Isaac is the second youngest kid in his class and so there a few things that are happening that he feels a bit behind, like losing a tooth.  It doesn't help that two of his friends are genetic wonders are started losing teeth at 4.

Nonetheless Isaac is full of hope and so even now, when no teeth are obviously loose, he is testing them.  On a daily basis we get updates about his teeth, like they are some new European country falling into a debt crisis:  "Its happening...", "I think this one is about to go....", "We are really close..."

When he went to the dentist he asked and the dentist told him that he would lose a tooth before his sixth birthday and that one was loose.  I suppose loose is like the word "close" and it is a relative measurement.  Am I close to the Sun?  It depends.  Compared to my backyard, definitely not; compared to the Andromeda Nebula?  Yes, for sure.  And so Isaac has "loose" teeth.  And if he happens to retain all his chompers until his 6th birthday, I pray for his dentist.  Isaac's cross examination skills now match his fiery temper.

Isaac the tooth tester.

Of course we will update you if anything becomes "actually" loose.

 

Like bear cubs rolling out from the winter, we have been outside a lot the last two weekends, even when the non-hearty New Englanders were here (post coming...).  The weather this winter was the exact opposite of last year and so, even though this time 12 months ago we were still a month and half away from a snow free front yard, this past weekend we got the table out on the patio and did a bunch of spring things.  

Ethan, like the proverbial bear cub, has enjoyed being outside.  While Isaac and Mom cleaned up outside and Dad chopped some wood, Ethan stood at a planter for about thirty minutes content with taking out potting soil and tossing it on the ground.  When that played out he sat on the push trike for a while, looking like the cutest biker ever.  

All sorts of other signs of spring are upon us too.  Though we have no buds on the leaves yet, there are tufts of green grass here and there and the sap is flowing.  A walk down by the river revealed a sticky glistening mess where the beavers were chewing.  But the ultimate sign of spring happened on Sunday--all four of us packed into the Outback and drove to Rota Springs, our favorite ice cream spot.

Isaac paid, having been given the task and the funds by P-Pa.  He stood in a very long line with Bianca (I had Beethan) and when all the orders were returned, he handed them a $20.  This in itself is a big deal as Isaac loves big bills and the twenty is the jewel of his collection thus far.  But he surrendered it willingly and was even pleased when he got back nine ones.  

Ethan had fun cruising around a picnic table and rolling around in the grass with his brother (it looked like he was being tortured to us, but Ethan came up smiling).  Ethan also enjoyed, and I mean ENJOYED, his first bites of ice cream.  He can be an insistent little booger, but no more so than when he is waiting for food.  Only boobie milk elicits a stronger demand reaction.

With two sticky-faced boys we drove home happy, bellies full of delicious ice cream, and the sun shining on us as we rode. 

YAY SPRING!

Happy Birthday, Ethan Joseph!

Having kids is an experience of infinite reward, surprise, and challenge.  Delights abound, from the first finger grab to being called by name.  It is your heart, laid bare, for the world to see.  You imbue this little person with all of the hope for the future and you are constantly tempted to see that future instead of the present, almost certainly because it is so tantalizing.  But the baby does things to keep you in the present--poopy diapers, thrown food, getting sick.  They impress on you the need to be attentive to the present and not get lost in the future.  But today, on Ethan's actual birthday, I am reminded neither of the present nor the future, but of the past.  

Ethan's birth, like all births, was an event.  Isaac was stubborn and didn't want to come out.  Ethan did not have that problem.  But unlike his brother, Ethan's arrive wasn't exactly smooth.  He had some trouble and gave everyone a scare.  It seems like a speed bump now, but the reality is that at the time it was all consuming.  For a few moments, the panic and fright of what was going on seemed to be all there was in the world.  Then the doctor did his thing and Ethan has been fine ever since (oh, then there was the hospital a few days later for serious jaundice, but that too is a distant memory).  

So on this first birthday I am reminded of how precious our little Beethan is.  I am reminded of how much he has changed our lives.  I am reminded of how grateful his brother is that he is here.  Everyone is grateful that Beethy is here.  While, at the time, we didn't know it nor did we feel like it was the case, it is clear now that our family was incomplete without the Beethmaster.  

Isaac, Mom, and Dad all love you our little 1 year old, our fighter, our passionate kid, our endlessly curious kid, our kid that loves to get in to it.  

Happy Birthday Ethan Joseph Sculimbrene!  We love you Beethan.