How do you compete?

We have often talked about what a sensitive, sweet little boy Jamie is. But a little boy is a little boy, I guess. I am always desperate for details of school, so in the car today on the way to get a post-school ice cream treat (a Costello is a Costello, too!), I asked him who his favorite person at school is, besides Will, of course. He answered Samuel, a little boy about whom we've heard occasionally as someone Jamie eats with sometimes, but not one of the major players. I was very interested and asked why Samuel and Jamie responded with a certain admiration, "Because he burps and he can talk while he burps!"

Birthday fun

Connor and Jamie went to a birthday party yesterday and here are the results of Connor's work on a cupcake. Keep in mind that the consumption of cupcakes came after a solid 1 1/2 of jumping on boincy castles. Fortunately while these can induce feelings akin to sea-sickness in adults, kids seem totally impervious.

This was, in fact, Jamie's second birthday party in a row yesterday. The first was a gymnastics/tumble party for a friend from his old Pre-school. Some of you may remember her from a Christmas program as Jamie's dance partner in a cowboy/cowgirl number. She is perhaps the cutest girl in the world, cousin Emma excepted. Her name is Charli, but everyone calls her Charli-girl. This had started originally because there was a Charlie-boy in the same class, but we think it's stuck because she so completely embodies little-girl-ness that it should officially be a part of her name.

A major annoucement

In addition to being Jamie's current best buddy and partner in silliness at school, his friend Will has an older sister, Carson. She and her best friend Sophie have been the objects of increasing fascination for Jamie for sometime as they are often present when Jamie goes to Will's for a playdate. He hasn't quite got words for what's so interesting about them, but there is no question that they are compelling. Yesterday when I picked him up from school, he was sitting with Will and Sophie. Carson was nowhere to be seen, but on the ride to get Connor, Jamie blurted out: "I'm going to marry Carson." So remember folks, you heard it here first.

It seems that Carson is not aware of this, and there may be some negotiating to be done. A bit later Jamie asked if it was OK for people in the same family to get married. No, we said, it's generally not, at least not in this part of Texas. It seems that Will says he's going to marry Carson too. Jamie seems confident this isn't going to happen though. He was further pleased when we told him that if he married Carson he and Will would be brothers and that he could live with Will perhaps. This is what he wants anyway, so it's really a double bonus.

Baa baa black sheep (ad infinitum)

Perhaps we've all had the experience of hearing a new song on the radio and wanting to sing it over and over and not being able to get it out of your head. That's what Connor has right now with "Baa baa black sheep." He LOVES that song! I would estimate that in the time between Jamie's school and Connor's school, we sang it probably 20 times and that's just one part of the day. He likes to sing it before he goes to bed and the other night he was about 1/4 awake, while looking for his woobie at 2 AM, but still managed to request that I sing it to him. He likes to substitute all of our names in to the "little boy down the lane" part but probably uses his own name 75% of the time. I can't really describe how cute he sounds singing it himself, but we hope to have video soon.

Texas boys in the north

We traveled to the Great White North last weekend, seeing Nana and Pops in snowy Connecticut. The trip went well. In addition to seeing the Statue of Liberty, nobody vomited at any point in the journey, which we take to a real plus.

Excitement about the snow started while we were still airborne as Jamie looked down somewhat mystified at the white landscape. Once we were on the ground, I don't think they would have been any more amazed if we had landed on Mars. Jamie, of course, was in the snow once before, but he was just two at the time and has no memory of it.

When we first got out of the car at Nana and Pops's house, Jamie jumped out and went over to the snow to feel it. It was actually very sweet because having rushed over he put his hand very slowly and delicately into a small patch of snow and this smile of utter delight and wonder came over him as he felt it. By Sunday, however, any shyness was gone and Nana bravely had them going down a nearby hill on the sled. Both boys were quite fearless and charged down without concern for life or limb and laughed with delight as they bounced to a stop or toppled over. Eventually Connor got cold and went in with Nana but Jamie showed some real moxie and stayed out a while longer to have a snowball "fight" with Daddy. This mainly consisted of heaving large amounts of snow at me at short range, but I got a few shots in here and there.

Oh bamam!

Connor is an astonishingly good mimic and Jamie of course is his favorite subject. It is very interesting to watch the patterns of mimicking become more complex as Connor becomes older and more able (and inclined) to process information individually. In the bath a couple of nights ago, for instance, Jamie turned in surprise when I poured some water over him to rinse him. "Oh," he said, "Daddy, I thought you were Connor!". Connor then mixed comprehension and non-comprehension when he echoed, "Oh, Daddy, I tought you were me!!!"

Since Jamie has a fine vocabulary and curiously complex way of forming sentences sometimes, this has meant that Connor also creates some fine verbal constructions. He asks complete questions with great precision. It's funny because he still speaks rather slowly and with this exaggerated tonal elevation at the end of the sentence to indicate a question. It makes listening to him a real process of unfloding meaning. Thus for instance, when preparing to get into the car, he might say, "I-I-I- can...bring...six...cars...down-tairs...to bring...in..car...to play...wiff...while...we go to...my schoooool? Dadaaaaa?"

Poor little fellow has a rather sensitive tushy and he's been using the new verbal skills to let us know when he needs a diaper change and has an "owiieee on my bamam!" (Bamam=bottom). Then he will ask with heartbreaking earnestness, "You can put...cream...make my...bamam feel...betteeer?"

Dreams do come true

As I have written before, Jamie has been excited to see New York for some time. "I just can't wait to see the sights!" he has proclaimed. It wasn't much but he got a glimpse of the city from the air as we flew over Manhattan on our way from Newark to Hartford this past weekend. Happily he was able to see the Statue of Liberty ("The Little Green Lady" he calls her). He was thrilled by this and exclaimed loudly "My wish came true!" Sometimes he is easily pleased.

Connor for his part was sacked out at the time. They were both good travelers as usual. On the way home Connor slept for almost all of the 3 hour flight from Newark. Jamie of course slept not at all, but stayed in very good spirits. Last night Sarah and I were almost completely wiped out and the two of them were still just bouncing off the walls at bedtime. Where does the energy come from? Unusually, however, they both got completely quiet almost immediately upon being put into bed, so I guess they really were tired.