You stink (tuba solo) but I love you

We had an amazing time in Vermont. Everyone in that entire family is friendly, down-to-earth, easy to talk to and lots of fun to hang out with. There isn't a black sheep in the bunch. (As Kathleen put it, in a tone of amazed pride, "None of our kids are losers!") We had our own little cottage to retreat to when we needed to nap (or Nolan needed to nap), but there were plenty of communal spaces to hang out in as well. KB got in several hotly contested games of ping-pong in the lodge's rec room, we got to have one adults-only dinner while Nolan was babysat, and we splashed in the lake and had several other outdoor adventures. It was excellent.

The thing that struck me is how much of a FORCE Nolan has become. He has a definite will and his own needs and desires, and he's not shy about expressing them. I think of him now as my own little physics experiment: he's entropy, I'm enthalpy. He rampages through a room knocking toys over and flinging things from end tables; I follow him around picking them back up and restoring them (as best I can) to the way they were before. I picture miniature villagers pointing up at him in horror and shouting (in poorly lip-synced English) "Oh no! It's Babyzilla! RUUUUUN!!"

When he's done eating, does he dab his mouth with a napkin, pat his belly contendedly and say, 'That was delicious! Thank you, mother.'? Um, no. He starts tossing bites of food over his shoulder with glee, smashing and smearing whatever he's eating into his hair, up his nose, and into his ears. Even as I tell him, "No" he makes eye contact with me and daintily picks up another bite as if to eat it, but instead flings it overboard. Then he's finished. Even if he's not finished, he's FINISHED, as far as I'm concerned.

So he's definitely his own person. Scary. Where did he come from? I look at him sometimes and just ponder the fact that there didn't used to be a Nolan, and now there is. Before: No Nolan. After: Nolan! I was looking at our wedding pictures a while back and I had the thought "What did we do with Nolan during the wedding?" Duh.

Thanks for reading.

(So obviously, when I said "No posts for a few days" last time I really meant "No posts for 12 days." It's so easy to get out of a habit even once you think you've gotten into it.)