Poor Nick

Our house is always chaos when Tom is gone. He has been gone since Friday and it is just me vs the 4 kids. I am completely outnumbered. I have my oral boards test on Sunday in Chicago. After my test we will be taking a much deserved vacation. So I am alone and trying to pack up myself and 4 kids. This is actually harder than you might imagine since the division of labor at our house has me getting out the stuff that needs to be packed and Tom magically makes it all fit. He really has a talent and I am very much lacking. I guess I will need to consult my uncle Steve. According to my grandpa, no one can pack like Steve.

Anyway, all of the items are scattered across the floor while they wait for their turn to be packed away. Isaac was watching Sesame Street and Nick was laying on a blanket practicing rolling over. All should be fine if I run downstairs to get some more ziploc bags, right? When I returned I heard little gagging sounds from where Nick was laying behind the bed and Isaac was no where to be found. I ran around the bed and Isaac had found our travel toothbrushes and was "brushing" Nick's teeth. After grabbing the toothbrush I pointed out to Isaac that Nick didn't have any teeth and so did not need his teeth brushed. Later, as I was packing up all of the toothbrushes, I noticed that not just one but all of them were wet. I guess Isaac brushed Nick's teeth with ALL of the toothbrushes. Hmm, I suppose I will be making a stop at the store for new toothbrushes for everyone.

As I said earlier, Nick is starting to roll over. He hasn't quite made it yet but he is very close. He will roll from his back up onto his side and then stay there. One of these days he will just roll over and land on his stomach. He hates his stomach so I am pretty sure we will all know about the event when it occurs. It might take longer than expected, however, because every time Isaac sees Nick on his side, Isaac runs over and pushes Nick onto his back. For some reason he thinks that Nick should only be on his back.

Isaac really is a loving brother. Whenever Nick cries he will give him his pacifier or he will come and get me saying, "Nick crying." He is very insistent until you go and take care of it. He will also give Nick any object that he thinks might be a toy. I have to be careful. He has given Nick all sorts of used popsicle sticks, magnets, batteries and rubber bands to play with. The other day, Isaac was playing the head bonk game where he bows his head and then runs into whoever is playing with him. Tom and Taylor in particular think this is a great game. Nick, unfortunately, didn't realize that he was also playing. When moms at church tell their kids to be careful around Nick, I just tell them that they couldn't do anything that Isaac hasn't already done. I am sure that Nick will survive and think that his older brother is the neatest invention, just like Isaac does with Taylor.