29/100

James is such a quiet, thoughtful kid. He's happy to disappear into his room for hours looking through books and carefully setting up baseball fields, car races, car washes, and little lego worlds. He spends part of each morning closeted away in the hidden nook between my desk and the back pantry sprawled out on the floor drawing with a mechanical pencil. Today he drew a spider and its web. He didn't seek me out to show me, but was happy to explain it once I went back and knelt down next to him. He builds a "fire" by piling scrapwood into the Ongoing Hole and then setting up his camp chair next to it. He doodles crayon pictures of our family. He climbs up onto his top bunk with George and sets up "bird's nests" with old stuffed animals. He's always in some sort of silent imagination.

Owen is not that way. As his grandparents recently observed..."boy, he never stops talking, does he?" And the past few days have been...well, here are some samples.
"I NEED TO HOLD YOU."
"I NEED TO HOLD YOUR BACK." (I want to ride on your back)
"I WANT YOU HOLD MY FEET." (I need you to support my feet while I ride on your back."
"DADDY, READ THIS BOOK!" (I feel guilty that I don't read him as many books as I was reading to James at his age.
"NOT SPINNING, JUMPING!" (But the book says four little monkeys spinning on the bed, it changes.)
"NOT SPINNING, JUMPING!"
"IS THAT A HOT DOG?" (That isn't a hot dog.)
"READ IT AGAIN!" (Okay)
"READ IT AGAIN!" (How about a new book?)
"NOOOO!!!! READ IT AGAIN!" (One more time.)
"READ IT AGAIN! (We're going to take a break for coffee.)
"NO COFFEE FOR TWO WEEKS!" (Oh yes, coffee.)
"READ AGAIN!" (Daddy needs a micronap.)
"ARE YOU SLEEPING?" (No, you are keeping me awake.)
"JAMES, COME DOWNSTAIRS!"(Owen, have you completely forgotten your manners?)
"JAMES, I NEED YOU TO COME DOWNSTAIRS. RIGHT. NOW. PLEEEASE!" (James is up in his room. You can go up to him.)
"I NEED YOU TO HOLD ME!"