Birthday boys

My boys are 1 and 5 today!

The day got off to an inauspicious start. I had put a birthday card and some gummy candies next to K's bed so he'd find them when he woke up. While getting X dressed, I noticed K's light turn on and went in his room to wish him a happy birthday. After a birthday hug, I turned around to see a trail of red goo dripping out of X's mouth, down his shirt, and all over the floor. I rescued two half-eaten candies from his mouth, but he swallowed one. Luckily he didn't choke. He also ate part of the card.

I dropped off a large tray of cupcake cones in K's classroom, and a plate of cookies for X's teachers, and headed to work. I had kind of a crazy day, but slipped out early so we could all go out to dinner. After dinner, X went to bed and K and I did experiments with his new science kit. My favorite one: putting raisins in a cup of clear soda. Try it! They float and sink, float and sink.

One-year old X is learning to walk and will sometimes take a few steps on his own. He doesn't talk or sign, but he has no problem making his wishes known. He is constantly covered in snot and/or drool. He loves to read books, especially ones that have flaps or textures -- this morning for the first time, he crawled into my lap with a book and sat there for a while. He is very interested in the TV, and annoyed when we take him away from it. (I was hoping the days of ignoring TV would last a while longer, since we usually let K watch TV on weekends when we're home.) He doesn't mind hugs and kisses, but he really likes it when you chase people and use him as a battering ram. He can climb all the way up the stairs by himself, but does not want to go down backwards.

Five-year old K enjoys hanging out with his friends at school, never wants to go to bed, loves doing projects, is scared of watching movies, and is obsessed with whatever the latest show is on the Disney channel. (Currently "Jake and the Neverland Pirates," on which they use the word "team" in every other sentence and say things like "Yay hay!" and "Hee ho!" because plain old "yo ho ho" isn't enough for them. I'm not thrilled about the image of pirates as cute and funny, but this is not a battle I'm willing to fight.) Recently he colored voluntarily at home for the first time ever, and he came home from school with a picture he drew himself! According to him, it was of two angry babies, and one baby was trying to steal the other baby's powers. (I said, "Hey, I know a song about that!" and put on "Drain You" off Nevermind, which JW helpfully pointed out was twenty years old.) Usually he brings home pictures that girls in his class draw for him. Once there was a picture of our family with each person labeled. I was really impressed until I realized his friend had drawn it for him. "Why did she draw this for you?" "Because she loves me." "Do you do nice things for her too?" "Of course." "Like what?" "Hmmm..." K can read like crazy. If you are sad, he'll try to make you feel better. He still wants me physically near him as much as possible.

One and five. I am a very lucky mom.

(Is it weird that on each birthday, I look back on my pregnancies and give thanks that these boys are no longer growing inside me? It seems normal with X since he's still a baby, but I can't help looking at 5-year old K and imagining how awful it would be if I were still carrying him. Never mind, I don't have to ask. It's weird. But every year on his birthday, I find myself thinking that.)