Looking Back, Looking Forward

I think 2007 was the best and worst year of my life. There is a Chinese proverb (some say curse) that applies well - may you live in interesting times. We had an interesting year. The problem and beauty of life is that there is no going back. Here is our year in review.

January 2007. We are stricken with a pukey stomach bug that grinds all family operations to a pathetic and self-pitying halt. At eight weeks pregnant, I am particularly bitter about the extra nausea. We also manage to infect Grandma and Grandpa when they visit. A week later, I have an appendectomy. On the lighter side, HSSH coins the new family word poopsicle. Ess has a volcanic poop explosion in her booster chair. Unable to deal in my unhealthy state, I throw the chair out the back door before I carry Ess to the bath. The forgotten chair freezes solid in our frigid climate. HSSH returns from work and comments calmly, "What's with the poopsicle on the back porch." It actually has to be brought into our basement to thaw before it can be cleaned.

February 2007. Lost in a blur of first trimester nausea and surgery recovery. There are exactly two pictures of our children in February, which proves that preserving memories is an entirely female obsession, at least in this family.

March 2007. Ess and Gee like to hold hands and play ring around the rosy. It is possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen. The weather is abysmal, the nausea is abysmal and our oldest son's attachment disorder related behavior deteriorates at a rapid pace.

April 2007. Same.

May 2007. The sun! The sun! We might survive. I feel better, the city thaws, things are looking up. Running is the favorite activity of the month - they probably can't remember the last time they got out of the house.

June 2007. Gee, Ess and I fly across country to visit Grandma and Grandpa in D.C. At six months pregnant with two 20 month olds, I imagine that I was the laughing stock of several major airports. Our five year old son leaves our family and transitions to his new adoptive parents. It is the heartbreaking part of our year, but we know that they can better meet his needs.

July 2007. Our second son (Q) is born, through shear force of will on my part, on the last day that we have a nanny before she goes out of town. We think he is beautiful, of course, but we admit that he has a copious amount of hair that sticks straight up on the top of his head.

August 2007. Ess turns two and a love affair with Happy Birthday is born.

September 2007. In a fit of madness, we all travel to Indiana for my in-laws family reunion. We unintentionally take our second pukey bug of the year across country with us, spreading twelve hours of misery not only to HSSH's entire family, but also most likely to all 1400 or so people that rode on four extremely large airplanes with us and their families and friends. The reunion was incredibly fun, travelling with three babies was not.

October 2007. Gee turns two with much singing, blowing and cake eating enthusiasm. Ess adores her lady bug costume. Gee hates his shark costume so much that another new word is added to our family vocabulary. Shark, n., any article of clothing that comes up over one's head. syn. hood. Darling little Cue is a punk rocker because his hair cannot be tamed by any product made by man.

November 2007. We celebrate Thanksgiving with two other families, one with two year old twin boys and the other one two year old boy. That is five two year olds, putting us in the running for both the messiest and the loudest TG dinner in the history of the world. During a five-minute period of time right after we hand them all chocolate cupcakes, the sudden and deafening silence made every adult in the room wish that we could feed them cupcakes continuously until they turn eighteen.

December 2007. While the toddlers are not big fans of Santa Claus because he wears a shark, they do decide to sit in his lap after he offers them candy canes. Forntunately for Santa, we have basically outgrown poopsicles. Hanukkah/Happy Birthday is definitely at a disadvantage holiday-wise to Christmas, due mainly to the presents.

That's my look back. Moving forward into 2008, I have some resolutions that I hope to keep. After all, this is the only year my babies will be 2, 2, and under one!!

1) I resolve to accept each new gauge in my hardwood floors as a reminder that my kids are living life to the fullest. (And to record my husband telling me that I can replace the floors when they move out).

2) I resolve to accept that I cannot force them to nap and drugging them is illegal.

3) I resolve to let them hug me, even when their hands are really sticky. (But, possibly not when their noses are really snotty. I resolve to work on this one.)

4) I resolve to worry less about what they eat, how much TV they watch, whether they learn six languages and go to Harvard, and more about whether I listen to them enough.

5) I resolve never again to respond in a nasty, sarcastic voice "nope, I just enjoy pushing a 50 pound triple stoller."

6) When I throw a coin in a fountain, see the first star of the night, run a yellow light, or notice the time is 11:11, I resolve to stop wishing that my kids will not get the pukey flu, and if they do get the pukey flu, that I could get it worse than my husband so that he has to take care of them and clean up after them. There has to be something more fun I could wish for.

7) I resolve to stop feeling guilty about my daily Starbucks habit. There are, after all, far more expensive and damaging options to make a person feel happy than a grande, non-fat, extra-hot, no-water chai tea latte.

8) I resolve to go to bed no later than 9:oo p.m. at least three times a week because my kids get up at six and no amount of ignoring them makes them go away at that hour.

9) I resolve not to change my wish (see resolution seven) to 'I wish my kids would sleep until 8 a.m., all three of them, simultaneously, just once or twice a week.' (Although, if HP is listening right now, I'd settle for once or twice a month.)

10) I resolve to write in this blog at least once a week for the entire year. Even if not a soul besides me is reading it, at the end of the year it is going to be a fabulous record of all the little things the year held in store for us. Here's to a happy, fun, funny 2008!