Growing Pains

I hear this comment a lot, "oh they grow up so fast". You know what? Good. As a matter of fact, can I do anything to help them grow up faster? The other morning I couldn't find their formula to make a bottle, so I used some of my Strawberry Whey Protein powder instead, I might make this a regular habit if it accelerates their growth. Maybe I should crush up some vitamins and add that to their diet. I'm not above tinkering with Human Growth Hormone, they could at least then play major league baseball. Someone will surely say, "Oh Josh, you need to cherish these moments". Really? What moments?

I can't wait till they're grown enough, that I don't have to wake up at 3:30 in the morning to feed them. Changing dirty diapers...not a fan. The second I can remove the word "poopy" from my everyday vocabulary, I am going to throw a small party for myself.

People always get this really far off look in their eyes and say something like, "It seems like just yesterday that my kids were that small." That's nice. Tell ya what, since you're feeling all warm and fuzzy with nostalgia, why don't you come over to my house around 1:30 am and you can try and figure out why my kids are crying and whining. Do they need their diapers changed? Do they need to be fed? Do they need to be held? Maybe they have some gas, or they're working on nice big poopy? Perhaps they're just fussy? Come on over and relive all your fond memories as you stay awake for the next four hours and discover that their reasons for a sob-fest are all of the above. Have fun.

Everyone forgets about the late nights, incessant crying, & constantly being on alert. What do they need now, I am continually asking myself. It's just the few sweet things that parents want to remember.

For instance, the way that Z curls up into a little ball and falls asleep on my chest...OK, I will miss that.

E does this really cute stretching routine that lasts like twenty minutes when he first wakes up in the morning. I will admit I love watching that no matter how tired I am.

When Z is really hungry, and you get the bottle anywhere near her, she gets super excited and usually pumps a hand in the air as she kind of hops around in your lap groping for the bottle. That is admittedly cute.

They smell really nice after a bath and are eager to cuddle, I could see how I might miss that.

E waves his hands around a lot, sometimes it looks like he is conducting the philharmonic. He must be constantly forgetting and rediscovering that the things waving around in front of his face are hands that belong to him, and that he controls them. That's always good for a laugh.

Both of their faces are really expressive, at least once a day they make a really funny face. Z is like one of those Precious Moments characters, her eyes seem like they're too big for her face, but in a good way that just draws you in; they're so bright they almost sparkle. I have to confess that when she looks up at me and her eyes seem to say, "Thanks dad, I love you", I sort of melt a little bit. Anyone with half a heart would obviously miss that feeling.

E sometimes lets out this single burst of a cry when he's frustrated, it's really more cute than it is annoying. I might miss that. He also has this smile where only the left side of his mouth turns upward, as if he just thought of something real funny. That's pretty stinkin' cute, I will miss that.

Perhaps there are things that I will miss, assuming the sleepless nights don't send me to the sweet rest of the grave prematurely.