A Sea Change

Until this week, Noah was still pretty busy figuring out how this walking stuff works. He was a tornado of destruction there for a little while, always getting into trouble. We joked that he was like the Kool Aid Kid from those old commercials, just crashing through walls and generating messes everywhere he went. But, now that he's a champion walker, he focuses on more than just the act of getting there as he toddles about. He is looking for fun. He's still getting into all sorts of things he shouldn't, (pushing every button on the DVD/ VCR player, splashing in and turning over the dog's water bowl, trying to crawl into the dishwasher and the toilets, and taking every opportunity to flip over the trashcans) but he is starting to understand what things are considered no-nos. Finally.

About the same time Noah got mobile, Angus became VERY possessive about what he sees as his stuff. Now, Angus calls our car Angy's Car and our house Angy's House, so you can imagine how lovely things have been here for the past month. Everything is Angy's. And on top of that, Angus is just a naturally careful child. He'd get whatever activity he'd be playing all set up, and then "Hey, Kool Aid!" WHAM!! Here comes the Noahinator. So, basically just as Noah was ready and able to go out into the world and discover and conquer, Sheriff Bossypants instituted his long arm of the Angy's Law. I hear it so often that I started to hear "No, that's Angy's!" in my sleep.

But, this week gave birth to a new dynamic in our home. The boys started to truly play with each other and to see it happening is beautiful. Angus began to see Noah for the good time he is, instead of just as a fun ruining nuisance. And Noah got to hear Angus say more to him than the usual, "NO, that's Angy's!" Hallelujah! Now, a simple game of peekaboo between them turns into 15 solid minutes of belly laughter. A wrestling match can turn into a tickle-fight and a hug-a-thon complete with big wet baby kisses for all of us to enjoy. Playing You-Can't-Get-Me now includes us all. Which is great, because the only kinds of people who can get with that sort of repetition are other little people. If you are over 8 years old, it gets old quick.

To put it simply: Noah entering toddlerhood + Angus beginning to understand what sharing means = GOOD TIMES.