Written by Theodore is sick. Teeth are coming in. Nose is running. His ears hurt. Drooling like a large hungry dog. He has a little sore on his chin from the teething. He has a congested cough. He is just miserable. Even so, he just wants to play and to be happy like almost every other day.
So, this morning I let the twins play. No DVD’s or shows. Just plenty of food, drink, and space. I played with them and had my tissue handy at all times. After 4 hours, or so, I put on a Letter Factory DVD, which they love, and they chilled out to that while I fed them some lunch. Now it was getting closer to nap time for them. Given the difficulty I had getting him to sleep yesterday, I thought I needed them to burn off some more steam first. They had run laps in the family room already, which was good, but I thought maybe they needed more.
So, on this sunny, late in the winter, day in the 50’s, I took them outside. They were thrilled. I shoveled snow and ice off the edges of the driveway. I took more snow off of the roof with the roof rake. I got a bit done even with the twins in my short shadow of high noon. Thinking like a kid, which I do most of the time without trying, I did some things a little differently.
I shoveled snow into the driveway, on the sunny spots, and let the twins crash through the snow, spreading it thin so it could melt. I laid out chunks of ice for them to stomp and crush with the heels of their mini boots, and praised them for all their help. We carefully watched the water meander in the direction gravity would take it as the snow melted quickly. We listened, heard, and spotted planes that dotted the clear blue sky. We imitated the sounds coming from the dozens of crows in nearby trees. We cheered together when I pulled down another pile of snow from the roof. We sat on the front porch and took turns chasing each other while wearing my large welding gloves I use for everything. I pulled out our trash and recycling barrels must so they could help push them into the correct place. So, really, we got a bit done today.
We came back inside to get some milk, and so I could put them down for their naps. They were both so happy and walked in with a little swagger. If you know Jacqueline, you know hers was a big swagger. They drank some milk and I changed their diapers. Then, cleaned up, dressed, and full of milk, I asked the same question I ask every day. “Okay guys, what time is it?” As I wag my index finger. They both answer, wagging their fingers back at me, and in their own verbal versions of, “play pen time!” I love it. They say it everyday. Then they run to be the first one to the playpen in the other room.
They both went down easily. Jacqueline went right to sleep. Theodore did too. Although, while I have been writing this he has woken himself up coughing three times already. Even so, I think they went down a little easier thanks to some fresh air.