Booster Seats and Roller Coaster Rides

As I drove to work this morning, I looked into the backseat.  Things are changing back there.  We are now a booster seat, car seat family instead of a two car seat family.  Sarah has been asking to move into a booster seat and finally last weekend we made the leap.  At 43 pounds and 43.7 inches tall, she is big enough to ride in a booster seat.  But, I was content to look into my mirror and see her cute face smiling back at me high up in her car seat.

In the bathroom things are changing too.  More signs that my kids are growing  and changing.  There is water on the floor.  Now it could be water because Sarah has started to take the occasional shower on her own.  Nana helped her see the joy in showering, before that she was terrified.  But it could be another form of liquid as it seems that Jack is well on his way to kissing his diapers good bye.  He has been peeing on the potty pretty regularly, but we haven't done much about it.  It was my own fear of failure after the challenges we faced training Sarah that prevented me from really focusing on training him.  Today, Captain Canada worked his magic and it was a diaper free and accident free day. I know better than to declare that he is completely trained, but he seems to get it already and it won't be much longer.

As I gather up the laundry to take it downstairs, I come face to face with another change.  No more baby gate at the top of the stairs.  We took it down this week and after two plus years with this gate, it is nice not to have to prop the laundry basket on my hip as I work the gate open, but still hard to get used to.

As I said to my friend Janice earlier this evening, for moms and dads too, witnessing your kids grow up is exhilarating and terrifying.  I watch with excitement as Jack and Sarah become more independent and stretch their wings.  But on the other hand, the unknown that lies ahead is a little terrifying.  It reminds me of the creaky old roller coaster at Playland.  I can't wait to get on.  Then once I am on, I brace myself for the steep drop, the steady curve and the feel of my body being thrown against the side.  As the cars careen along the track, I throw my arms up and yell with a mixture of joy and terror.  That is what I am doing tonight, throwing my arms up and yelling with a mixture of joy and terror.