These Incredible Boys

I love these boys so much it hurts. And recently, even through the challenges of big adjustments, high hormones, and little sleep, I've been propelled along by the deep love I have for each one of them. When I'm walking in love, it's no trouble to change Tobin's diaper...or listen to Josiah's (sometimes long-winded) stories...or let David "help" me with the laundry...or feed Shav, knowing that it's going to feel like a vise grip has latched onto a sensitive part of my body! When I forget about love, all of that can seem like drudgery; but add love and, voila!, it's a pleasure to serve them.

For me, that love connection comes more readily when I take the time to watch my boys--really observe them and notice the things about them that make them each so special. Here are some of those things that I've seen recently and then thought, "Wow, how fantastic this son of mine is!"

During the past few days, Josiah has been avidly reading a Bible in cartoon form that we have. In four days, he read the entire Old Testament in this Bible--all 500+ pages of it. He astounds me with his love of reading and his ability to read and comprehend stuff that I would have guessed would be beyond his 7 year-old self! Besides simply reading the Old Testament, he also re-enacted some of the battles from it, running around our yard with his shield and a spear (just a big pointed stick), pretending to be one of the great warriors from thousands of years ago. If you happen to drive by and wonder what in the world he's doing as he tears around our yard, stopping and starting, jabbing the air with a stick, and dodging imaginary blows from the enemy, that's the explanation. :)

Another thing about Josiah is that a few days ago, he got to spend some time at my parents' house; and when he returned, he was absolutely bubbling over with enthusiasm over some TV shows he got to watch. The shows were on--are you ready for this?--the History Channel!! :) One was about the Great Lakes, and one was about tsunamis...but to Josiah, they were simply enthralling. I hadn't seen him quite so excited about something for a while, and it made me smile to see his joy.

With David, I have noticed recently how much music is a part of his life. It seems like during the past few days, I've often caught him singing or humming random melodies; and one which particularly amused me was when I heard him singing the theme from Peter and the Wolf! When I was his age, I don't think I had any idea what Peter and the Wolf was, much less the ability to sing the theme!

I'm sure I've written about this before, but I've been reminded of what a unique position David holds in our family as a sort of bridge between Josiah and the younger boys. David is so gifted at interacting with each of his brothers. He can join in with Josiah's imaginary play, watch Star Wars with Josiah, play baseball with Josiah...but also play in the playpen with Tobin, laugh and be silly with Tobin, play with a basket of toys with Tobin...but also hold Shav, talk to Shav, kiss Shav's little head, etc. He's great at getting on the level of each of the other boys, and I'm so impressed by that.

With Tobin, I've noticed recently that the boy seems to have no fear of animals! He continues to love the real animals we have here, as well as pictures of animals in books...and interestingly, most of his language development centers around animals. For example, he'll point to a cat in a book and say a word that sounds very similar to cat (and is indeed his word for cat). When I ask, "What does a sheep say?" he'll say "Baaa." He really is interested in animals and enjoys his interactions with them.

Another thing with Tobin is that, now that he's no longer the baby, he suddenly seems to have leaped upward in his ability to be a big boy and hang with Daddy. Now, when Daddy comes around, he much prefers to be with him, it seems. When Josiah and David start wrestling with Jeff, Tobin is right there in the thick of it, loving every minute of it (even though I'm convinced he's going to get really hurt one of these days!). When Jeff is "rough" with Tobin (in a gentle way, of course), Tobin eats it up and wants more. More tickles, more roughhousing, more silliness, more Daddy! :)

And then there's Shav, with his personality still a secret to us in many ways. I will say that so far, he's been easy-going with no specific fussy time of day yet; he might still develop one, as so many babies do. He likes to eat a lot--and often :)--but he is sleeping better at night, and I know that it's just a matter of time until he lengthens the amount of time between feedings. He is a sweetheart, truly a delight to have in our family. Sometimes I look into his deep blue eyes and think, "Who are you? What are you really like? What are you thinking? Who will you become as you get older and show us your inner self?" I can hardly wait to get to know more fully the unique creation that is Shav!