I Love You, Now Go Away!

Having finished his own oatmeal, Mica is now on my lap trying to put his hands in mine.

Orlando asks Mica if he would like a glass of water, “Mica, would you like some water?” Orlando nods encouragingly, “Yes? Yes?”

He pours water into Mica’s tiny glass and hands it to him. Mica says, “Tenk you,” and drinks.

Orlando places his hand on Mica’s glass with a questioning look.

Mica lets his glass go, “Tenk you.”

“You’re welcome, Mica.” Orlando places the glass on the table and looks at me with a “Mica is co cute!” look, and then leans out to kiss Mica. Mica pushes himself forward to meet the kiss.

Orlando is utterly delighted, “Mica was in a hurry to kiss me!”

A bit later the boys are playing trains upstairs in their room. Things seem to be going well but then yelps of frustration start punctuating their previously collaborative murmurings. [I've been listening on the monitor.]

“Okay, kids, time for snack!”

The kids straggle out of their room toward me. Orlando pulls the door shut behind him.

“Mama, let’s just keep this door closed until Mica is two.”

“Really? That’s a long time.”

“But I just can’t take it! Mica always messes up my set-up! Please, let’s just keep it closed until he’s two.”

Ah, yes, because everything will be different a few months from now, when Mica is two.

Little does Orlando know that I am almost positive things will be exactly the same… unbearably dear moments of pure love interspersed with feelings of desperate frustration, and back around again.