Learning Curve

Somehow when I pictured Luke teaching Zach how to talk, I had imagined sort of a soft-focus, Hallmark-esque scene with the two of them sitting together and Luke saying something like, "Say 'dog!' Say 'cat!'" and smiling in an encouraging fashion.

Instead what I got is the two of them wrestling on my bed, with Luke holding Zach in a head-hold, saying "Say, 'Stinky-Foot Head!'" and Zach saying "Icky foo-eh," and the two of them cracking up for a minute and then pounding each other. Apparently this is a y-chromosome thing that I just don't understand.

But Zach's position as younger brother has afforded him some important vocabulary lessons. He now knows how to say frequently needed phrases like, "Let go!" and "Mine!" and when all else fails, "No-no-no-no-no!"

This week we're muddling along through the start of school, the end of sleep as we knew it, and the continuation of colds; so you may notice some bad moods cropping up here and there. Nevertheless, the weather is trying hard to cheer us up with crazy 80-degree sunny beach days. Over the weekend, Dave was inspired to buy a bike trailer and get us out and about on the beach bike paths. When Luke first squished into the trailer with Zach (note to hard-core cyclists: we're getting Luke a real hitch for his bike soon), everything was fine. But then it was only a matter of minutes before the complaints started: "I'm too squished in here!" "Zach's taking up all the room!" "This is too boring!" "This is the most boring-est thing I have ever done!" and onwards from there. Sigh. Kid doesn't appreciate a good thing when he has it.

As I mentioned earlier, Zach's school experience has not been going well so far. Still, things were looking up on Friday when we were all home together and he seemed to be getting back in the groove. Then in the late afternoon I decided to go to the gym, and I dropped the boys off at the kids' club there. Fifteen minutes into my swim a staff member had to summon me out of the water to go and collect the puddle-y mess that was Zach, who had never once stopped crying since I left. Ugh. So we took the weekend off from any efforts to "leave" Zach somewhere, but tomorrow he's back at school to try it all over again.

Send prayers, folks.