three months and counting

Today was a big day! Taryn Bo Baryn turned three months, Gramps turned * mumble mumble* and my brother flew in home on leave for two weeks. Taryn met her Uncle for the first time ever and Ariah saw her daddy for the first time since January. It was a busy busy day! Tomorrow will be even busier as family members from far and wide come to see everybody else. We live at a mid point between my mothers two remaining sisters so they come here and visit. Should be interesting.
Taryn is now a supported sitter.... so many stupid names. That means that she can sit up with support and the core of her body doesn't cave on her. She has such a strong neck and is showing every body that as often as she can. She smiles like a champ... and while she fusses more than other babies in my experience she makes up for it by smiling OFTEN! And it is such a great smile it is so full of glee and excitement. It makes my heart jump with love and my whole mood lift. She is a joy to be with in between fuss sessions... but even the fuss sessions have gotten fewer and shorter as I am getting better at anticipating her needs and fulfilling them for her. She has shown me with out question the certainty that no two babies are alike. She has also taught me the valuable lesson that your heart makes room. I adore her more every day and it in no way dims or diminishes the love that I have for Ash. Truly it is amazing to be a parent!
Ash was so excited to see her uncle Shawn. She remembered him and spent the afternoon climbing on him just as much as her cousin did. It was good to see. We have been looking at his photos and talking about him a lot while he has been gone so that she could remember him. Ash is teaching mommy all about patience right now... and the lack of it that mommy suffers from. She is a brilliant child. She amazes people when they learn how young she is! She has a vocabulary that would rival most any three year old, she knows her colors her shapes, and she can count to ten. She recognizes some of the letters by sight she recognizes 1 through 9 of the numbers. 10 still gives her a pause. The thing is that being so advanced makes people think that she is older than she is and that she understands more than she does. Even mommy and daddy have a hard time with that expecting more from her than she is able to give developmentally. So it is frustrating for all of us. As long as we stick to a fairly regular routine we are good... but if we break that routine we are often in for a real show. She has a temper and she pulls it out. She is a sight to behold. She has a screech on her that can fell a tree. It is sharp and piercing, and the child knows how to use it. I always swore that I wouldn't have a screaming girl... but Ash is showing me that not only will I have one, but there is nothing I can do about it.
It is humbling to be a mother and see that all the behavior that you have handed dirty looks out for in stores, is at times unavoidable. That is just how the cookie crumbles... and right now it isn't just Ash that makes us wary of public places it is Taryn too.... THAT one is going to be a serious run for the money when she gets to be Ash's age. Although she may not be that bad, as she may get it all out in her infancy. There is another thing that humbles you... when you don't have any food in the house and you HAVE to grocery shop with the infant.... when she starts screaming you have to finish the shopping, irregardless of the looks that others may give you. Oh and the people who make comments aren't helpful.... when I am holding a wailing baby pushing a cart and trying to shop someone who says something to the effect of the lungs on the child isn't helping in any way. The looks the people send you aren't helpful either. It isn't as if I pinched the child because I prefer to shop in the most annoying manner possible. Thankfully that has only happened once, as Dave usually watches her while I do the shopping.
We are molding ourselves into a family and it is a truly great thing. I think that the teeter totter of life is starting to slow down and the ups and downs are starting to level out. I am working hard at enjoying every second of my children's lives.... because those moments fly by all to quickly. I will never have another baby, and while that is a good thing considering the difficulty of my pregnancies and the present economy, there are moments when it makes me sad to know that I will never hold another that is as little as Taryn and have that baby be mine. I will never hold a little boy that is my own and smooth down his hair or give him a bath. It is something that makes me a little bit melancholy some moments... so that is why I must throw myself into enjoying the moments that I can!
By the way Aidan's birthday was last week. He would have been three years old on the 18th. Amazing how the time flies. Happy birthday little boy. Mommy remembers!