A few things...

About Jiro:



He can be such an angel. A man of few words, Jiro can often be heard saying, "Mommy, I lub you." It's usually code for "I'm happy right now," or "Thanks," or "See ya later," or just, "I love you." He's even woken me up in the middle of the night to tell me he lubs me.

Jiro is also full of affection. He loves to hug, kiss, and snuggle ("nuggle"). Despite weighing almost as much as his six-year-old brother, he loves to be held. Sometimes I find myself holding him without even remembering how he got in my arms. He just has a way of getting there.



He can also be quite a little devil. A man of few words, he can occasionally be heard saying, "Mommy, I hate you!" This usually translates to "I'm mad," or "I didn't get my way," or "You weren't listening because if you were then you would obviously give me what I want!" He has quite a temper and has been known to pinch, kick, or punch his point across.

Thankfully for the most part, his devilish nature manifests itself in a game of hide and seek ("You don't know where I am!!") or a game of "let's stand on the table."

Lately he has been extremely contrary. Everything is a struggle. We actually had a ten minute stand-off in the bathroom the other night. I asked him to spit his gum into the trash so we could brush his teeth, but he refused. He wanted me to take the gum out of his mouth and throw it away. When I refused, he sat on the floor with his arms crossed and refused to move a muscle. It was maddening! (No, I didn't give in!)

About Satchel:

He lost another tooth yesterday, but forgot to tell me until we got home. He was completely nonchalant about missing the tooth fairy. Either he loves his KISS toothbrush so much that he doesn't care about future rewards or he knows the tooth fairy is fake.

He's been on a mission to sleep in our bed as much as possible. Sleeping in his bed is extremely scary for whatever reason. He completely buries himself under the covers and cries himself to sleep even when I am right there rubbing his arm and reading him books. Nothing I say or do seems to quell his fears, although sleeping with a light saber under the pillow has helped a little.

The other day we went to McDonald's for ice coffee and Satchel wanted a Happy Meal despite having just eaten dinner. He's been eating a lot, so I obliged. The boy's toy was a Transformer. He played with it for a minute and said, "I should have gotten the girl toy."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because it is a cute little monkey. Look how cute he is," he said pointing to the bag.