Yesterday was Julie's birthday. It seems so different, doing birthdays as a bona fide adult. The expectations are just different. I remember being so excited about birthdays, not because something was going to happen or anything, but just because somewhere in my head, it was my own day. I'm not sure when that fades away... Probably college did it. But I think it was already gone by high school for me. Either way, now I forget when my birthday is coming, and I have to sometimes think to remember when it actually is. Luckily it's an easy number to remember. I don't have that trouble remembering Julie's, though (or the kids' for that matter). And I think I view that as a very good thing.
Julie's birthday really was a parenting day. The day before had been a good, but very long day without naps for the kids. And somehow Tristan managed to stay awake until 11. Now granted, we were driving back from Southfield, so there wasn't a lot to be done about it, but normally he falls asleep on later-night car rides, especially when they're that long. Then the day of was another napless day for the kids, and it started rather early. It wasn't, by any means, a bad day, but I was hoping to do something more special for her. She does so much for us... Funny how much more difficult grace is to give than to accept. And they say we're so good at receiving... Apparently only at receiving things that don't matter. We really do have a hard time with such beauty.
It's a quarter to nine now, and I think Tristan is actually down for the night. We're (re-)working on solo bedtime, but it's a rough learning curve. He seems to have done very well adapting to the new place and all, which is a huge blessing, but bedtime appears to be a bit problematic. He's learning, though, and that can be difficult for anyone, especially when that anyone is two years old.
Lucy, on the other hand, does not seem to be having any kind of trouble with bedtime. I think it was the right time to move for her; she wasn't quite old enough for it to be a bigger change than everyday life already was. She's just as happy as can be. In the meantime, she has started eating baby food! It's a very exciting thing for me, because I get a chance to feed her too now. She does such a good job with it, too. She's extremely cooperative and it's plain to see she loves it. And she eats so much! Unreal. She doesn't seem to enjoy it as much with Julie, but I think that's just because she knows that Momma's still got the good stuff. And who wants green beans/peas/carrots/sweet potatoes/squash, when there's milk to be had? A very logical girl, that one.
She's getting so big. I mean, she's always been big. Maybe one day she'll slip down onto the top of the growth charts... But she really is big. She's very healthy and just super sturdy in her sitting, though she has to be to avoid being bulldozed by big brother. She's learning a couple signs, too. She may even already have a handle on "eat" and "milk", which is amazing. And she loves to "talk". She says a lot of "dada-dada"s, which is so heartwarming. And she loves to chompa-chomp and wap-wap-wap. She's very silly. She and Tristan get along so well, too. They sit and face each other, and they kind of have a small stare-down, until one of the two makes the other laugh. Then it's on. Then the one's goal becomes making the other laugh, and they keep it up for good long periods of time. Julie has a video up online of the kids laughing at each other. We watch it every night before bed.
Then there's school. I completely get how people bury themselves in grad school. But it seems like it's a choice, to a point, too. I mean, grad school in its totality is a choice, but you can choose to let it take over your life, or not to. And I think a lot of people assume it will, and so they let it. But it is coming along well. I'm doing just fine in my classes, labs are going well, and I think I've found my groove. Now it's just keeping it up for a while. And it does look like I'll have a research assistantship, which is great, too. It's at least a guaranteed position for summers and such, which is a nice stability to have.
God's being very big right now. Sometimes it seems like He's working a lot backstage, pulling the ropes and managing things in a less visible way. But right now, it feels like He's standing front and center, making Himself very visible all the time. And it's beautiful. I've been getting glimpses of God in everything lately, and in everyone. I know they're there always, but it's just been very apparent for the last month or so, and it's very refreshing. While I do appreciate all He does for us and all the ways He shows his love, and while I do love to say "thank you" for these things, it's quite something to get that big "you're welcome" right back. Unbelievable.
I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to string together thoughts with any kind of cohesiveness, so I'll quit while I'm ahead. And Julie just got home from grocery shopping, so now we can spend some time together.
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