One of the most amazing things that I am noticing about our boys is that they are always growing. A little taller here, a little more facial definition there, a little better coordination the next. All the time.

Lately, the big thing for both Nolan and Alexander has been how much taller they've been getting lately, and how much their cognitive abilities are shaping up.

Monday marked Nolan's six month birthday, and Wednesday he gets his check-up at the pediatrician's office. We had intended to give him his first taste of "solid" food (rice cereal, oh that's solid, ho, ho) on Monday, but the pace at Casa Rousselle has been way too hectic for us to introduce this radical change into our lives. What's that, you say? How radical is letting the kid slurp a few spoonfuls of powdered rice in milk? Feeding him in a high chair, while new for Nolan, wouldn't be the problem. Dealing with the changes at the other end of his digestive tract is another matter.

But while we have staved off Nolan's encounters with new and exciting cuisine, his life is no less full of change. He has begun to not only roll over, but roll over and over and over in both directions. He pivots. He's gotten into crawling position just a couple of days ago, and we won't be surprised if he begins crawling at a much younger age than Alexander had.

At six months, Alex's hair was thin, but it looked like he might end up with possibly red or possibly brown hair. Of course, he's about as blond as blond can be these days. Nolan's hair is just now starting to come in, and very early indications are that he looks very blond. We'll see how that works out. Paulette says that his hair will probably darken as he gets older, even if he does start out a blond. She may be right (it happened to my maternal grandmother in her late teens, and even to me to a lesser extent), but then again, maybe she just doesn't want to be stuck in a house full of blonds.

Nolan remains a very pleasant fellow, with generally little to complain about and plenty of coy smiles and coos to go around. He enjoys studying his toys, and likes to sit at the dinner table with us even though we haven't introduced him to steak, yet.

It should come as no surprise that he's a social kid. He loves to hang out with his parents and with his big brother. He particularly loves to watch Alex dance and sing and run around, and big brother is all to happy to ham it up for his young, captive audience.

I've mentioned how hectic things are around the house lately. Paulette's work situation and my job situation and Alex starting a pre-school program have all been combining to create a bit of a scheduling burden. We still mostly manage to have a family dinner toward the end of the day, but usually I don't get much other time with the kids during the weekdays (although I do have a routine putting Alexander to bed, which is nice). The fact that job and certain volunteer activities and family life are all tugging at my calendar leaves no time for other worthwhile pursuits (like exercising, writing, or sleeping). I guess this is part of the current American situation: working more to make more but enjoying it less. Bust butts to afford the bigger house in the suburbs, then spend hardly any time there, etc., etc. Weh, weh, weh, and all that.

But I will say that all of this frenetic activity forces one to prioritize and get clear on what's important. And for me, it's obvious not only that family has to rank number one, but it has to assume some *urgency* on the priority list. Our children are growing up so fast! I need to be with them as much as I can manage now, because their childhood won't come this way again.