Life with Clementine

It's really tempting to write an entire post about how in love we all are with Clementine. I'd tell you that we all spend hours upon hours staring at her, giggling at her silly sleepy faces, running our fingers through her soft tuft of newborn hair, counting her toes, and inhaling her sweet, milky smell.

This is our third time with a newborn, and you might think that the novelty would wear off. But no. It's all just as amazing the third time around. I stare for hours at this baby, memorizing her features, fingering her silky soft ears, and holding her as close as I possibly can. Because the beautiful and terrible thing about doing this all again is that I know it doesn't last.

I hear the voices of my big boys and set Clementine down to see what's happening in the play room. Those boys have gigantic hands that build Legos and Hot Wheels racetracks. They can get their own drinks of water. They shower by themselves. The have friends and go on playdates. They need me when they are hurt or tired, but mostly they are independent. I survey the chaos and listen to them explain their Lego and race track creations and then they go back to their imaginations and I am left standing in the hallway. And so I go back and pick up Clementine, giving her an extra squeeze and a kiss on her downy head because I know it doesn't last.

We had our first parent teacher conference at Jack's school this week. His teacher describes him as "a rule follower" and "a kind, gentle, and not rowdy boy." I have heard that your children are their best selves when they are with other adults. If this is the case, it sounds like we're doing something right.

I wanted to know if Jack ever talks to her, since he is notoriously shy around adults. "Me? No. Never. But he does talk to his friends."And I pictured him chatting away with his little kindergarten buddies and it made me smile.

Since Jack missed two days of school due to these conferences, he wanted to play school. His reading is really coming along. He reads to Sawyer and Clementine now.

It was a chilly day and so Jack wisely dragged his desk out to the fireplace and found a cozy spot to do some writing worksheets. (I love how he puts his name on his paper.)

It wouldn't be fair if I let you think that everything has been smooth sailing for the past two weeks. There have been some difficult moments, a car buying fiasco which I will tell you about later, a touch of post-postpartum depression, and my initial taste of panic/helplessness the first time all three kids cried simultaneously. 

But mostly, it's been this. And this is pretty sweet.

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