Walking and talking

Time, please pause. If you don't slow down I will miss everything!!!

My son is 13 months, 3 weeks old. He is walking. Everywhere. And he says about a dozen words now. One of them (finally) is "Mama." Here's a short list:

• Mama
• Dada (and sometimes "Daddy")
• Eat
• Cracker
• Car
• Red
• Why
• No
• Hot
• Good
• Go
• Ooooh! (when something is exciting to him)

My dear daughter has been giving us new challenges as the boy increases his abilities. She has now begun to play even more rough with him. She hits, pushes, knocks him down. She takes toys away. She pretends to be a baby because we have provided the excuse for his own impulsive (but perfectly normal) behaviors.

Sometimes, she does the most amazing things without being asked. She has made her bed, cleaned her room, gotten fully dressed, gotten her own breakfast, and other tasks. At four years old, I consider this quite impressive. Other times, however, she has displayed emotional dysregulation over small things, intense frustration at not being able to put on her shoes (at task at which she has been proficient for at least 2 years), and total breakdowns in rationality. Although all of these things are (somewhat) age appropriate, I wonder how much of it can be attributed to this little guy coming in and taking away all her attention.

We need to enroll her in acting classes.

Overall, however, we are blessed with beautiful, (mostly) well-behaved, and VERY happy children. I cannot believe how quickly time just flies away. Time, please, please, slow down.