It was amazing. The best part was that is was delivered and picked up. The service we hired cleans the structures thoroughly between parties. Best part of the deal. We used the bounce house for 9 hours straight...no kidding. Gill's party started at 10 and was supposed to end at noon, but didn't. Jonas' party started at 2 and was supposed to end at 4, but didn't. The last person left at 7:30 and the bounce house was picked up by 8:00.
We were excited to have "real" guests for the boys - kids that they choose to interact with and know well. Gill had a girl from his class join us (Avery) and Jonas' best buddy from his class (William) came as well. They really enjoyed each other. Here's Williams making sure Jonas gets his gift of a Batman action figure.
And of course Lincoln and Devon were there. Lincoln especially enjoyed jumping off of the slide into the bounce house.
Danielle and Hope were there too. They play so well together, and are darling little girls. I love these photos of the girls with our boys.
Though it was a lot of work, I feel like I got two parties for the price of one. When you pay for IVF twice, you enjoy the cost savings you can find throughout the remainder of your children's young lives.
Jonas and Gill engage in a lot of physical play. Jonas often gets the initial advantage, but this serves to enrage and encourage Gill who responds with aggression. The child crying at the intervention point is usually Jonas.
In general, Jonas is the more sensitive child. Example: when Gill pulls Jonas' hair, Jonas cries for a while, mostly because his feelings are hurt. Today, Gill was trying to stick his fingers into an electric socket. When I reacted very strongly and sternly to him, he laughed. We went through several rounds of this, before I resorted to slapping his hand every time he attempted to stick his fingers in again. Each time he laughed. Each time I slapped his hand harder, getting uncomfortable with the physical interaction. At no point did he take me seriously or respond as if I'd hurt him - physically or emotionally. He is one tough kid.
New song from Jonas: ABCDEFG, thank you all for feeding me. He hums when he builds, which is his favorite play activity. The toys he gravitates to most from the huge pile of birthday gifts received is a tinker-toy set I bought at a garage sale for $15. 360 pieces total. And it's not old, just used. He merged it with his trio blocks, which makes for some interesting designs. His preferred objects to construct are guns, but he also makes super cars, megaphones, instruments, etc. Ironically, the guns he makes don't shoot. He does talk about killing people, and we are re-directing him on that. Ed's response today was comical when confronted with the issue of killing the bad buys; he told Jonas that our moral imperative was to retreat first. I'm pretty sure it was over Jonas' level of comprehension, but one is really never sure.
A funny thing happens when Ed comes home. When the boys hear Ed, they run to hide from him. The game continues when Ed appears in the room where they are hiding. They giggle and give themselves away within seconds. I think Ed loves it as much as they do.
Like Jonas, Gill enjoys being in the kitchen and his favorite activity is to make coffee. He's not bad at it. He puts the beans into the grinder, grinds them, and we then usually intervene. Sometimes there's a mess, but not as much lately. He is a very messy eater, and now sits on the bench Ed made the boys instead of sitting in his high chair. Much of the food Gill eats ends up on the floor or on his face. There is a critical point where he is full, but continues to play with his food, and we aren't sure if he's done eating. Before you can blink, all of his tator tots are packed tightly in his cup of juice. And he's not above eating them after that. He's definitely not a picky eater and loves black olives. He puts them on his fingers and eats them in rapid succession. Both boys like pickles and braunschweger.
When sleeping at night, Gill refuses blankets, kicking them off, while Jonas will often totally cover himself, head and all. It's a bit alarming to find him that way, so I usually try to uncover his face at the very least. He still fights going to sleep, and Ed and I are so weary of this game which has been going on his whole life. Gill, on the other hand, goes down quite easily for both his nap and bedtime.
There are loving behaviors between the two. They will spontaneously share (food more than toys) but just as often will fight over the same toy. Gill will bite the toy in an effort to mark it and keep it. He also licks things. Tonight, he insisted on licking Ed's hands.
The major motivation for Jonas (to get in the car, finish his bath, or do anything, really) is to create a race. Each morning, we rush to get the boys to "school" (daycare) and the most helpful time saver is the seat belt race Jonas and Gill have.
Another big mile-marker in this month of birthdays was a visit from Noni and Scooter. We scheduled Gill's baptism, performed by Harold Ivan Smith, the day before he turned two. The boys were wriggly in church, but Gill did just fine with the parading around the church and sprinkling of water. Godparents Aimee and John were the perfect choice.
As exhuasting as they are, as frustrating as life with them can be, we have moments of crushing love for them often each day.
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