Growing Up

Our last two days have been full of wonderful adventures but they have been very bittersweet adventures that have left me in tears more than once. Yesterday both boys figured out how to cruise around the living room pushing their stand-up walker. Though they have been standing on their own for awhile now, they really hadn't shown much interset in walking... until all of a sudden they are racing around the living room and there I am in tears because my little boys are starting to walk. Who gave them permission to grow up? Because I surely didn't! But sure enough as soon as they went to sleep last night, Jon and I sat down to order the invitations for their first birthday party. I finally gave up on the idea that not throwing a party would prevent them from turning one, though I did so VERY reluctantly.

The boys weren't interested in giving me a break this morning and they continued to grow up right before my eyes. This morning they got their first haircut. I have been toying with the idea for the last week or two but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Their hair is thin, but it was getting long and raggedy. Plus Matthew's hair was long enough to cover his little ear mark and we were having to constantly tuck it behind his ear in order to tell who is who. My mother's whole family is coming in to town for my grandparent's 50th anniversary party on Sunday so at the very last minute this morning we decided to go get their hair cut for the party. I needed to do it quickly like that so I didn't have time to think about it and change my mind. We took them to my dad's barber. She has cut my dad's hair for years and also did my grandpa's hair before he passed away, so it was only right to take the boys there. They did amazingly well and looked so handsome sitting up there in that chair. They look absolutely adorable with their hair trimmed and cleaned up, but afterwards I cried thinking that I can never undo what I had just done. They will never have all of their baby hair again, with those natural ends that first poked through their little heads. They will never have a first hair cut again. Now I look at them and they look like handsome little men and I can't help but wipe away tears while I look past them searching for my babies. As if that wasn't enough for one day, we took them to their first dentist appointment this afternoon too. They each have six teeth a piece and we know this because they sat like big boys while the dentist stuck his little mirror in there and counted them out. They were very excited show the dentist how big they are (soooo big!) and to get their new toothbrushes. Ever since, I have been desperately racking my brain trying to find a way to stop my precious babies from growing up. I've got one month to figure it out before they turn one year old and are officially little boys and not babies any more. Because at the rate I'm going, I'm not sure if I can handle this birthday!!! I may not even survive until then!