Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Second Baby!

In the past couple weeks, Alex has sprouted two sharp little teeth, mastered the art of crawling, and started eating finger food.  I seem to recall throwing ticker tape parades for Andy when he accomplished these tasks.  For Alex?  I have expressed great enthusiasm and offered smiles and hugs before excusing myself to clean up the small, but neat, piles of regurgitated carrot left behind on the coffee table by his older brother.

Alex has accomplished each of these tasks well before Andy did.  Andy refused to eat solid foods until after nine months, while Alex has been eating his purees like a champ since five.  Andy's teeth did not come in until about nine months as well, and Andy did not start army crawling (that lazy fatso) until about nine as well.  Wow, was that really all in the same month for Andy?  So was it one ticker tape parade or three?  My mind fails me on the details, as I have developed a strong case of mom brain over the past couple years and just the other day forgot how to spell the word "boat."

Boat.  Boat.  Boat.  After a while, it just doesn't look RIGHT.

I think the main reason that the accomplishments of the second child don't seem as grand and amazing as the first child's is because, as a mom, you get over the fact that you can create a human and that this human you birth is actually, truly a functioning person who will most likely achieve developmental milestones.  I still remember the day we received Andy's social security card in the mail.  While this affirmation of my son being a US citizen is not a developmental milestone, per se, it was still a big day in my eyes, and one that caused me and Chris to laugh for, let's say, three and a half hours.  "We just made this name up!"  we kept repeating, "And now they're putting it on things!"  This baby was just a growth in my belly a few weeks ago.  And now- well, now "it" has a social security number???!!  How completely messed up is that!

And when I received Alex's social security number?  I promptly filed it away after first perusing my copy of Everyday With Rachel Ray, which had also arrived in the mail that day.  Thirty minute meals.  Don't even get me started on what a scam that whole thing is.  But, alas.

Not to say that I'm not Alex's biggest cheerleader in all of his baby milestones.  I most certainly am.  I'm just over the whole disbelief thing.  Yeah, I know I can make humans.  Yeah, I know that they will grow and do awesome things on their own.  I guess I'm becoming kind of smug about the whole thing.

Andy is thrilled about Alex's foray into finger food, because that means I've started buying "baby snacks," such as the flavored rice puffs and the things that look like cheese puffs but taste a little like ass, unless you're two or under.  Andy demands his fair share of Alex's baby snacks, promptly sticking his sausage in his tractor (I mean that quite literally) so that his breakfast plate is empty and therefore room enough for a pile of crappy blueberry rice puffs.  "I want baby snacks!"  Andy demands while I swap out one of his banana slices for some of Alex's puffs.  I did this today, cutting the banana slice into what felt like thirty pieces before scattering them on Alex's tray. Alex quickly shoved all of the banana bits into his mouth and then just as quickly threw up.  Sooo- I guess Alex is ready for pre-packaged, specially formulated baby finger food and not so much real, straight from the farm (or Jewel) food.  Whatever.  He's still eating way better than most of us.  By which I mean Andy.  Who still has not retrieved his sausage from his tractor.

Andy is not, however, thrilled about Alex's crawling, as that has upped Alex's annoyance factor right into the eleven range.  Andy can't escape his grabby, eager little brother, who wants nothing more than to just be near his Andy and perhaps try to ingest three or four of his toys.  In order to get the point across that he wants to be left alone, Andy has taken to bouncing on Alex like he's the world's smallest, and most fragile, trampoline.  I have done nothing these past few days (aside from cleaning up banana vomit) except pull Andy off his brother while strongly chastising him that he's hurting his baby.  I feel the point would get across a little better if only Alex didn't giggle like crazy and seemingly love it.

Oh, Alex.  You'll put up with anything just to be part of the gang.

Alex is approaching eight months here in a couple days, and he's changing and growing every day.  But he's still my so very beloved little baby, even as I somewhat nonchalantly greet his major achievements.


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