Little People

"I can smell your neck," I say lovingly to my little Lily, who, for the most part, looks like a tennis ball. She stares at me in wide-eyed wonder. Of course, she looks startled most of the time.

I hold her to me and squeeze her, and she licks my shirt. That's true love. She then looks up at me and says, "Coo?"

More true love: I was heading to the bathroom, and Joshua ran up behind me. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" he asked, slightly frantic. As I was in there, a chubby little hand shot under the door, pushing 1 inch by 1 inch picture tiles under the door. "What's dis?" came the question. "It's a rocket," I said. "Oh!" The chubby finger retreated and then produced another tile. "What's dis?" she asked again, in a higher pitch. It's nice being popular.

I sometimes wonder if I get through to my kids. I didn't need to worry. Even though they might not listen to what I say, they copy what I do (for good or ill...I have had to tell Josh several times he can't put Eva in timeout). Eva fell and bonked her head, and en route to get her blanket, she cried all the way down the hallway, picked up her blanket, walked back down the hallway (still crying) detoured to the open bathroom door, closed it, (continued crying) and found someone to snuggle her. I have created OCD children. But that's okay with me!

Joshua has continued to surprise us by figuring out how to read. And, on top of that, has developed a bizarre imagination. We tried to explain to him that when he sneezed or coughed he should cover his mouth with his elbow. He said, "No, I will just cough on the floor so the germs can walk away." His fingers wiggled as he said this, pantomiming the germs' sauntering off. Kind of a disturbing thought...

Josh's love of books has bled onto Eva, and I frequently find them quietly sitting on the couch surrounded by piles of books. Recently, though, Jeremy and I have had to play referee between Josh and Eva when they do this. While they usually get along, they both have this thing where they have to both be sitting on the exact same spot on the couch.

Josh will stubbornly push his weight around while Eva screams in protest. In exasperation Jeremy or I will separate them to different couches. Without fail, 2 minutes later, they will both be back on the same couch next to each other. Inseparable, but as compatible as oil and water.

While Josh may have the upper hand in size, Eva makes up for it in volume, and sometimes in dead weight. I found her screaming on the living room floor the other day, lying (on her belly) on a pile of books that Josh was trying to get at. He grabbed at the pile of books, and Eva held on to it, her scream growing with her efforts. I am afraid she usually wins these battles due to the fact that I can't stand hearing her scream.

I can't help but love my life.