I am going to try to document the next several decades of my universe.  It is a concentric universe in which, Chris (my partner in parenting crime) and I revolve around three equally thrilling and volatile celestial bodies.  While we are on the same orbital path (Chris and I), our responsibilities and skill sets are quite separate, so we often go for periods of time with very little interaction other than a wave or scowl as we fly past each other.  I think we both know that we could not give this whole parenting gig the attention it deserves, if we didn’t have each other to rely upon, take advantage of, mock, tease, and trust deeply.  I have needed to do the “trust fall” on more than one occasion, and so far he has caught me every time.  Thank you, Chris, for being “that guy”. 🙂

Zach is our oldest: He is the peacekeeper in the family, always looking for the most peaceful resolution to any conflict.  He is five going on fifty.  He is cautious and grounded and conservative.  I am surprised he hasn’t already memorized the actuarial charts and given us advice on our life insurance choices.

Alex is our middle child, or as we prefer to call him, “The Center Child”.  He is almost three years old, and I believe he is the enforcer of the three.  He wants to know all the rules and exactly what the consequences may be.  I believe he wants to be intimately familiar with the exact parameters of any situation, so he can get as close as possible to the line without stepping over.  Being the middle child, naturally we worried about how he would be able to assert himself and maintain his identity within the bookends of his brothers.  So far, this is not presenting itself as a huge problem.

Sam is the baby.  Seven months old.  He will probably be the fastest of all three because he will spend so much of his time chasing the other two.  I apologize to you now, Sam, for the endless string of hand-me-downs that loom in your near future.

I have informed the men of my house that when everyone is out of diapers, (but prior to Chris and I needing them) we will be getting a dog.  It will be a girl…gotta balance out the estrogen in this house somehow.

So let the chaos commence.

Much love,

tiff