A Few of My, well, Favorite Things

* Elias shakes his head back and forth when he means "Yes! Yes!" He knows he has to do something with his head to answer a questions, but he is obviously confused, and his first instinct is to communicate "no" even if that isn't what he means. When we watch him shake his head vigorously when we ask if he wants to eat (and he always wants to eat), we direct, "Say YES, Elias." So he bows down and up from the waist like he just completed a duel in karate.

* Hot showers

* When Kindred sees Elias get hurt, he rushes over and attempts to comfort him, asking sincerely, "Are you OK, Elias? Are you OK, baby? Are you OK?"

* Good photographs

* When the boys read together. Sometimes Kindred reads to Elias, and sometimes they snuggle close to each other to see the same pages when someone else reads.

* When Michael tells me I've done a good job at something and means it.

* Elias tries out sign language, and he remembers a lot. But he can only do one sign at once. In other words, he can say "more" and "please", but he has trouble putting the 2 together. Except when it comes to the sign we have for Great Grandpa Dave. We call Grandpa "PopPop" so Great Grandpa is "Big PopPop." I wish I could describe how Elias does it, but he does. He says, "Beeee Bobpbop" and he signs right along with each word. Then he grins.

* Stuffing. Vegetarian or otherwise.

* Kindred will burst into song out of the blue. From the garbage truck song to the doctor song to the down at the station song. He sings and sings.

* When I come up with a smart, funny and well-executed blog posting that it seems lots of people enjoy.

* There is a Christmas song that I find hopeful and moving unlike any other. It was on a compilation CD given to us by a friend of a friend whose party we'd attended in Eugene, Oregon while we were on our road trip. If you want to hear it, and the story behind it, click here. (I am not especially fond of the video and would encourage you to just listen to the words without watching the scenes and dramatization, but this video includes story that I had never heard before, so I decided to link to it. If you want a more pure presentation, click here.) The song is called "Christmas in the Trenches" and is performed by John McCutcheon.

* Elias in his snoopy hat.

* Going to bed before 2am.

* Times like last night. I had stayed up until 2am finishing auction stuff, and Michael had stayed up even longer finishing other work. A little before 4am, I hear a little voice through the monitor. "Mommy?" I wait to see if Kindred is talking in his sleep. Then it comes again, louder. "Mooommmy?" I drag my inadequately rested body out from under the covers and find Kindred lying wide eyed on his bed. "Mommy, I'm awake. I want to sleep in your bed."

I know he's too awake to actually fall asleep in my bed, but what else was I going to do? I agreed and he followed me. He climbed in between Michael and I. I told him I would send him straight back to his room if he made noise. He said quietly, "Okay, Mommy. No screaming, no talking, no singing, no being loud. Okay." I snuggled him in and closed my eyes. He stayed quiet for a long time, moving just a little. Then I heard him turn. I felt two little hands on my cheeks and his lips pressed right up on mine. I opened my eyes and he smiled. "I needed to kiss you, Mama," he whispered.