The simple things

When we are trying to imagine elaborate schemes and activities to make Jamie happy, it is often instructive for us to remember the pure, absolute joy that he is so often able to take in the simplest things. When we were in Frederick with Nonni and Diddy, we went for a walk of about three blocks to the playground. Jamie emerged out of the front door, looked around a little and then exclaimed, "Ooooohh, look! A parking meter!" Then looking down the street, "Ooh look! ANOTHER parking meter!" He did this for most of the walk, with undiminished enthusiasm, except when he was distracted by the only slightly less thrilling fire hydrant (which he used to pronouce, appealingly, hy-druh-yant).

Now that we are in Yavont, the details have changed but the love is the same. When we go for walks now, it's "Look! A driveway reflector!" And my favorite is the identification of certain sunken areas in the road in which the dirt is a little darker than the rest. These are each to be inspected and discussed and are called either "dirty dirt" or "dirty holes" (his pronunciation of holes, I'm afraid, renders it with a bit of an "r" sound instead of the "l" --I'll let you say it aloud). On special days the dirty holes have water in them and become muddy holes. We have to tear him away.

How Connor Got his Yay! Back

As previously noted, poor Connor has been suffering through an ear infection that has dragged on for the past 3 weeks or so. He is such a good-natured little fellow it is all too easy to read when he feels poorly, but also when he starts to mend. There was a brief flowering for instance when we got to Nashville to stay with the boys' cousins, Liam and Finn. They were still at school when we arrived and Jamie and Connor were faced with a room full of toys after spending 3 days in the car. Jamie got down and started rolling cars along the floor, almost meditatively, and with the greatest concentration. Connor, however, just sat on the floor and started saying "Yay!!" over and over again.

We didn't hear too much of it again as the infection returned and has only just now let up again. We knew because again, after a long lay off yesterday was full of big smiles accompanied by lots of "Yay!!!" and clapping. Good to have him back.

Travel agent

Sorry again for the delay between posts, but as you all probably know we've been in long transit to Northern climes. The trip went well enough all things considered, and the boys were troopers in the car. The biggest issue was that Connor developed an ear infection more or less the moment we left Houston and this made him a very UNHAPPY baby.

Jamie dealt with the trip pretty well, but it took a few days of him asking if we were in "Yavont," as he calls Vermont, yet to really comprehend the magnitude of the undertaking. Having done so, at some point in the middle of Tennessee, he stated simply: "Next time we should take an airplane."