Tiaras and Trucks: And Dylan Makes Four

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Dylan will never know the luxury of being an only child, a position Abbey held captive for almost two years. Before he came along, I thought a lot about that from both of their positions. At times, it felt unfair to Abbey, and at times it felt unfair to not-yet-born Dylan. However, most of my thinking was done in abstract, emotional ways and not in the practical day-to-day moments that make up our lives. For example, when Abbey was a newborn, feeding her was a leisurely, drawn-out process; I would sit comfortably on the couch, have a glass of water, and watch something fun and indulgent on TV. Poor Dylan sometimes gets fed while I’m sitting cross-legged in the bathroom, because Abbey has decided the only thing she wants to do is brush her teeth.

Funny? Sometimes…yet I still worry that neither of them can possibly be getting enough attention or enough quality time. I mean, no matter how well I plan out a day, there are two of them and one of me, and I haven’t figured out how to grow an extra set of arms or how to pause life for just a few minutes. Yet, in the midst of the chaos that seems to emerge from even the best laid plans, there are moments that take my breath away in their sweet simplicity. Today Abbey was dancing around the room to a tongue twister, asking me to repeat it again and again. Dylan is starting to smile and really observe the world around him. Then there are those fleeting moments where she wants to hold him at the same time he is calm and happy, and I realize that neither of them are only children, but they have each other, and that quality time as a whole family can be just as precious as those early days and months when Abbey was the center of our universe.