two kids!

It's felt, this past week, like we have two kids in the house, instead of a kid and a baby. And it's not just that "don't hit your sister" has been said about as frequently recently as that classic: "don't hit your brother". (though there is that.) It's that Samuel walks and talks, and interacts with his environment, and is interested and inquisitive and . . . just like a toddler.

It's fun. I like being the mom of two kids. Especially two such bright, cute, sweet ones.

Brie often shares things with Sam, voluntarily, and it warms my heart. She loves being asked to help me or to fetch something, and takes pride in knowing right where things are and what to do with them. Samuel has started happily throwing things in other things, and he thinks putting away the toys is just about as fun as getting them out - because, as mentioned before, you get to THROW them into the toy box. Sam's added "up, please!" (which sounds like "Uh, fffffzzzzz!") to his list of two-words sentences. His hair is getting thicker and curlier and is oh-so-cute. Brie's is long, and still tends towards ringlets in the back when we leave it down.

When we're getting ready to go out, Sam will come tottering out of his room, a shoe upheld in each hand, saying, "Oooo? Oooo?" but then he'll yell when you try to actually put them on him.

Today, at the dinner table, Brigid demonstrated that she can count to five, ON HER FINGERS. As in, she can actually count how many fingers she has on a hand. And she was SO excited about this that she yelled "Yay!" and clapped for herself every time she got to five. 'course, we thought it was cool too, and cheered and clapped with her. (Sam cheered and clapped too.)

Samuel does all sorts of little boy things, like shaking his head "no", and picking his nose, and climbing everything in sight. He's learned what "gentle" means, and practices by stroking his sister's hair. He knows combs and hair brushes are for his hair, and looks very cute when he tries to brush his hair himself. He's (mostly) stopped biting us when we brush his teeth, which is a welcome change.

And (joy of joys!) he's actually sat through me reading hinm a couple of books! I almost fainted the first time this happened, but I've recovered, and book-reading is happening a lot more now in this house - now that I've got two kids interested in it, and not just one. Also, he's pretty happy when I read to Brie and let him climb up and down on the couch beside us. Even when he doesn't want to sit still and be read to himself, he's more interested in being near reading than he was before.

Brie has graduated to a few slightly longer books, mostly Robert McCloskey. She's developed a love of "One Morning In Maine", and I've discovered that the only downside of that book is that it's hard to stare at the pictures when you're the one reading it aloud.

Okay, bedtime. Love to you all,
Jess