Well, hello there October

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Things have been quiet around the internet lately, haven't they? Well except for E. Ivie who came back from her blogging hiatus with quite the bang. All these new posts from her have me terribly spoiled and I've been so enjoying getting to dig into her writing again. But unfortunately for me, I can't say the same. Things have certainly been quiet over here in my corner of the web. I have been working on the house, cleaning and organizing and nesting, I suppose. We've been getting into our new school routine with Wes, and into the hang of homework and sight words and lots and lots of book reading. 

Now that Wes is in school five days a week, I've been savoring my Mondays with Oren. After Wes was born and it came time to transition back to work after maternity leave I changed my schedule and began working four ten hour days (taking Mondays off to have an extra day home with him, just the two of us). This has been my schedule ever since and when Oren was born it became another day I got to spend with the two of them together. When Wes started Pre-K at age four, I still kept him home on Mondays with me (selfishly hanging onto our Mondays together for as long as I possibly could). But now that he's six and officially in kindergarten, four day school weeks are no longer optional, and off to class he goes on Monday mornings. I was (and still am) mourning the fact that our Mondays together have finally come to a close. I know he feels it too, and knowing he has to go to school while Oren gets to stay home with me has been a tough pill to swallow for him. But we're adjusting.  We're always adjusting and then re-adjusting to new schedules, routines, growth, life changes. But in Weston's absence I have been trying to really focus on these brief weeks where my Mondays are for Oren and Oren only. In between school starting in August for Wes and the birth of our newest babe at the end of this month (hopefully) I have these few, precious weeks of Mondays with my second born. If I stop to think about it, Wes had over two years of Mondays being the only child where all my attention was devoted to him and only him. And when Oren goes off to kindergarten in a few years, baby number three will have me to themselves for the few remaining years of their own toddlerhood before he or she begins school. But Oren? All he gets is this handful of weeks with my total, undivided attention. The plight of the middle child, I suppose. But what can you do?

So I have been spoiling him extra good, with breakfasts out and trips to the pet store and ice cream shop. Lots of couch cuddling and movies of his choice. Trips to the park and a few too many glasses of soda. He probably won't even remember this time we have spent together, but I certainly will. I am clinging to him for all it's worth for these next few weeks and enjoying every last moment while he's still my youngest and still my baby. And as much as I am looking forward to meeting our newest little one I will try my best not to wish away these last few weeks. I will enjoy this last small part of what will soon be my old life. I will savor this October.