Labore di Amore

Geeg and I recently babysat for Miles and Landon; 4 whole awake hours!

I had big plans. I was going to take this opportunity to expedite Landon's maturation process.

He has already taken HUGE steps this summer; his vocabulary has grown to include most words that don't have "r's" in them, and Mommy is saving lots of money on diapers.

Atta boy, Landon!



But.....he still sucks his thumb, idolizes his "Kee (Gee?)," and runs like a penguin.

And, he takes way too much grief from his big brother.

I never had a sibling of the same gender, and, as I've mentioned before, my sisters are much older than me. I remember friends who had younger brothers. They tortured them.

I remember the dynamics of three young daughters; one younger than the others.
Enough said; I'll let Julie fill in the gaps, or you can use your own memories or imaginations.


So, with four hours to work with, I planned to disturb the natural order of things.

First, Kee. I considered hanging her (him, it?), but what to do with the evidence?


Then I considered grilling; ashes forever in our burgers and hot dogs.



But no, I couldn't be so cruel. We'll let Kee live out her (his, its?) natural life.

How to end thumbsucking? The surest solution was to cut them off. I considered my surgical tools.



While I'm sure Julie and Kirk would have appreciated the potential saved orthodonture bills, in the end, I decided thumb amputation was too extreme.
I continue to contemplate dipping Landon's thumbs in cat urine. (Sentimental fool that I am, I kept some of Trixie's. Lord knows she left plenty of samples.) But for now, we'll leave the comfort of thumb sucking alone.


Running? Landon doesn't seem interested in changing a style that gets him where he wants to go, when he wants to get there.
Once again, status quo.

As for putting up with his big brother's teasing and abusing, well that will just have to run its course as well. But, if justice prevails, Miles won't have to worry about constipation during his teen years. Landon's day will come and I suspect he will kick the crap out of his "big" brother on a regular basis, to make up for years of earlier torment.


And so it goes............ there really is no reason to change Landon. He's fun, cheerful, lovable. And, he's Miles' best friend.

Besides, what's the rush? As Miles trots off to school today we will be reminded, once again, that they grow up sooooooooo fast.



Labore di amore. Taking care of Miles and Landon (in short bursts) is a labor of love.



P.S. Is the picture below a look into the near future? Are Miles and Landon preparing to bury Kee?