For Posterity's Sake: Week in Review 48

Our weekends, while usually family-focused, have seemed even more so in the past weeks. Even our quiet, solitary moments tend to be spent on projects for our current and changing family: Jason assembling baby furniture or installing the infant car seat and me finishing up projects, Christmas and otherwise. While we eagerly look forward to our holidays and family to come, there is something extra special about the things that Audrey does or says that keep us anchored in the right here, right now. Here are some of our favorite moments from the past week:





While getting dressed on Monday, Audrey said, "I want my baby."

"What baby?" I asked.

"I want my baby. I want my brother."





Audrey woke up early on Wednesday morning while it was still too dark to see your hands in front of your face. She stood hovering in her doorway, not making a sound. Jason opened our bedroom door to hear, "Dad, this is your pancake!"





That night we had planned on letting Audrey watch a Christmas movie if she was ready for bed early. Following dinner, I said, "Why don't you start picking up the puzzles so you have a better shot at watching a movie once you take a bath."

"I don't want a shot!" she yelled, jumping from her seat and ducking to hide under the table.

"Sorry, let me rephrase that..."





During bath time, I was sitting just outside the door (but still in clear view of the tub) so I could quickly (and discretely) order a Christmas gift online. Audrey, lying on her belly, was using her toes and hands to push off the sides of the tub and propel herself from one end to the other. The water splashed higher as she gained momentum.

"Are you splashing outside the tub?" I asked.

"No, I'm just swimming fast like a shark."

"Okay, just make sure you don't splash too hard."

"Okay, thanks for understanding," she said.





Thursday night as Jason got Audrey dressed for bed, she asked, "Why do you have arms?"

"I don't know. Why do you have arms?" he asked.

"To put shirts on," she said.

"Why do you have legs?" he asked.

"To put pants on," she said.

"Why do you have feet?" he asked.

"To put shoes on."

"Why do you have a head?" he asked.

"To put hats on," she said.

"Why do you have eyes?" he asked.

"To twinkle," she said.

Gotta love preschooler logic.





Saturday morning Audrey ran downstairs and made a beeline to her toy basket.

"I'm going to get out a bunch of stuff. Woo-hoo!" she yelled.





After "getting out a bunch of stuff," she and Jason played. He bounced her on his legs, spun her in the air, and spotted her as she did "flips" until he had gotten more of an arm and leg workout than he's had in weeks. Tired, he sprawled out on the floor. Audrey asked to flip some more. Jason told her he needed a break. She lay down beside him and wrapped her arms around his head. "I'm just going to hold you, okay?"





The weeks always seem to speed up the nearer we get to holidays or life-changing events. But somehow, we've been blessed with these pockets of time where things seem to slow down. We take the time to listen to one another, to laugh or marvel at the things we hear. We take time to play, to spin, to splash lightly. And, always, as often as we can, we just hold on, squeezing our little one and the moments she gives us for as long as we can.