Dr. Kwam

Erol has a bit of a cold today, so Kwamai has shifted into doctor mode (as he says), probably more like nurse mode. He is completely absorbed into attending to Erol's every need, bringing him water, soup, making sure he is comfortable, entertained, fed, etc.

How very sweet.

Felicity is Quotable, Too

There is so much talking going on in our house. I often think of that Groucho Marx quip when Kwamai is around that goes "[he] talks so much I think he was vaccinated with a phonograph needle!" I don't know how many times a day I am asking him to please be quiet, if just for a moment or two. I guess it's not fair, entirely. Sometimes it seems he starts a sentence about 30 seconds before becoming fully awake and finally ends that sentence just before he drifts off to sleep for the night.

Kwamai and Felicity both talk in their sleep, too, by the way.

Felicity is coming out with some of the cutest phrases these days. Many of them have to do with nursing. At Mass last week during the Agnus Dei when she really wanted me to sit down and nurse her, she called out "Have mercy on the boo-boo!" Today we happened to see a girl at the University riding a unicycle. She said to me, "Look Mama, person riding on a wheel!"

Letters are her current fascination, and she is learning to sing the alphabet song. We have some foam letters that she plays with from time to time. This morning Kwamai was trying to show her how he could make his body into a Y, and noted how it looks like a person raising their hands, praising God. He started singing "Praise the Lord", and she held her arms like his and said "Praise Baby Jesus".

This afternoon we came across the foam letter X. I said to her "what letter is this?" And she responded "X!". Then I went in the other room, and I heard her repeat to herself over and over "What letter is this? It's X!"

The cute-topper was tonight, as I was heading out grocery shopping. I had said goodbye to Erol and Kwamai and given them kisses. Felicity was busy looking at a book. I was in the kitchen ready to leave when Felicity came dashing out saying "Hug me! Hug me!" Of course, my heart melting into a little puddle I reached down to hug her. She dashed back off just as quickly, calling "Bye-bye!"

Now I really understand why I stay up for a few hours after everyone else is in bed. And I also remember the days (years!) where I dreaded all the silence I lived with. It truly is all worth it. Maybe I'll just keep earplugs in my pocket for the times I really need a break ;)

Felicity in Action

I took this little video this morning before Kwamai got up. You can't really make out much of what Felicity is saying, but she was loading the creatures onto the bus for a morning drive. A little spontaneous dance, and then a dash for the bookshelf.

The Many Faces of Kwam

I need to make a movie montage of Kwamai's self-portraits, of which we have many. Here are some of his favorite poses.

The Cute, The Momentous

This week I gave Felicity her very first little hair trim. She hasn't been so fond of things in her hair to keep it out of her eyes, so I resorted to the bangs look. Now she will generally allow hair clips, but unfortunately they don't stay in long.

I saved her little blonde locks in the same little box as her umbilical cord stump. Baby girl grows up.

Kwamai the Entertainer

Kwamai was in all his glory tonight. We have a guest staying with us this evening from Arizona who is here to check out Franciscan University. So, we invited some students over for a nice turkey dinner (the one we didn't use at Thanksgiving time). Kwamai had everyone in stitches every time he opened his mouth. Seven college-aged girls, and our family. After dinner, Kwamai led everyone in a round of the Wiggle board game. It was actually very pleasant for me to wash dishes to the sound of belly laughter coming from the other room just about every minute.

He also managed to be the evening's photographer, and made others feel comfortable with wanting to capture the moment on .... not film, what does one say these days, anyway? Anyway, wanting to take pictures themselves. (As I sat listening to these girls talk about their cell phones I really started to feel old and "out of it" in terms of the latest technology.)

He's just Mr. Social.