Little Babies

My babies don't sleep like this anymore. They are big and smell like boys and wear underwear when they sleep or nothing at all. They take showers on their own and I never see them poop anymore. The 5 year old fell asleep on the dinner table tonight, summer kicking his ass already. He woke up and told me he was going to bed, cleared his plate and headed upstairs. When I went up 20 minutes later I thought I'd find him watching TV, but he was in his pj's, teeth brushed, and sound asleep. Sometime it seems they don't need me at all.
But they are small enough to run to Daddy when they hear the door and jump into his arms...even the 9 3/4 year old. They are small enough to cry when they fall and sometimes let me cuddle them super tight...but most times they wiggle away.
With the little guy asleep early I took the big one to 7-11 to buy huge pints of ice cream...he was dizzy with delight perusing the funky flavors...finally deciding on something filled with chocolate and brownies. Thought he was so super cool to be alone with mom, walking home with ice cream as his brother slept. We picked our movie, Nim's Island, got our pints and spoons and dug into both. We laughed and cried as Nim was challenged and Jody Foster acted crazy. We talked about recipes for Tiramisu and why Daddy was at the Field Museum tonight instead of the restaurant. He gets me. He knows the "Pure Michigan" commercials give me chills and makes my eyes wet. And today ask me yet again to tell him the story of when I first moved to Chicago and made me list all my apartments and streets...sad that I had trouble remembering the first one. Am I getting that old!? Don't answer that.

I still watch them sleep. I go into their room most nights about 2-3 times and just look or gently kiss their heads. I smile when they're spread out wide and remember how tucked in the little baby in them slept. Sometimes I wake up FC and we watch and remember. I miss those chubby thighs.