Dry at Night Progress Report: Stephen has stayed dry for fourteen of the past fifteen nights. After the first few nights we stopped getting him up at 11 to pee since he objected so strongly. Matthew, however, is just not ready yet and is back to wearing a diaper at night. Background courtesy of
Ace of Space

Breakfast Interruptus

It was one of those mornings. I was sitting at the table trying to eat some cereal and read a few pages of my book, when Matthew announced he needed to visit the bathroom. While I was helping him out of his high chair, I accidentally upset Stephen's bowl of cornflakes on the floor.

Fortunately the twins eat their cereal dry, since they don't like milk mixed in. I swept up the scattered bits of cornflakes, then sat down again. Matthew returned from the bathroom and decided he didn't want any more cereal. Carrying his bowl to the garbage to empty out the remaining cornflakes, he dropped it. Once again, I was sweeping up cereal.

Then Daniel sat down to eat his half bagel and promptly dropped it on the floor. I looked down, noticed that it landed butter side up, brushed it off and handed it to him.

I took the twins to the playground in the late morning and brought a lunch. As we arrived we noticed there were some other kids already playing there. Stephen said, "I'm going to ask those kids to play with me. If they won't play with me, I will play with Matthew."

Sure enough, Stephen quickly made friends with another 3-year-old and was off running around with him. Matthew drifted disconsolately over to the picnic table where I was sitting in the shade.

"Reno's playing with that green kid," he told me. The twins still identify people by the color of the clothes they are wearing.

"Why don't you go play with them?" I suggested.

He shook his head.

"You just want to hang out by yourself?"

He nodded.

"Well, OK, then."

He ran off. As a kind of loner myself as a child, I identify with Matthew.

The other kids left while we were eating our lunch, so afterward Stephen and Matthew did play together. Matthew tripped on the play equipment steps and hurt himself. Stephen accompanied him over to my table so that I could inspect the wound. It was barely a scratch. I gave his knee a patented mother's magic healing kiss; then he and Stephen returned to the play area, holding hands.

Later I spotted Matthew pushing Stephen on swings. "Push me higher," Stephen ordered. Every time Matthew gave Stephen a push, he'd have to scurry out of the way in order to avoid getting hit by the swing on its way back.

Afterward, the twins played their version of hide and seek. Stephen hid first, but his giggles gave him away. Then Matthew hid. He maintained a preternatural silence, even after Stephen called for him. Finally his lack of response and the fact that I couldn't see him started to bother me, so I called out for him. Matthew answered "I'm hiding from Reno!" and thus gave away his location.

Before breakfast this morning, Matthew had complained that his neck hurt. Later in the car, he said his throat hurt and that he couldn't swallow.

"You'll have to go to the doctor, and the doctor will cut your neck open," were Daniel's comforting words.

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