Silence, Clothes and Pez

Silence is golden. That is what always runs through my mind when I am alone in the house (which rarely, rarely happens) or when Daughter and Baby nap at the same time (which also rarely happens). I sit here, tea in hand, and listen to the silence. I can hear the birds singing, and my fingers clicking on the keyboard. Silence....it's all relative, I guess.
These days, I'm up to my neck in kid's clothes. I've probably written about this before, but I'm going to write about it again. I hate the clothes swap - summer to winter, winter to summer, swapping smaller clothes for bigger clothes. But it must be done. Not to mention the stuff to give away. No more babies in this house after Baby. No more little girls after Daughter. At first, seeing the clothes made me emotional, knowing that none of my kids will wear those clothes again, but at this point, I just want them out. However, I am attached to them enough that I can't just dump them into the good will box. I feel the need to give them to someone I know. So they sit, in their own area, waiting. I just hope they don't have to wait too long...
Son has been improving in his fine motor skills! Although I've seen him color for longer periods than I've ever seen him color before (of course, only when it's Toy Story coloring pages, but still), it didn't hit me until I gave him a Pez dispenser filled with candy. I was sure he wouldn't be able to get the candy out himself, so I sat ready to respond to his request to help him. Instead, I watched, with my mouth agape - (interersting - two definitions to this word. one noun, one adj/verb. different pronunciations, same spelling. Cool) - okay, I'm back from my nerd world - as Son opened, tugged and ate his way to the bottom of the candy stack! The only help he wanted from me was to refill the thing! Yay! And that's when I have to love having a child with a disability. Just as they told me when he was born, it's those little moments that become big moments for me. And it's not just for Son, because if I get the chance, if I happen to notice the fast changes in the others, those little milestones are celebrated for Daughter and Baby as well. Thanks to Son, we are so much more aware of the Bigness of everyday miracles of putting on your socks. Or getting Pez candy out of its holder.