It's the Middle that Counts the Most

I spent the weekend with my kids and husband and our puppies. Jamie and I even snuck  in a date for margaritas. We were walking on air until we came home to dog pee on the carpet. **SIGH**  All in all though, it was a perfect weekend. Maybe it has to do with spring coming. Maybe it’s because Cooper is getting easier every day or maybe it’s a whole lot of self growth. I guess I really don’t know. But I’ll take it.

I cleaned my house 17 times and then cleaned it again. I cursed the boys and the dogs for being so damn messy. It’s unbelievable! I went for a 6 mile run and nicknamed one of the hills, ‘The Widow Maker.’ I played trains and read books and danced to The Wheels on the Bus more times than I can count. I watched Sawyer learn and learn some more. Wow, that kid is smart. I heard him say ‘hat’ and ‘cracker’ this weekend and my heart nearly burst.  And I watched Cooper come into his own on so many things. Simple things. I gave him a graham cracker this weekend and he tripped and fell and it broke. His heart was broken so off we went to get another one.

Cooper and I went for a short walk down our road. He ‘talked’ to me the whole way and pointed at everything. It was pretty dang special if you ask me.

I even gave Super Cooper a haircut and he was PERFECT. Thank God that the fighting haircut days are over. I got a little cocky though and took a chunk off the right side. Eek! It will grow back:-)

I took a zillion pictures of the boys…much like every other day. I want to remember every moment with these kiddos. I had a mini meltdown (Jamie will attest to this), ok maybe 3, because Cooper wouldn’t sit still for a picture. I probably looked pretty pathetic begging him to let me take one. I think I actually pushed him into a snow bank out of frustration (not my finest moment…but he stopped moving for 3 seconds!).

The old Kate, one-short-year-ago Kate, would get devastated about stuff like this. Now, we simply say to Cooper, ‘your sensory is showing buddy.’ It’s our way of reminding him and ourselves that we are expecting more than he can give right now. Don’t let me fool you, I still get sad all of the time. I teared up at dinner time yesterday because I was so tired of forcing him to take a bite. But there are so many good times now that it’s not worth being sad for too long.

And I got a pretty great picture if you ask me….