Banning turns two

It was his second birthday. I had bought him a rocking horse. Nin said he was to young for a rocking horse, but I didn't think so. My boy was a strong boy. He was capable of anything at that age. He liked to hide shoes places, Nin and my shoes. We would find them all over the house. Sometimes I would find them on the book shelf, a good two feet higher than he could reach. I never found out how Banning actually made that happen. He was a little wizard, just a magical boy.

Nin had gifted him with a new pair of shoes and a educational shape box, the kind when you have to match up triangle with triangle, square with square, circle with circle. He didn't like the box, but he did like the shaped pieces. Nin was a little sad but I told her he would like the whole gift in time. "You just wait." I told her, "It will be his favorite toy in a month or two." That cheered her up a bit, until he started climbing all over the rocking horse with pleasure drool pouring down his chin.

He fell off twice in about three minutes so Nin declared it was unsafe for him, and she was going to put it away until he was ready. Banning started crying hysterically when Nin tried to take it away. I knew Nin didn't like being the bad guy, it's funny how the 'bad guy' can easily be translated to the caring, protective parent. So I stopped her, and I took it away from Banning. He wouldn't look at me for an hour after that, and when he did it was a terrible face to see. His eyes all squinting and mouth straight across. He new his angry face quite well.

I told Nin that since I had to take the rocking horse away, that I would like to be the one to give him his birthday cake, so maybe I could score some birthday points with him. He saw right through it. He liked the cake and all, but he knew I was still the same guy that took his rocking horse away. He was a smart little bugger.

Nin had to help him blow out his two little candles. Nin was a fan of number candles, you know if you're turning twenty five she would want a candle shaped like a two and one shaped like a five. Not me I would put twenty five different candles, there is just more to lick the cake off of after. So she let me put two candles in the cake instead of a number two candle. After Nin and he blew them out he stuck his hands right into the frosting and grabbed a big handful. Well, a big handful for his little hands. Banning was a mess by the time he was done with that cake, actually, when Nin thought he should be done with it. She didn't want him to spoil his appetite on sweets. She was a great mom.

That night I read him his favorite book. It was a book called 'Harold and the Purple Crayon'. I'm not sure why he liked it so much because he really didn't understand it at all, but I think he liked it because it was small. Bannings second favorite book was 'The Hungry Caterpillar' because he really liked bugs. He fell asleep leaning against me in his bed. Nin was at the door watching us. "I think he forgives you Dacklin." "I hope so. He looked pretty upset earlier." "Thank you for being the bad guy." "Thank you for being you."

I tucked Banning in. Put in his night light. I turned off the light to his room, and then I took his mother to bed. Nin fell asleep almost instantly. Birthdays are long days for moms. She rubbed her bare feet on my calves. She always had cold feet when she jumped into bed, and I always had warm legs to rub them on. It was a great day for a great family.