Thomas Is a Lizard. Loves Diapers. Maniac Bather. So Worth It.

Part I

Thomas loves to use his tongue. He is constantly licking things. An abbreviated list:

• the tub faucet
• my forearm
• the front door doorstop
• the refrigerator (inside and outside)
• any available toes
• the trash drawer handle
• the plastic shutter on the play house in the playroom
  
• random plastic balls we find at the playground
  
• Dr. Brandes' stethoscope tube
• Jack's hair
  
• abolutely ANY piece of food you give him before it has any chance of going in his mouth.
  

Part II

He is also obsessed with diapers. I have caught him several times crawling up behind Jack when Jack is standing and trying to pull Jack's diaper down. I think he likes the cartoon on the back or something.

(And for our readers who just had to know: yep, he did get a handful of something squishy once. Totally gross.)

A few days ago, while I was changing Jack on the floor, Thomas decided to crawl over and sit between my legs while I was finishing up. He sat there quietly and watched me pull the front of the diaper up through Jack's legs and attach each of the tabs.
Then he reached out and undid one of the tabs. I was surprised and impressed, but didn't think much of it.

Until the next day when I see him crawling around without a diaper on. For a moment I thought: oh my god, this kid *is* a genius! After just one lesson he can take his diaper off!
But then I found the diaper.
I'm not sure if he originally tried to take the time undo the tabs, but he ended up just tearing the thing in two parts in order to free himself.

Less about brilliance, more about exhibitionism.

Part III

Thomas taking a bath reminds me of a line in that 80s (classic) Hall & Oates song:

"[He's] a maniac, maniac I'm sure"

Because he is out of control. He wants to stand up and we won't let him. And so he decides to just do a backbend straight into the water until he gets free of us, then roll from side to side while lying in thewater. He squirms and splashes and puts his face in the water and just doesn't care. He requires 4 hands to bathe him.

Poor Jack generally just sits there with this knowing look on his face, musing wistfully about the calm, relaxing bath he had hoped to take.


IV Yin and Yang.

Thomas can be a rough boy. He throws things, he bangs things. He clearly wants things to MAKE LOUD NOISES! But then, his best move by far is his "head butt of love", when he crawls up to you and pushes the top of his head into some part of your body. Adorable.
I saw him do this to Jack for the first time yesterday.
Even though I could hear the bonk as their two heads collided, Jack still smiled. Tommy smiled back. It was adorable.