In two years time... or how do they get so BIG so fast?

 So we were baking cookies yesterday and I was struck again, not just by how much dough this little guy manages to sneak when he thinks I'm not looking, but by just how Competent this little one is.  I watched as he put all the ingredients in the bowl and spilled none of them.  I watched him maneuver the scooper, which is no easy task, to produce fairly even balls of dough.   I nervously watched him sprinkle each ball with coarse sugar with the confidence that comes with many, many hours of sandbox experience.  I was fairly amazed.  This little person, who less than two years ago sat on this very table in a bouncy seat, unable to grasp an object dangled in front of him, now fearlessly handles the mixer.

 And it's not just baking.  I was sweeping the downstairs and my little helper was in charge of the dustpan and dust broom.  Now, in the past, this was an exercise in futility.  I would sweep together a small pile of dirt and he would use his little broom to push it all back around the room.  But now, just the other day, he GOT it.  He followed me all around, pushing the little pile into the pan, carrying it to the trash can, dumping and repeating the process over and over,  in each room we cleaned.  He didn't get bored, he stayed focused and he was actually a big HELP.  Wow, I thought, this is good, this is real good.   The last few days, he has taken on the responsibility of feeding the cats and dog.  He fills their bowls (with the correct food for each) puts the bags away, cleans up any spills, and puts the lid back on the container.

This morning we quickly sewed up a new bib.  He helped with the pins (a little scary, I admit) and a little with the actual sewing machine (notice the crooked stitches :) )  Every day I am amazed at how much more or better he is able to do things.  Now of course he is two, and ultimately, I am responsible for feeding the animals and cleaning the house.  His jobs are of a voluntary nature at this point but I am still amazed at how much he has learned in his short time on the planet.  Austin has learned to sit, stand, speak 2 languages, walk, climb, slide, eat, handle a fork, knife, spoon and crayons.   He can undress himself, buckle the buckle on his high chair, pour liquids, use a potty (sometimes), sing songs, count, say the ABCs, identify letters, etc....     I look back over those same two years and wonder, "what have I learned  or mastered in this same time???"  I can change diapers in the dark, one handed if need be, I can recite from memory "the little red barn" and a handful of other books, I can make broccoli seem like a fun food to eat, I can reach and find any book that has fallen on the floor in the backseat while driving  and I can make up a song on the spot about ANYTHING if the singing of it will make the task at hand easier.  Still think he's winning.

IVF update.  So the BIG box arrived today just before lunch.   Opening it on an empty stomach may not have been wise.  I admit, I was more than a little light headed as I unpacked the many syringes and boxes of drugs.  But we are living one day at a time, and today is not a medicine day, so I quickly shoved the lot of it in the fridge where I can ignore it until Friday.  A Scarlet O'Hara mindset is taking shape,  "I'll think about that....tomorrow."  or something like that.