He’s had a change of heart. Because he didn’t like me at first.
“Hi Dominic!” I screamed as I ran excitedly into my sister’s apartment.
He smiled and blushed.
“Look, it’s your Auntie CaCa! Give your Auntie CaCa a kiss and hug.” Therese tried to keep up the enthusiasm.
“Nnooooooooooooooooo!!!” He screamed and ran into Therese’s knees.
I edged back, but my sister stood firm. “You give your Auntie CaCa a kiss and hug right now Dominic! Kiss.”
Dominic reluctantly touched his lips to my cheek.
“Now a hug.”
I had to move in towards him to make it official.
“Aww, Dominic, I’m so excited to take you to My Gym. We’re gonna have so much fun!” I jumped up and down.
He started to get into it, also jumping up and down, screaming “My Gym. My Gym!”
Therese packed a backpack with a diaper, snacks, water…the absolute necessities. She had written me directions to the gym for kids–a five minute drive from their place. “You’ll have to take off his shoes and socks. You’ll keep your socks on. There are cubbies for your stuff. And if he cries, well, he’s just going to have to get used to you. When the baby comes, we’re going to drop Dominic off at your place so he’s got to get used to you now.”
As soon as Dominic and I drove away toward the gym, he asked, “Mommy? Mommy?”
“Mommy needs to rest, Dominic, ok? We’re going to see her in an hour and she’ll have lunch ready for us. But we’re going to My Gym, My Gym,” I yelled in a sing-songy manner so he could hear me sitting in the back in his carseat.
“Yey! I can’t wait. This is going to be so much fun. Isn’t it nice and sunny, Dominic?”
“Yis.”
“Are you hot? I’m kinda hot. Should I roll down the windows?
“Yis.”
“Are you warm?”
“Yis.”
“Are you cold?”
“Yis.”
So the kid says yes to every question.
I’m not going to get into the specifics like the name game, the surprise of the day, but Dominic and I had a blast at My Gym. It was a bunch of parents and their kids (ages 2-3) watching their kids play with all these gymnastic apparatuses and then structured exercises, too, that the people at My Gym do throughout the hour. And he didn’t cry. He also said his name during the name game which he’s never done before!
Dominic and I had a great first date. I hear he even called out my name after his nap. I think I’ll be babysitting more often.
Awwww! So cute!
That last part of the story (“yis”) reminds me of an exchange I overheard between my sister and her two year old son:
jane: jairaj, take a shower na!
jai: no, because I don’t like.
jane: so you’ll never ever take a shower??
jai: i don’t know.
sigh…I love that my son is 16 and that we can relate to each other (almost) on the same level, but I do miss when he was that age.
anyway, hope all’s well with you and hope to see you around soon…..
P