January Friends

 The echoing sound of songbirds squabbling as they dart in and out of the palm trees, bounce off the concrete buildings and asphalt pavement beneath my feet, as I step out of my work truck. If I close my eyes for a moment, I am far away from here... from where I am standing. If only for a second, it is magic. I block out everything else but the sweet melody of those dozen or so, feathered messengers promising that spring time is just around the corner. It is music to my ears; a momentary transcendence from the urban sprawl and sound of cars passing by on the nearby 101 freeway. I open my eyes and find K-mart standing before me. The usual "riff-raff" standing out front, a homeless man sprawled across the sidewalk warming himself in the late morning sun, and the occasional car racing through the parking lot in a hurry to go nowhere. I take a deep breath, hold it in for a moment, and let it out with a sigh, then head across the parking lot.
  Obviously the birds are completely unaffected by their surroundings. I wish I could say the same. I hurry in and out of the store and find that I am mildly irritated at the otherwise uneventful experience. I am not sure if it was the 40% higher price that I had to pay for the item that I needed, the slow moving cashier, or the solemn demeanor of the store employees. Needless to say, I was glad to be out of there and on my way. If not for the store's proximity to my work and the occasional urgent need of my daycare providing spouse in distress, I would avoid this place altogether.

 The day wears on and fades into night, and Apollo and Orion's voice have been reduced to slow and rhythmic slumbering breath, my mind returns to those birds. So excited, vibrant, playful and happy they were.  It reminded me of Apollo and Orion; playing carelessly, and not a worry in the world to trouble their  little minds. They feel safe. They know they are taken care of and every concern they have revolves around what they are feeling at a particular moment. They are not plagued by the daily news, or the burdens of paying bills, juggling finances, career, and family. It would be nice to be that carefree again, and I believe I would be much closer to a carefree state if it were not for my amazing boys. They are the reason I keep doing everything that I do. The pay off is that I get to watch them grow, and I get to be reckless and carefree through them.

  Orion has become quite expressive, when he is not smiling that is. He has a scowl that rivals that of his mother's. He stomps his foot when he is mad, and in cases of extreme discontent, he throws himself to the floor and has a few moves that resemble break dancing! (Foreshadowing the terrible 2's, I assume). But most of the time, he is happy and full of energy. Orion has a strange relationship with our dog Remi. He is the only kid, under 10 years of age, that can get Remi to play with him enthusiastically. Remi turns his nose up at other kids, including Apollo, but for some reason, Orion has the body language that illicit's a response in Remi that sends him into doggie manic mode. As Remi is an only dog now,  he has become selective in what foods he will eat from the floor or from a persons hands. If its not cheese, meat, or meat flavored he is not interested. But for some reason, he will eat all kinds of things that Orion offers him. He will eat a whole pack of graham-crackers, one bite at a time when fed by Orion, but I can offer him a graham-cracker at the same time and Remi will turn his nose up at me. The irony is that Orion is rough on Remi. He is not gentle like Apollo is. He pulls his hair, smacks him, and even lays on top of him and pulls his whiskers. Remi growls, and at times will give Orion a little nibble to back him down. But, as soon as food is involved, the two of them are best friends again.

 Orion continues to amaze us with what he comprehends and how he communicates his needs. He will do simple tasks that are asked of him because he understands what is being asked. My new favorite words that he has learned this month so far are, 'noodles' and 'Apollo.'
Orion moment of the week: While signing for milk, he says, "I wan' mull!" (I want milk). I do as ordered, pour milk in a sippy cup and slide it across the counter to Orion. A scowl forms across his brow, he shakes his head slightly from side-to-side, "No!...Cocow!" he demands, pushing his cup back to me. Cocow=Chocolate.

   I love the stages that both boys are at, but the fact that Apollo is now capable of carrying on long conversations which adds a new level to our relationship. He wants to know about everything, and has a great memory, but it is the drama and random comments that keep me laughing.
 With an extremely serious look on his face, and an 'official' tone to his voice, Apollo cocks his head to one side and says, "Dada, Xavier's house and school are both broken, so he wont be coming back to our house for a while."
I begin to chuckle, "what?" I ask wondering where this is leading.

"Dada, I'm serious, so you can't laugh, okay?" shaking his slightly cocked head slowly from side-to-side but keeping his eyes locked with mine, "you cant laugh. It's very serious."

"Okay," I agreed, fighting back the laughter, then excused myself to the next room so I could burst into laughter. Of course none of what he said was true. It was just a random story concocted by his friend, Xavier, but Apollo was so sincere because he truly believed he wouldn't see his friend for a while.
 Apollo moment of the week: On a recent after hours trip to my office, Apollo was asking me about my two computer screens and what was on each one and why. I was busy doing something and when I turned around, he was entering numbers into a spread sheet. "What are you doing Apollo?" I enquired. Apollo replied very matter-of-factly "I'm making money."