11.14.2007

Pre-Blog: Candy-Tasting 2004

In combing through some old photo files, I came across this little moment with Calvin at age 2. Made me laugh and I thought I'd share since the holiday season is approaching. (And also because I apparently can't manage to formulate a post about my current doings.)

I realized tonight that Calvin's never been a fan of dum-dums, and he's always been pretty good at taking the Forrest Gump school of thought one crucial step further: You may never know what yer gonna get, but you should at least try every single piece. And leave it there, licked, if you don't want it after all.

What I remember the most about taking these pictures was thinking how he had opened and tested that volume of candy - licked every. one. of those lollipops.(Not to mention climbed on top of the chair that is under the ledge that he's leaning on.) In mere seconds. (Did I mention that the kitchen itself was gated, precisely so that he could no longer climb up the drawers to the counters when I wasn't in the room?) It was incredibly disconcerting. It stressed me out. And I was seriously worried about the amount of energy and getinto-itiveness the child had.

I decided to take a picture but it wasn't because I thought it was funny or clever. It was to document what kind of stress I was dealing with - I was so sure that no one could possibly understand how busy this (one!) little boy was keeping me. I know I definitely did not think it was as funny (and ingenious) as I think it is now. I was overwhelmed because I took myself - and having a clean house and non-sugared up children and time to do my own thing - way too seriously.

Cal will be five years old in three weeks. I've been a mom that long and I still can't keep up. Times three. But thankfully, I do laugh a lot more. Looking at these little pictures made me realize I have come a little way since then - my boys have made me more joyful, more "present," more soft, and more patient. They've made me really look at what's important and what's not. Really, they are the making of me.

Having said that, right now I'm trying to meet a bunch of deadlines and keep our home simply running (not clean or organized!)and to not go crazy before the end of the semester, so I'm on blog vacation until I can get my schoolwork and housework down to manageable proportions again. I hope that will be soon after Thanksgiving. Have a wonderful rest of November.

4 comments:

NOBODY said...

Blooger won't accept my comment.
I was SAYING:
You've come a long way baby! Funny how hard one active kid used to seem...

I LOVE those pics of Cal. I notice he didn't reject any chocolates.

Good luck finishing what you need to.

Gabriela said...

Lovely post!

I love it when we can see personal progress in motherhood-it doesn't come along very often, but when it does it is very humbling and gratifying.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Unknown said...

Yeah--soft and patient are both good. I'm not sure I've managed that, but I do laugh. Ya gotta.

Not clean and organized is good in my book too.

Ice Cream said...

Oh I hear ya! Some of my favorite pictures of one of my boys are ones I took while sobbing in rage, and I took the pictures for the same reason. I wanted proof. I wanted a visual warning for his wife. I wanted something I could guilt him with when it came time to make him go to college. But now I just love them because they are so funny, and I'm so gladd that he doesn't do that stuff anymore. No, now he has moved on to bigger and scarier things.