Soraya arrived only 4 short years ago, forever changing the landscape of her extended family, from everything to how we eat out, to regularly conversing about poop and skin fungus, and strategizing how we all might sleep in the same house and hope for more than 3 hours rest. She now stands as the ringleader and head cart-pusher of my parents’ 5 grandbabies.
I can’t begin to fathom H being able to do all that she can do now – hold normal conversations (well, about fictional characters and the correct spanish word for “ear”), create giftcards, eat at a normal sized table and chair and comprehend the value of a good chocolate chip cookie. She has grown up so fast. Watch out, soon we’ll be buying bras, homecoming dresses and the correct accessories for a wedding gown. Well, “we” as in my sister, who will give me the play-by-play later. Then I’ll have a full 3 years to mentally prepare myself for the same ordeals with Miss M.
This morning I watched the video I made of all the pictures from the day Raya was born. I started thinking back on that time, what life was like, how it’s now different…
- I wasn’t a part of facebook. I had shared the video on my Xanga. (I know! What’s that?! Does it even still exist?)
- I was a newlywed.
- We were still living in our little love shack on the hill.
- Husband was a funeral director, I was a youth director. Together we directed the young and old. Together we lacked a lot of direction.
- Husband wore a suit nearly every day. He now claims he doesn’t have a decent suit (and his best one has a hole in an inappropriate area. Don’t tell Dean – he wore it to be an usher in his wedding).
- I rarely got dressed before 9. And by “dressed” I mean jeans and a hoodie. Well… somethings never change.
- In the time since Raya was born, husband and I have each earned a masters degree.
- I had not yet met my friend Sarah.
- I’d never grown a garden. Which means I didn’t like tomatoes.
- KLR had not yet met her husband.
Oh, how time flies. And I’ve decided that the more kids you have, and the older they get (or you get… tomato, to-MAH-to), the faster it goes. So perhaps birthdays serve as a simple reminder that we must enjoy the moments as they pass or we’ll blink and our baby girl will be in preschool. Or college.
Happy birthday, Raya Boo.
i was just seeing some pics on your sister’s FB page and was sooo shocked at the fact that she is 4! already. so amazing. also makes me wonder if i should have my kid #1 in preschool like hers (he turns 4 in two weeks). anyway… i agree with the time going much faster with each kid.
and my! you’ve accomplished a bunch in 4 years. 🙂 esp the enjoying of tomatoes- that’s new for me, too!
He should have said something a few weeks ahead. We could have figured something out.
Haha! Dean, he’s had that rip since he went job interviewing. Because no one says anything, he believes it’s unnoticeable. Perhaps it is? But hilarious that i said not to tell you and then you respond.
Well I didn’t know about it till you said something, So maybe he is right that no one has noticed. I cannot say I read every one of your blogs but I do catch them from time to time. So when you mention my name i figured i would leave a comment.