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August 20, 2007

Saratoba

Photo by Alexis.

Alexis and I have been spending a lot of time with children lately. In fact, the joke is that next weekend we need to find a five year old to hang out with, as we began with a newly minted one year old earlier in the month, then progressed to a nearly three year old over the past few days. By November, I fully expect to be sending someone else's teenager to college.

My involvement in with Dimsum has been far less frequent as I would like as of late, though life has this way of intervening sometimes, and his mom and I have certainly been busy and distracted by our own little corners of the world. On Friday, the four of us took a road trip upstate to visit my parents and it was the first time that I had seen Dimsum in over a year. The little boy that had barely been talking last July could now recite all of the planets, tell me who the president was, identify a mandrill from a monkey lineup and give one of the best comebacks I've heard in a while-- and one that only a tiny boy with a tiny voice could pull off: "No, not right now." [As in: "Dimsum, would you like to put your shoes on?" "No, not right now."]

The past few weeks have been incredibly exhausting in the Lexacor household, and at times it has been difficult to grab hold of good things amongst a variety of disappointments and heartbreaks. In that respect, spending time with children has been refreshing (though also tiring), as it reminds me that life is just so wide open. I spent a lot of time watching my friend with her son this weekend, taking in probably only a hint of what the wonders and struggles of parenting must feel like, and constantly re-realizing that even though life seems to be consistently hard right now, it could be so much harder. But also, in time, so much more rewarding.

Slightly Related: After a five hour car ride home and much bridge traffic, we finally arrived back in Red Hook yesterday afternoon. EFH and I took Dimsum upstairs for a pit stop, where he received a fresh diaper and pet way too many cats. When it was time to get back into his car seat, he fussed a little, reaching out to Alexis and I and stating with much conviction, "But mommy, I don't want to leave. I NEED Brooklyn. I need it." We smiled and the car door closed, and as we waved goodbye from our doorstep, I turned to Lex and whispered, "That's funny, so do I. So do I."

Other favortie Dimsum quotes:

1. We are going to Saratoba [Saratoga].
2. We are going to the county fair! When will we see Silly Bob? [Silly Bob = my father]
3. The president is Gorb Bush!

Posted by callalillie at August 20, 2007 10:27 AM | La Familia

COMMENTS

Posted by: Cynthia at August 20, 2007 4:01 PM

Posted by: corie at August 20, 2007 4:05 PM

Posted by: jenblossom at August 20, 2007 10:53 PM

Posted by: Virginia Case at August 22, 2007 7:08 PM