Completely New to Me

Yesterday, Rivers woke up with a whole new level of awareness.

When Ben came home from work last night, Rivs started laughing, hiding behind the bed, and playing games with Ben. Eventually he took Ben's hand and then my hand, and led us out of his bedroom and to his shoes. He paused for only a moment so I could help him put his shoes on, then he proceeded to lead Ben, by the hand, outside to play. (You must remember Rivers never holds hands. So our hearts were about melting at this point :).

Toys have been fascinating to him. He has stayed so busy working on his Lego's and stacker. And he fell in love with the little raccoon he noticed on his pajamas last night.

Today, after art time, I took Rivs into the house to take a warm bath (washing off all the paint). Then we sat down in front of the heater, in his room, while I dressed him.

In the middle of putting his onsie on, I noticed Rivs just staring at the little boy in his mirror. I started to button up his shirt and he started to make faces at his friend. Pretty soon he slowly and very carefully approached the little boy in the mirror. He touched the little boy's face, then he touched his own face, taking note that the little boy copied each move. He grabbed his comb and started combing his hair. All the while noticing he and this little boy had drastic similarities! Before long Rivs was hiding on the side of the wall, then popping out to the mirror, playing peek-a-boo with his copy cat. It was the funniest thing to watch this interaction going on between Rivs and his new found friend.

Watching Rivs fascination unfold reminded me of two things - 1: My teenage years - Spending hours in front of the kitchen window, watching my reflection, as my dad tried patiently, and then not so patiently, to teach me math (eventually we started having math lessons in one of the exam rooms at my dad's office - my poor dad - and yes, I did pass algebra :). And 2: My favorite song: Bowl of Oranges" (by Bright Eyes) began playing in my head. "Everything seemed different, completely new to me. The sky, the trees, houses, buildings, even my own body. And each person I encountered, I could wait to meet."

So here's the little tune that is sure to get your feet tapping and your weekend started off right! Hooray for Fridays!