Changes

First- thank you all for your kind words about Zo.  It has meant a lot to me to be reminded how many others loved her.

So many things have changed here in the last couple weeks.  On the evening after the Bug's party our black cat, Sydney, went to live with my mother-in-law.  He has been adjusting into her household and sounds like he is very happy there.  And of course, Zo.  That leaves us with just Sebastien for a fuzzy friend.  Turns out, Sebastien isn't really a quiet, mild mannered, deaf Persian cat.   He is actually a very loud and looking for rubs kind of cat.  Even more amazing, my allergies to him seem to have subsided completely!  I always knew I was allergic to Sydney's saliva and that he would groom Sebastien.  I just had no idea I wasn't actually allergic to Sebastien at all.  Can you imagine?  For 12 years I thought I was allergic to this cat and it was really the other one all along!  So anyway, now they are both getting lot's of attention and no doubt having better lives because of it.

{picture by the Bug}

Another thing that changed is the Bug is no longer getting bottles to go to sleep.  We had hung on to that little crutch for such a long time because a) I thought it would be horrific giving it up, b) I don't like to do things that may be described as "horrific", and c) I thought waiting until his birthday would give us a good mile marker to use and mean the weather would be lovely out so we would have at least a chance of exhausting him to sleep.

We talked with him about for at least a month leading up to his birthday.  One afternoon when we were visiting a friends very, very new baby a little spark of inspiration hit me.  Impulsively, I told him that since little boys don't need bottles but babies do perhaps it would be nice to give the new baby his bottles after he became a little boy (you know, turned two. ;-)  Turns out- this was genius.  The transition has been very easy.  Every time he asks for a bottle (and he still asks for one now and then) I mention that he doesn't have bottles anymore and you know what he says?  "Bot.  Sarah."  Bottles are for baby Sarah.  Sometimes I know he is thinking about this more because he just tells me about how Sarah has the bottles.  (We gift wrapped them and took them over a week or so ago.)  But it doesn't upset him.  He sees that she needs them and he doesn't.  So wonderful!

{outfit by the Bug}

The cutest part is the new bedtime routine.  We've always used the "wheels on the bus" song for sleep and or desperate grumpiness (like in the car on a road trip) but anything can go on the bus.  Whales, elephants, lions, hats, tax collectors, you name it- we've probably had it on our bus.  It is more like a Haitian tap-tap than a traditional city bus.  Since the bottles have been gone he has started saying both what goes on the bus and what those things do.  It almost always starts with the geese on the bus going honk, honk, honk.  We sing, "the geese on the bus goes-" and he does the middle part.  Recently there have been woods (walk, walk,walk), Sarah (bottle, bot) and a hat (sits on head) on the bus.  It is hard not to burst out laughing at the amazing things he comes up with.  I love this little ritual soooo much!

Nap time is more of a get in the stroller or car (on the days I have it)  and wait for the eye lids to drop (though I think we have just laid down a few times.)  And one day he fell asleep riding his new tricycle.  That was priceless.



So, adjustments are happening.  And soon these things will be normalized and we'll be thinking of other changes coming towards us and hopefully enjoying the present moments as they vacillate between bliss and crisis.  Those two seem to be the most common states when one has a toddler running about.