Best Friends

The other day, I jokingly asked Noah who his best friend was.

"Mommy?" I said enthusiastically. "Or daddy?" I used much less enthusiasm.

Noah looked at both of us, smiled wide and shouted, "Daddy"as he hugged Ash.

He laughed heartily. Noah's favorite thing in the world is when Ash and I play fight over him. Since he was tiny we've passed him back and forth, grabbing for him while saying, "He's mama's baby" or "he's dada's baby!" Noah lights up and soaks in all the attention and our fake disappointment. It works well when he doesn't want to leave one of us and the one that wants/needs to take him has to find a good/tear-free way to separate him from his chosen parent of the moment.

I rephrased.

"Noah, who's your best friend. Mama or mommy?" He smiled, reached for me and obliged, "Mommy!"

The truth is, Noah loves us both, and there are times where he prefers one of us over the other. But he does it in just a way that we each feel like the most important person in the world. He pours love out to each of us. But, he really looks up to Ash. He wants to play ball like Ash, he wants to wear his shoes, and he even tries to walk like Ash when he follows him down the hallway. Don't get me wrong, he also loves to wear my running shoes, headbands and White Sox hat, but there is just something special about the bond between Ash and Noah.

Here they are yesterday, tackling mowing the lawn together.