Tobin had his first--and last--bath in a dishpan tonight. I was pondering what to use for his bath since our "big boys" weren't having a bath tonight and I didn't want to fill the whole big bathtub just for him; and I thought, "Hmm, maybe the dishpan? Well, why not?" I soon discovered that he's a little too big for this; but oh well, it worked for tonight. :)It was hard to get a good picture of him since I was holding up his head with one hand while trying to reach far enough back with my other arm to snap the photo...but isn't he a cute little (solemn) chunk???
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Another first in our household: a record of a dream that David had (I think). Watching Tobin sleep and having heard from scientists that infants do dream, I often wonder what he's dreaming about...and I've wondered the same thing about David, too, because he had never told me about any dreams he had. Until last night...
Last night was a terrible night for sleep here, and I was up numerous times. At one point when I went into Josiah's and David's room to check on them and pull up the covers if they wiggled themselves out, David woke up enough to say to me, "I was seeing Kathryn from church, and I was sick!" I assume that he was having a dream; and as far as I can remember, it's the first time he was ever able to say what he was dreaming about. Now if he throws up all over Kathryn tomorrow at church, we'll know we should have named him Joseph! (It struck me for the first time tonight that both the Joseph in the Old Testament and the Joseph in the New Testament had several significant dreams. I suppose that's such an obvious point that I should have noticed it years ago, but I don't think I'd ever made the connection that they shared the same name.)
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My voracious reading continues unabated, thanks to Tobin and the hours I spend nursing him; and in the last week or so, I've finished 5 books. They are:
~ The Happening - by Harvey Yoder - an account of the school shooting in the Amish community of Nickel Mines
~ Meditations for New Moms - by Sandra Drescher-Lehman - short snippets about all the many aspects of motherhood
~ 90 Minutes in Heaven - by Don Piper - like many, I'm sure, I was initially skeptical about this book; but after reading it, I see how Piper has used his experiences for good to minister to suffering people
~ That's My Son - by Rick Johnson - good principles, specifically for mothers of boys
~ Jack and Jill - by Louisa May Alcott - I remember this from my younger years; it was a pleasure to read it again!
This season of life has its challenges, of course; but one of the pleasures of it is this extra time to read, and I'm enjoying it immensely!!!
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Everyone says you're not supposed to compare your children; but--hang on--I'm going to break that cardinal rule for a moment.
One of the differences between Josiah and David is that Josiah really loves time when he is alone with an adult. Whether it be just him going with his daddy to run errands in town...or just him going to spend an hour or two at his grandparents' house...it means a lot to him. This, of course, makes perfect sense because, as the firstborn, he started life as an only child and got used to having all the attention of the significant adults in his life focused on him. Even though we consciously tried to help him realize the world does not revolve around him, he simply lived for the first few years of his life as the only little one, and therefore got extra attention.
David, on the other hand, seems to enjoy individual times like that, but not crave them to the extent that Josiah does. His whole life has included his big brother, so obviously he doesn't know any different, which is exactly how I was as a youngest child. My world had always consisted of older siblings, and I couldn't imagine life without them.
A few examples highlighted this difference between my boys recently. First, on one Wednesday very soon after Tobin was born, Jeff and I decided that Josiah really could use some one-on-one Daddy time so Jeff and he set off to go to the bank and a few other places in town. David was left here with me, and we read some stories which was pleasant. But then I got David set up at the table for lunch, and he sat there like a sad little puppy. I tried to cheer him up; but finally I just asked him what he was thinking about, and he said forlornly, "Josiah and Daddy." He hardly knew what to do with himself without his big brother.
When David wakes up from his afternoon nap, his first question is often, "Where's Josiah?"
A few mornings ago, my mother took David down to her house one morning, and Josiah and I stayed here to finish up some school stuff. Josiah could hardly believe that David went by himself and Josiah didn't get to go. It was really tough on him. Even the promise that he would get a turn to go with Grandma by himself sometime didn't console him, although he has definitely reminded me of that promise numerous times since then! Finally this afternoon, his turn came; and he was overjoyed to go alone down the hill to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa.
I guess to summarize, I've noticed that although both boys enjoy that individual time, Josiah really seems to desire it strongly, even to the point maybe of needing it. Whereas with David, it's fine if he gets that special time with an adult, but it's even better if Josiah is there with him! I don't know if it will always be that way or if David will eventually get to the point of really cherishing that alone time, too. Time will tell!
One thing we adults have noticed though: it's refreshing for us to have one boy at a time! To not have to deal with disputes and squabbles between them but to simply focus on one child seems a lot easier sometimes than having them together. :)
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Speaking of sibling relationships, one moment that I treasure was when I was singing the boys' lullabies to them before bedtime one night recently. David crawled up into Josiah's bed, and they cuddled together with arms wrapped around each other. Josiah announced proudly about David, "He's my best friend!"
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One last note for tonight: I'm thrilled that it's finally March! The sky is staying light later in the evenings, and spring is right around the corner. Happy first day of March!!!
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