The Other Baby Linus

On Wednesdays, Ben and I have the privilege of sharing our day with "Baby Linus" (Amanda and Jeremy's son). Every Wednesday, he waits by the front door beginning around 8:15AM and gives me 30-45 second updates, "Not here yet, Mom." "No Baby Linus in our driveway." "Maybe they'll be here REALLY soon, Mom."

Finally, at 9:30, Linus arrives. Ben always assures Jeremy or Amanda that "We'll take GOOOOOD care of him," then shoos them out the door so he can get his hands on Linus. I'm not kidding. It is quite possible that the kid is even more baby crazy than I am.

Ben spends the day educating Linus on the finer points of boyhood--- dinosaurs, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, and Scooby Dooby Doo. He also loves to play under that "baby gym"... ironically the one he despised when he was a baby. His favorite thing to do is to sit next to Linus (Linus in a bouncy seat, Ben in the purple "fur" Dora chair) and read Linus books. Ok, so he doesn't so much read TO him as he puts a book in Linus's lap, then he reads a book (LOUDLY) next to him.

Having Linus at our house has opened a whole new world to Ben. He goes around the house talking about the "baby in his tummy" (which is usually a matchbox car rolled up in his shirt), he spends time comparing and contrasting what babies and big boys do-- one important distinction--- Babies have to drink "regular" milk, Big Boys get chocolate milk. Another one: Babies "don't talk so much.. they go "waaa" "waaa". Big Boys? They talk LOTS.

Today, I reminded Ben that Linus is coming on Friday this week instead of Wednesday. The next thing I knew, he had pulled out his "boy doll" from his toy box and was asking me to take out the baby gym, bouncy seat, and baby swing.

I asked what he was doing and he said, "I need some time with the Other Baby Linus." He carried "OBL" from swing to bouncy seat, to baby gym yammering away as if the REAL Linus were here. After about 10 minutes, he announced that "OBL" needed a bottle and that he (Ben) needed a snack. Almost 15 minutes later, he let me know that "OBL" wanted to watch a Baby Einstein and "bree-lax" (relax). When Ben was ready to move on, he said, "Mom, I need you to watch Other Baby Linus. I have some big boy things to do."

The REAL Baby Linus (playing with the "play gym")

The OTHER Baby Linus (OBL) also under the "play gym"... coincidence?