The Alec Post

Horrible things are happening at our house.  Caden's clothes no longer fit on baby hangers.  Olivia's getting crabby and chewing on things, signifying the end of toothless smiles.  It's Alec Season and he's not here.  North Canton City School have stolen him from me.  This is the first winter in 5 years that I haven't had Alec.  It's just another sign of the passing of time, but it makes me realize, yet again, that it's important to follow the advice of the wise, Ferris Bueller. "Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you might miss it."  When I thought about blogging about this, at first I thought that it didn't really relate to being green, but I think it does.  For some reason I associate living a slower, more fulfilled life with living a greener life.  It's the "natural" connection.  I think that getting back to a more natural life also means slowing down and taking time to reflect on the now.  I try to do that, but it's so hard.  So today I'm taking a moment to reflect on now, and remember Alec-Seasons past.

Ellie and Alec, the fist year we watched him.

 Alec Season started when Alec and Ellie (only one week apart in age) were almost one.  I was trying to get my home-based childcare started (never really got off the ground) and my friend and former babysitter (although it took me YEARS to realize that she was actually babysitting me, not just my younger brother and sister) needed someone to watch her son, Alec, a few days a week while her parents were in Florida for the winter.  Alec Season One.  This is when I only had two kids and adding a third was a challenge.  I was still at home a lot during this point, we hadn't started running all around to all kinds of classes yet.  I pretty much stayed in and watched Ellie and Alec interact, which was interesting because they were so different yet almost the same age.

Alec, his brother Andrew, Caden and Ellie. (Is it bad I can't remember what happened to Ellie's eye?)

The second Alec season is a time I look on as if I could do that, I can do anything.  I had two kids, was in my first trimester with my third, I was watching ale a few days a week, my nephew almost every day and Andrew a day here and there.  We were no longer staying at home.  I was dropping off and picking Caden and my nephew up from preschool everyday, teaching (subbing) 8 hours a day online and we had started doing classes at the Y.  I was routinely dragging around 4 kids and it was a BIG jump for me from just my two.  It was a real look at what having an at home day care would have been, except that we weren't always at home.  Alec was getting bigger and he could actually play with Ellie now, instead of just beside her.

It seems Alec and Ellie got tired of watching Caden play Wii.

The Third Alec season I now had 3 of my own kids.  Alec and Ellie were both in preschool a few days a wee (so was Caden).  I wasn't watching my nephew anymore and the kids were taking classes galore!  I was afraid that Vince may grow up thinking that the Gymnastics center was his home.  All 3 of the big kids were independent and it wasn't really much of a challenge.  I assumed this was what it was like to be the mother of 4 and it was fun.  I remember feeling like I was always on the go-and it was great!

Enter child number 5-Jaxon!

 The Fourth Alec season, I ceased to document my pictures by month and started doing it by season--an indicator of how things at our house are going. I am now adding another child to the mix, my cousin's son, Jaxon.  It was fun for all the kids to have a baby.  I started watching him when he was only 6 weeks old and it's been fun watching him grow up like I've watched Alec.  Alec always was funny to me with the babies.  Since he was the youngest, he always regarded them with an odd wonder--like he wasn't really sure what to expect from them. 

The last year I watched Alec, I don't have any pictures.  It had ceased to be a big event to have him at our house, in fact we were down to only one Alec day a week, and Ellie was in school that day.  It was just Alec and Vince at that point and Vince thought it was the greatest thing ever!  Someone close to his age, at his house, with no one to play with except HIM!  He now brought his iPod to our house, instead of his blanket.  I picked him up at school sometimes, instead of changing his diapers.  He got big, like my kids did, but because I didn't see him all the time the progression seemed to go a little faster.  Even though he's almost as tall as Caden is now, when I look at him, I can still picture him like he was in the Alec Seasons past.  So happy 6th Birthday Alec! (February babies are THE best, right, Mom?)