Differences

Jeff enjoyed attention from Henry and Miss R after work. Miss R gave him a hug when he came in the room. At one point, Jeff went to get Miss R something from the kitchen. Henry stayed in the living room. When Jeff returned to the living room a few minutes later, Henry was scaling up the cat tree, which is over 6' tall. He was on the high platform. Another demonstration on how Henry needs eyes on him at all times.

Henry and Miss R went over to the grandparents at 5PM. They had a raspberry spitting contest in the back seat of the Element that lasted about 10 minutes. Hard to say who won. They both managed to get a fair amount of spit all over their chins and seat belt straps. Jeff and I went to see "Star Trek" as we haven't spent much time together as of late. Excellent movie. Henry and Miss R had a good time but didn't eat much. We decided not to get dinner and went to pick up The Twins right after the movie.

Miss R was very happy to see us. She gave me her usual big hug. Henry barely acknowledged us. He was too busy.

The differences in their personalities are night and day. Henry did something (can't remember what) but he was told "no" and ignored it. I believe that no external force could shake our Henry's self-esteem. He exudes confidence. The other night, I told him that he wasn't allowed to throw something. After scolding him, I usually ask him a question, hoping that he will have internalized my message. In this case, I said, "Do we throw things?" having just told him that we don't throw things. His answer..."OK." I don't think he quite gets the concept of the rhetorical question. The answer is implicit but obvious in the question itself.

By comparison, when I use a serious tone with Miss R, she takes it to heart. You can see how her face gets crestfallen when given a stern command. Tonight, Grammy told her that she couldn't climb on the glass coffee table. She looked so hurt by being told "no." She completely internalizes the message. In the end, that's good. Our commands are most often given because of safety concerns. But it is just so interesting only having to give a direct order one time.

I'm heading to Chicago tomorrow for a conference. Jeff will be alone with The Twins until Sunday morning. I'm looking forward to after the first weekend in June when we can both enjoy time as a family without these work excursions.

Signing off.