Graemileptics

When Graeme is excited, he gets on his knees, flaps his arms, bounces up and down, and makes hilarious noises of joy with a wide-open mouth. We have deemed this activity Graemileptics, after a children's song which mentions catileptics, a cat's seizure-like shaking occurring when a nearby tone-deaf lady sings. Liam is also expressive and likes to bounce, just not quite to the degree that Graeme does. Also, Lizures just sounds terrible. I thought I'd share some of the things which are currently making the boys quite happy:

1. Jumping in their cribs - the baby equivalent of jumping on the bed, with help from the side rail. Shouts of glee always ensue while jumping. This is especially true when I hold one of them and jump on the mini trampoline.

2. Splashing water with their hands and/or feet. They love making a complete mess with water in the bath, smacking the surface quickly or throwing their washcloths out of the tub. If there is a small bit of water on the floor, they will also rapidly bend and straighten their legs in it while yelling something happily in baby-speak. Their first swimming lesson this past Saturday was lots of fun, with only one whiny moment from Liam. The lovely British instructor was surprised at how well they took to the water. We were not surprised at all.

3. Climbing on the slide Grandma Arlene bought for their 1st birthday. Of course, this can lead to fights when they both want to stand on the top part, but overall, the slide is a winner. Both boys like to go down head first, with assistance of course.

4. Climbing anything, in Liam's case. He will crawl into my lap, fake as though he wants a hug, then use my leg to climb higher and try to get up onto something. If a box is on the floor, Liam is on top of it in seconds. He is the Monkey after all.

5. "Throwing" balls. Liam is actually getting some aim, but the ball still goes behind him half the time. Graeme is more into rolling, but will throw also.

6. Anything electronic, particularly the cords attached to these devices. I'll finally lose those last 15 pounds by chasing these two away from outlets and cords. They have a some kind of radar for this stuff.

7. Music. Depending on the song, Liam will dance (bounce slightly) while seated or standing supported. Graeme will bounce too, but usually must be encouraged. They are most likely the only people in the world who enjoy my singing, too.

8. Bean bags. Climbing, landing from a parent throw, or being spun around the tile floor on the bean bag is a pleasure for both boys.

9. Story time, which requires two books so they can each hold one and "read" along with me, usually sideways or upside down.

10. Destroying anything just built by me, such as Lego men or towers of blocks.

11. Eating. If I let them, I think they would eat their food like Ralphie's piggy little brother in The Christmas Story.

11. Mommy or Daddy coming into the room. Their little faces light up, and our hearts grow from two sizes too small to quite large.

I hope this list reminds everyone to find joy in the little things of life. I think I'll go jump on my bed for a bit.