Taking One for the Team

Ah, well....we've entered a new phase that is going to be very hard on poor Ben. The babies need a whole lot of consistency, a pretty regular nap schedule at home, and a routine they can count on. Ben loves to do things on a whim: of course we should all drive to Vancouver to get cold medicine at nap time; let's go to the beach in the rain and you and the kids hang in the van while I surf; just go to the museum, Kyan needs to do something, the twins don't need to nap this morning. 
While I get that none of these are entirely outlandish or crazy, the reality is that we have TWO babies who are trying to get settled into a comfortable routine and the crazy come as you will go as you want type mentality just won't work for us right now. Do I really want to stay home all day to make sure the twins have naps? nope. Do I, however, want to get some sleep at night and have happy babies during the day? yup.
So begins the conundrum. Bottom line: it's not really about me right now. Oh...okay.

So, I sit here typing this while all three kids sleep and Ben drives to Vancouver to get his darned cold medicine...I won't mention the fact that I've had the cold for 2 weeks but never drove to Washington to get cold medicine...oh wait, maybe I will mention that.
Meanwhile I am wishing I could run the two errands I was hoping to do without kids today...sigh. Ah, I suppose I'll do things by myself in about 5-10 years...at least I have really cute kids who are completely worth my undivided attention!

This morning Mason rolled over onto his belly and scooted over to Ronan who was on his back nearby. Mason was grabbing at Ronan and Ronan was touching Mason's face.

Eventually the incredibly cute exchange resulted in Mason crying because Ronan grabbed the inside of his cheek and pulled.

Ronan has absolutely no clue how to be gentle. He has arms that move almost entirely of their own accord. They slap, they hit, they pinch, they scratch, and he seems to be uninvolved. (In fact, he currently has two long scratches across his nose, each from a different day, that he seems to have inflicted on himself.) His voice and cry are also the least gentle things in the world. I swear his cry is like nails on a chalkboard. It gets under ones skin, to say the least. When he talks he squeals, which is quite cute most of the time, but after awhile, and especially if there's a little bit of fussiness inserted, it gets to be a bit much. But, that boy laughs and smiles and plays with the goofiest little spirit. He's quite a package!

Mason, on the other hand, is so gentle and sweet in everything he does. He will reach out and stroke my face with his hands. And, when he talks it's more like soft cooing and gurgling. His laugh is also mostly silent, but he is genuinely delighted.

He's a hard child to hold though...he is quite stiff and doesn't ever seem to be comfortable in the normal "holding" positions. Whereas Ronan molds into your body like a little monkey and cuddles his head into your shoulder. It's just crazy how different they are. Gosh I love them.... :)