I miss you to the point it sometimes hurts.  But come May 25 you’re both all mine for 6 weeks!

LESSON #2: What lesson can I leave you with at the end of this post? Realize, and never take for granted, how much you are loved! Not only by me and your dad, but Aunt Jacqueline, who repeatedly rocked you to sleep Jack, and Uncle Kyle, who played the guitar to see you smile Alex, even he was perhaps not feeling musically inclined at the moment.  While your parents glided up to Buffalo, your Gram juggled you both single-handedly while meeting with her quilting group (and didn't complain about double dirty diapers and spit-ups in less than an hour). And while your mom caught one last half our of sleep, your bleary eyed grandfather kept you company in the nursery. Aunt Nada stayed up through the AM’s studying for her first CPA exam because she spent too many of her evenings here helping your mom through bedtime and Andi gave up any chance of solitary down time after a full day’s work to play with you in the sunroom or backyard.  We are all lucky poor David not only has a generous heart, but is in his 20s, as your mom and dad would not have had the fortitude to survive two solitary night shifts surrounding a full day of twin-dom! Know that you’re lucky and cared for and pay it forward when you have the chance my boys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AplrlrWz2hQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9gh7Sg98f0