It can’t be. Because if it’s October, then there must be feast days like the Little Flower on the 1st (no, not today, some other day) and heavy hitter Teresa of Avila on the 15th (of some other month). And sandwiched exactly halfway in between (on the 8th) is the birthday of a little girl whose middle name is Therese.

But not this month.

No, sirree, we do not have any babies turning into toddlers this month. Nope nope nope.

Flylady may be right, in theory.

But if I followed her guidance completely, whatever would I do when the baby is wide awake at 1 am?

Is it not better to be productively engaged in the folding of laundry or the washing of those last few pans from dinner than to groggily and angrily watch her empty the contents of my purse?

It won’t be long now.

That baby. It seemed like only a few weeks ago she learned to crawl. Now she is holding onto one of my fingers with one hand (just for a little balance) and taking steps. Soon, she will be wholly independent.

They really don’t stay little forever.

There’s a new life-like, animated doll on the market. She crawls, she cruises. She smiles, she babbles. She eats, she fills her diaper.

Special features:

• Paper shredder mode: sensitive documents can be safely thrown away after she gets her hands on them!
• Room decorator: custom and creative interior design for your floors using common items found in your kitchen drawers or the toy bin or the recycle bucket!
• Alarm clock: set for 4 AM, she will beat you on the head and shoulders while yelling “Dada!”
• Personal trainer: give those shoulders and back a workout! She has her own special way to encourage you to lift weights by lifting her! Even entrenched couch potatoes will be inspired by her cries!
• Spiritual director: from cries for mercy to pleading for her safety to gratitude for such a marvelous creation, she will keep you, mentally, on your knees!

Each doll is made-to-order with a 9 month lead time. Dolls require an average 9 to 12 month maturation to get full results. Results may vary, and each doll is unique. Recommended for ages 20 and up.

I held a pre-dawn couch conclave this morning. Jenny snuggled on my right and Peter on the left. Somehow I managed to sip coffee and skim a book. The baby was exploring, but I had no worries because the basement door was closed. What could she possibly get into?

A moment later my mother’s ears detected a change in her babbling. Just as we learn to distinguish a baby’s cries, and know when something is seriously wrong and we need to respond immediately, so, too, can we tell when a contented baby becomes too happy. Sounds of overwhelming joy from an unattended infant are not normal and require immediate attention.

I ran down the hall and found her, standing at the open toilet, splashing to her heart’s content.

It’s been less than two years, and yet, I had forgotten…

…how much sleep is lost when a baby is teething (that’s okay, sleep is overrated).
…how opinionated a 10 month old can be (as in, no, I don’t want this toy, I want that choking hazard).
…how curious a person this young can be (as in, what’s behind this door?)
…how much memory a baby can have (as in, behind that door are books).
…how much frustration a baby can display (as in, I WAAAAAANT TO GET BEHIND THAT DOOOOR!).
…how persistent an infant can be (yes, she’s still trying to figure out the door).

And, I had forgotten…

…how one or two weeks of sleepless nights will feel like forever until you realize that she’s almost a year old and you wonder how that happened so fast.
…how cute babies are when they do raspberries.
…how a ten month old has a sense of humor and will laugh hard if you do something funny.
…how a baby’s entire body expresses joy, especially when she sees mommy.
…how little hands and arms can hug so tightly and little mouths can kiss so sweetly.

I just downloaded about 120 blurry pictures of birds on our back deck.

Kids.

Here is a non-blurry photo from my camera. Subject matter must have been important to the photographer.

Of all the photos, this was only one that interested me. Uncle Tom and Mary. Bonding. Uncle Tom took more pictures, but then accidently deleted them all. This is the only one we took from his visit.

Hi, I’m Mary, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Lovely outfit. And your eyes are so sparkly! Really, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more delightful baby.

Golly, you’re making me blush!

Exactly what color are your eyes? Blue? Green?

Yes, I have one of those “cracker” things too. Simply delectable. I especially love how they disintegrate all over the floor. I have one of those things that automatically picks up all the crumbs…I think they call it a “dog.”

Please, taste some of mine.

My! You are so sweet, I could just eat you up!