A long time

I've been thinking of things to blog for a long time but haven't had time. I'm stealing a few minutes now, having finished reading over rough draft essays from my online class...
Ali has learned to clap. He started out a bit tentative a few weeks ago, but now when he hears a beat he'll give me a look and put his hands together. He seems more serious than Leila was at his age with people. He looks at them, but isn't as quick to smile. I don't think he laughs quite as much as he used to , but the other day he was laughing so hard he fell over. He falls over a lot. Usually he manages to land where there isn't a pillow, but so far he hasn't had any of the dramatic falls that Leila did. He doesn't really move around much, but he can end up in some funny positions sometimes.
The other day H was in the office. When he came out, Ali was lying on the carpet in the hallway. Since H had left him sleeping in bed, this was a mystery. My guess is that Leila somehow got him off the bed and dragged him into the hallway without causing him to wail. I tried to ask her, but she hid her head and was reluctant to admit it. I gave her a firm talking to (kind but gentle- I can be) and the next day when I got home she said, "I didn't pick up Ali." I think part of the problem was that H had helped her "hold" Ali earlier that day.
This morning Leila got on the toilet by herself for a pee! I'm so proud of her. Last Sunday she only used the pot since I was around to help her. I hope she's going to be potty trained soon.
Ali isn't- he though it was hilarious to get his hands poopy while I was changing his diaper yesterday- that third hand we need to grow in pregnancy would come in handy then. The bugger of it is that he just laughs and laughs.
So, the other day, I'm on the pot, and Leila, who likes to keep me company, says "We don't eat pee. We don't eat poop. We don't eat boogers." Then she thought about that last statement. "But I do."
She is such a treasure trove of words and experiences. She just amazes me- and what she can't do one day she can do the next. She's now perfected somersaults- it took her awhile, and she needed me to push her legs, but now she can do it.
One day, about a month ago, I heard her crying and crying. I came out and found her sobbing as she watched the animated Tarzan, because the tiger was trying to get the baby. We talked about how it wasn't real- but I love her empathy and sensitivity.