My friend Karen asked me to keep an eye on her little boy, Gabe this past Tuesday. I love to have Gabe over, he’s as cute as a button, and Naomi adores him, but I couldn’t help but smile as I recalled the last time he visited. When he followed Naomi up the stairs Tuesday morning, I realized that I should have reinforced the foundation before they started playing…
He spent a morning with us, last September. Gabe was about to turn 2 and Naomi was still 2. Thinking back, this little tidbit should have struck fear into me. But instead, I smiled at the sweet picture they made, walking hand-in-hand up the stairs together…
I was cleaning up the kitchen when I heard the two of them giggling hysterically. Now, I do know from past experience, that hysterical giggling = run fast; but instead I finished my work in the kitchen. When I did decide to find out what was so funny, I found Gabe standing next to the cedar chest in my room, watching Naomi, who was standing on top of my cedar chest. She was holding my broken necklace (not previously broken), while tiny little black beads gently cascaded from the strand to which they’d been strung: plink, plink, plink. Gabe’s little head was slowly nodding up and down as he watched the journey of each descending bead.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” I recall saying. I quickly lifted Naomi off the chest and scooted them right out of my room. I should’nt have let them out of my site. While I was on my hands and knees, picking up beads, I heard the now familiar laughter once again. Running down to the kitchen, I found them standing next to the frig. It seemed that Naomi had taught Gabe how to push the water button. His little hand was resting against the water lever while water followed his hand to his wrist, down his arm; soaking into his sleeve. A little puddle was forming at his feet.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” was all I could think of; higher and louder. I soaked up the water, while G and N ran over to the snack drawer. The next thing I knew, Naomi was standing next to me again, holding a box of animal crackers. “We hungwee, Mom, we want some quackers!” “Okay, okay, I’ll get you some crackers, just stand there a second- Don’t move!” I implored. Foolish of me to think they would actually “freeze-frame it” for a moment.
I sprinted to the stairs, set down the things in my arms, and charged back to the kitchen, just in time to witness the animal crackers and crumbs being emptied onto the floor. I grabbed the little terrors; one in each arm, and planted them in booster seats at the kitchen table. “Stay right there!” I ordered, heading back to the animal cracker pile. What could they possibly get into at the table, right? Welllllll….
Remember how they had mentioned their hunger? I was sweeping up the cracker crumbs, when I glanced over at my little prisoners. The fruit bowl was situated directly in front of them. They were both gnawing on an apple. “Karen will be so proud of me for feeding them healthy snacks,” I thought, smiling to myself. I put the broom away and walked over to the table. “Oh, dear,” I said wearily. There was a tiny bite taken from every single apple in the bowl.
Really, I was able to laugh about that morning, the same day. Naomi was down for her nap and Gabe had gone home with his mama; but I did laugh.
