Saturday, September 24, 2011

Just last year?

Kathleen has been climbing on the plastic play structure in our backyard. She climbs up the ladder section and right up over the top. "Look at this!" she calls me. Eventually she goes down the slide and climbs back up again and again and again.

Last summer, she could not climb the play structure. She wanted me to pick her up so she could slide, again and again and again. My belly was big and my back ached and I would pick her up a few times and sigh enough. Often a neighbor would take pity on me and help her up more and more and more until I convinced her it was time to go in.

Just last year.

***
Yesterday I stopped at the outlets on my way home from my sisters to buy pajamas for Kathleen and see if there were any other good deals. Kathleen ran around hiding under racks of clothes and played at the Lego table; Elizabeth checked things out from the Baby Bjorn.

As I poked through wintery, Christmas sleepers, I remembered searching last year for matching winter-themed pajamas for a newborn and a 2-year old, something not too girly in case that newborn was a boy.

Just last year.

***
Elizabeth roams the house on hands and knees, pulls herself up to standing anywhere she can, and jerks around whenever she hears her sister's voice.

Last September, a baby kicked and rolled and squirmed about as Brian read The Hobbit to me.

Just last year.

***
Nine months in seemed to fly by and take forever.
Nine months out has simply flown by.



4 comments:

  1. It is strange isn't it? I found the same, those nine months in seemed endless and now it seems to be tumbling by so fast that I can hardly gasp a breath in.

    I heard this song the other day and thought of your Kathleen, don't know if you know it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm3lWq4s5-U Poor old Jessica doesn't have anything other than the Allman Brothers! But it kind of suits her!

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  2. It's so strange, how quickly time goes by - and you capture that so very well here. Sometimes when I most want it all to slow down, I hear a phantom voice reminding me to "please keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times."

    Love to you all.

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  3. I am in the same place you are right now. Looking back to this time last year, my anxiety was near fever pitch but I think I had all my Christmas shopping done and was actually getting things for the baby I didn't know would live or not. But he did and this year's the year for matching jammies.

    It is amazing and thrilling and a bit dizzying all at once. Happy nine months to Elizabeth, and you.
    xo

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  4. Just last year, Juliet wasn't even thought of! We'd barely made the decision to try for another baby. Now here she is in my lap. I can't believe it still.
    xo

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