they are getting older and it makes me sad sometimes

Elliott turned four at the beginning of the month. There were a lot of people at the party, and he was overwhelmed at times. For several days after the party, his behavior was off--more screaming and general pissiness than usual. This is what generally happens after large events or get-togethers so it wasn't too big of a surprise. However, this was the first birthday during which he allowed everyone to crowd around him, stare at him and sing him "Happy Birthday." It was also the first time he blew out his candles at one of his birthday parties. Two years ago, he screamed for the first hour or so of his party and then slept the rest of the day. He used to shut down completely. But this year, he truly enjoyed most of his party.

Benjamin has lost his front teeth and I didn't realize how sad this was until after it happened. Suddenly, he looks 15 years older. It doesn't help that he is as tall as a small adult (say, my Mexican step-grandmother, Diegolina). Then, two days ago, he informed me that he was too old to take baths now, that from now on, he'd be taking showers. So he took his first voluntary shower (i.e., I wasn't hosing off vomit), and he laughed the whole time, his eyes closed as the water sprinkled all over him. "I'm going to take showers from now on," he said. This, however, meant that Elliott had to take his first bath alone in his memory. "Where's Ken-Ken?" he asked, sadly. Ben dutifully sat next to the bath and talked to Elliott, but it was the end of an era, all in a matter of minutes, and I wasn't prepared for it.

There's that book that I always thought was creepy, I'll Love You Forever. The mom crawls into her kid's window when he's like 20 and picks him up and rocks him in her arms. What a creep, right? Yeah, well I'm going to be that mom one day. And I fully expect my adult sons to creep into my room when I'm an old lady and rock me to sleep. You hear that, kids? Mom's crazy. Indulge her.