Thing One and Thing Two

It’s raining, and the younger boy just woke up from his nap.  I’ll be right back….
Okay, maybe “right back” wasn’t quite accurate, but it still wasn’t as long as I’d thought it’d be.  I fed him, walked around a bit, cuddled him and cleaned up the living room before putting a movie on for them.  My mom likes to tell me that when my sister and I were this age we watched Dumbo after lunch, every day, for about two years. 
They are both going through the “terrible twos” even though the younger is only one and a half.  I think it’s because they are so close, and some distinctions are getting blurred.  Thing One has decided that he doesn’t need naps anymore (except that he had a two hour one yesterday evening) and Thing Two is picking up the sentiment. 
Anyway, the idea was to start by telling you that the nicknames we had had for them are no longer applicable.  And then he woke up and threw off my grove.   Oh well.  I think I picked it up at another point well enough. 
Playing Angry Birds, live!
Thing One, formerly known as The Amazing Omniverous Child, has reached the point where he doesn’t want to eat anything—except when he starts starving, then he’d eat us out of house and home.  But he still likes food.  He has taken to pulling out all my pots and pans and “cooking” his duplo blocks.  He’ll go on for hours cooking and eating, and feeding the rest of us.  The other day he took my empty coffee cup and pretended to pour himself, and Nick and I, cups of coffee.  He did that for an entire hour.  And he’s very intense when he plays; everything is real.  He has a very powerful imagination. 
So proud of himself.
Thing Two, formerly known as The Amazing Flying Child, has started walking.  It happened about two months after his first birthday, and it took about a week for him to make the transition.  Now he walks everywhere and climbs on everything.  Right now he is climbing off of the chair at the table.  He’d climbed up to see what I was doing and if there was anything to drink.  Thing Two, naturally, likes to do whatever his brother does.  So when Thing One “cooks” Thing Two also has a pot, spoon and blocks.  His pot of food sound suspiciously like a motorcycle, though. 

That brings me to something else that the almost obsess about—motorcycles.  During the summer Nick bought a Honda Shadow.  It’s in excellent condition, and rides beautifully (I like riding).  We started buying the boys motorcycle toys last Christmas, and they’ve gotten more on each occasion for gift-giving.  And the last time we visited my parents my dad bought little, four-wheeled, ride on things for them.  For a while, Thing One was putting on Nick’s old helmet and driving his around the house; when that became too small a space (our apartment is some 650sq.ft.) he started telling me goodbye and he loved me and he’d see me  later, and climbed into the food cabinet to go to work.  I’ve no idea what he thinks Nick does when he goes to work, but it must be fun. 
Off to work!
Sigh.  My babies are growing up.  They both gained an inch over the summer!  I’m constantly amazed by the new things they are doing, and by how adorably cute they are.  Thing One looks almost exactly like Nick when Nick was that age, yet he somehow looks more like my side of the family than Thing Two does.  Thing Two got a lot more of my Mother-in-Law’s side.  He’s standing here at the table, again, drinking my water.
Hmmmm, I’m hungry again.  I feel like we just finished lunch, but that was about two and a half hours ago; and one of the keys for successfully eating in small portions is to eat more often (but not enough that you’re eating too much).  And I should go clean up the pond that is now on the table—hasn’t gotten to the floor yet.
Arrivederci!
--Zizi



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