Back in the drivers seat

   Life goes on. You take your punches and roll with them, and then the next move is yours. Thus begins a new chapter....After the dust had settled from Melanie's accident, we (by we, I mostly mean me) decided that a MUV (Mothers Utility Vehicle) would be a better match for us than an SUV. True, it is not as cool as a four wheel drive SUV, but our newly acquired 2003 Honda Odyssey is fully loaded complete with leather seats, heated front seats, power doors including power sliding doors, and a dvd player among many other sweet features. Melanie was not really happy about my insistence (yes you heard right, my insistence) that we get a minivan instead of another SUV, in fact when I came home after making the purchase, she was quick to point out all the things she did not like about the van and proceeded to tell me that even though she was just happy to have another vehicle to drive, she would never like the minivan as much as she liked the Explorer. That changed very quickly; on her first day driving kids around. She has now conceded that had she known how much she was going to love having a minivan, she would have wrecked the Explorer a long time ago. Hmmmm...I am not sure how to take that one.

  Apollo loves HIS new car. He is pretty sure that we bought it for him. The sliding doors are "magic" and he could spend an entire day making them open and close on their own. The dvd player is almost equally as exciting for him, and a welcome distraction for his mom and I as it allows us to have an adult conversation while a movie is playing. 

  I can not say for certain how Orion feels about the new car, but I can tell you that he shares Apollo's passion for cars...at least toy cars. We have dozens of baby toys around the house. You would think the bright colors and interesting shapes would appeal to a seven month old, but Orion would rather grab a toy car and roll it back and forth on the floor or on the wall. I relish the times that Apollo will sit down with Orion, hand him a car, and the two of them will play cars together.  

 Orion has been dubbed "Destructo", and is on a mission to destroy everything. His favorite pass time is emptying the pantry and the cupboards. Squealing at the top of his lungs, is also very rewarding apparently. I am sure he is just mimicking our parrots, much to my dismay. 

   My favorite Orion memories for this month are the genuine hugs and slobbery kisses. Nothing melts your heart more than entering the house after a day at work, and when your baby sees you, he squeals, and then crawls across the floor at full speed until he gets to where you stand and grabs your pant legs. When you pick him up from the floor he looks you in the eye's, smiling all the way up, grabs your neck, and lays his head on your shoulder. When he is done hugging you, he will lift his head, smile again, and then plant a slobbery mouth on your face. I would freeze time if I could, just to capture that feeling forever.

  As March has drenched us with nearly ten inches of rain, the rolling hillsides have erupted in green grasses dusted with yellow mustard blossoms with the back drop of deep blue skies and white puffy clouds. Spring has arrived. Everything is coming to life, and the days are getting longer.  My 44th year is about to begin along with Apollo's 4th. What I wouldn't give to be four again. I envy the care free spirit of a 4-year-old. Apollo is blossoming in his own right. I am enamored with him and his personality. He is so inquisitive and insightful. He is interested in the mechanics of how things work, and why. He enjoys taking things apart just to put them back together. He has a fascination with the stars, moon, planets, and the sun. Many evenings we have spent talking about the stars in the night sky, or watching videos about the planets. 

  Some of my favorite times with Apollo these days, is around bed time. He is winding down from his day, and we get to have some pretty meaningful conversations. He typically has questions for me and will listen intently to my answers. We talk, joke, and laugh as we lie in bed. My favorite thing that Apollo has been doing this month is in the moments prior to falling asleep. I can tell that he is about to drift off as his actions are nearly always the same. "Dada, don't go to work tomorrow, I want you to stay here." He will reach over and grab onto my sleeve, and squeeze it tightly with his fingers. His eyes are usually closed at this point. "I am afraid that you are going to leave and go to work, so I am going to hold onto you so you can't leave."....There is no more satisfying or rewarding way to end the day.