Tuesday, September 05, 2006
My nephews, Will (7 Month Old) and Ty (2 and a Half Year Old).
I said to Ty, "Let me get a picture of you and Will. Get close to Will. Get lower so I can get you both."
He immediately plopped down on the ground as if making a snow angel. Later, I watched Ty hit whiffle balls off a tee. He would hit the ball and then run and immediately fall down, yelling, "Whoa!"
Julie: He likes to fall down. I think that's his favorite part. Maybe he's getting baseball and football confused. Maybe he thinks that's what has to happen.
We talked about who reminded us of who.
Julie: Will's going to have the family unibrow.
Mom: Ty's a pretty dramatic kid. He reminds me of Arnie when he was little.
I was a dramatic kid, always playing out elaborate scenarios while making faces into mirrors. As an adult, I'm more stoic, though, like Dad.
Julie: One thing I got from Mom is the sighing. Loud sighs.
My mother sighs a lot, without realizing it. As a kid I would get bored in church, and run through funny stories in my head. Mom would tell me to stop and I'd always wonder how she knew I was goofing off in my head. She knew because it would all flash across my face as different characters talked to each other. Mom's sighing is like that, something close to the surface. My parents' house is almost empty now, all four of their children have moved out, and from other rooms you can hear Mom sighing and "hmm"-ing to herself, always worrying over some secret burden.
