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At this time next year we will be finding out where we're going next. We'll also be signing Dylan up for kindergarten (did you know there are outward bound schools? that's the kind of school I would make up if it were up to me). Ollie will have just started toddling around, if he's anything like Dylan (that is, on the late side, with the walking). And Aaron will be almost out of prison! March 2011 will be a big month around here. Daddy's coming home, kids!

Aaaaaand judging by the past few years we may not remember a whole lot of what happens in the interim. Aaron and I both realized the other day that we don't remember large chunks of the time since Dylan was born. For example, I have NO IDEA what it's like to live with a one-year-old, despite having one year's worth of training. Luckily the blog archives have been helpful in jogging my memory. I was just wondering whether to move Ollie up to the next size diapers, and yep, Dylan abruptly outgrew this size at this age, which required a special trip out to buy more while we were on a marathon road trip. Oh, we read to the last baby at this age? It had not occurred to me to read to this one. It seems so...futile. I mean, we've been reading to the big one for 3.5 years now and where has it gotten us? I see no gainful employment, nor any but the vaguest nod towards the existence of phonics. But I gave it a try this evening and he seemed to slobber on the book with particular enthusiasm.

With Dylan I was so focused on everything she did, everything was so intense. With Ollie there's so much going on I have to look away a lot more, and it's really fun to look back sometimes and winder, hey, when did you learn how to do that? Look back. I'm on a horse. But really, I think there is something to be said for having a baby and then going about your business to a certain extent.

Speaking of 3.5 years, Dylan has made it more than halfway to her next birthday! When someone asks about her birthday every single day of the year one just assumes that there will never be any progress at all in getting closer to the actual birthday.

I also went digging around in the archives to see how daycare was going for Dylan at the age when Ollie will be starting this summer. At this point with Dylan we were already neck deep in non-bottle-taking, non-sleeping, and screaming there. By the time she was 7 or 8 months it had settled out quite a bit. I can see how this would be a tough age to start having someone else take care of him. For one thing I don't seem to have the most easygoing of children. And we just went three weeks without a single day where Ollie took a nap in a crib, I think because he was uncomfortable from his system getting all out of whack from the...digestive issues. But even aside from that he gets bored really quickly and wants to be entertained but can't move or even sit up to facilitate the entertainment process. Which leaves met to do it. And Dylan, who is much better at it. I remember thinking things would be a lot better for her when she could crawl, but really it was even just being able to sit up on her own that helped.

So anyway, I was mucking about in the archives and realized I was looking at today's date from three years ago. Cute picture of Dylan in a highchair, one of about 30 similar ones from that month, blah blah blah. So much hair on that child.

And then I realized Ollie was in the same outfit today. Sort of cool, no? I take what I can get in terms of entertainment these days.