Henry and Martha.

We cherish our rare visits with Martha! She and Henry are exactly 6 months apart and the age gap is quickly closing as these little cousins love to play with each other.

Lizbeth and I like to compare our toddlers. They are so very different that it is always good for a laugh.

Martha is a talker. Henry, not so much.....although he did pick up several new words within hours of being with Martha. Peer pressure is a wonderful thing.

Martha is 6 months younger, an inch taller, and at least 5 pounds heavier than her big cousin. And, she loves to eat! After living with a child that can subsist on water alone, it is a pleasure to see a child that will eat anything on a spoon. The upside to having a tiny child is that he did not need any new summer clothes since everything still fits from last year.

There was quite a bit of fussing over stealing and snatching of treasured toys until Lizbeth and I gave up the battle of "sharing" and just let them steal and snatch to their little heart's content. Henry's technique was to use brute force to get Martha's baby doll and bottle but Martha preferred a more sneaky approach. She would wait until Henry put down his 'blackberry' and moved on to the next toy and then she would swoop down to grab the prize. She also snuck his cream cheese bread off his tray with the same method.

The best moment of the weekend was when Henry decided he *needed* Martha's doll bottle. Henry tends to use his mouth as an extra set of hands so he stuck the bottle in his mouth to keep safe until his hands were free. Martha immediately noticed the bottle in his mouth and grabbed it, firmly clamped between Henry's teeth, and started swinging Henry around. We watched and laughed for multiple twirls until Lizbeth jumped up to save Henry's teeth from breaking. I'm still wondering if I should feel bad that it didn't occur to me to rescue my child.