Jason laid on his stomach and held out his hands and legs like a skydiver would in free fall. Nick observed Jason most of the time and attempted to recreate his bizarre sounds and actions.
Once in a while, between helping my grandfather and watching cartoons, I would catch my brothers in conversation, baby conversation. They held out their tiny arms and motioned frantically back and forth while chattering and shrieking. Eventually they would stop, both finding some unknown look or sound funny, and fall to their stomachs laughing encontrollably until their faces turned red. This made everyone smile.
Tickling them also elicited the red-faced, feet kicking laughter. They looked back at me after I tickled their belly or rubbed their armpits, wondering if I would bend back down to get them again.
When my grandmother lifted my brothers up and put them on a blanket on living room floor, they never stayed put. The need to explore wasn't just reserved for me. Jason, a least, would think about listening when asked to stop. Nick ignored any attempts my grandmother made to call him back. When really excited, either one of my brothers could spontaniously break into a turbo crawl, yelling, giggling, and outright laughing as their little arms and fat legs bounced back and forth wildly.
My grandmother and I always had to make sure the door to the garage level was closed when Nick and Jay were out and about. I helped my grandmother keep an eye on them when they tried to climb the steps to the upstairs, or play with the wires behind the television. I saw early on how much work it took to take care of two little kids, and how little time remained for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment