Big kids don't cry?

Brooke and Andrew have pulled out the baby books recently.  I saw Andrew's laying there and started thumbing through it.  One of the "cute sayings" from when Andrew was all of two years old was, "Mommy, you made my feelings cry."

Every single day for the past 12 and a half years someone's feelings have been crying.  It's taken the form of a whine, a tantrum, or an owie.  It's been due to hunger, fatigue, pain, frustration, or (most often) unknown reasons.

It may be just one child having a bad day, or there may have been all four sobbing at the same time.  There might be an easy fix, or I might have started crying my self because I haven't known how to stop it.

Whatever the reasons or causes, forms or solutions, crying has been a huge part of my life for a really long time.  And I have often thought to myself that someday--someday!--I will have an entire 24 hours without one single child crying.  I have looked forward to marking this milestone as I have the day all four children could buckle themselves into the car on their own and the day all three girls could put their Sunday tights on without help.  It would be as monumental as no longer hearing "Mom!  I need help wiping!" or not being involved in the nightly showering process (except for the occasional washing of Brooke's hair). 

And I think we made it.

I realized today that for the past two days, there was not one tear shed.  And thankfully, those days coincided with Glenn's business trip to Minneapolis.  The kids couldn't have picked a better time.

As I look back, there are a lot of things I miss about my babies.  I miss the little white-haired boy who snuggled on my lap and was obsessed with fire trucks.  I miss the three ringlet-crowned girls who played with dolls and princesses and danced and sang to the Wiggles.  But even though there are new unsavory issues our big-kid family is now dealing with (hello, fighting!), I am very happy that certain struggles are far behind us.

Well, not too far.  Our two-day record was shot this evening.  But it was great while it lasted, and now that I know it's possible, I am looking forward to more tear-free days ahead.  It will make my feelings smile.