Retrospect

I know, I know. It's been a while since we've posted. There's lots of catching up to do. But I had to write this one out.

We've put up a ton of pictures in our stairway and sometimes, J-Dawg and I talk about the pictures when we're going downstairs in the morning. We were working on the concept of happy/sad yesterday. I was asking him if he were happy or sad in pictures, when we came across this shot from a year and a half ago.

-Are you happy or sad?

-Sad.

-Why are you sad?

-I don't like sitting on pumpkins, papa. I like sitting on chairs.

Hours of Enjoyment

J-Dawg has always enjoyed books, but recently, his interest has heightened to a whole new level.

This past weekend, the whole family was lounging around in the J-Man's room. He was busily playing with different toys and games: Ice Cream Truck, Matchbox cars, Duplo building blocks, Uncle Ming Ming's John Deere farm toy. Every so often he'd switch it up, and choose a new toy, and in between different bouts of play, he would pick up one of his many books that were also strewn about on the floor and ask Papa to read it.

- Gro Gro book, Papa!
- Monster at the End of this Book? Sure, let's read it!

So Papa reads the book with the boy happily turning the pages in spite of Grover's warnings to not turn the page. Upon finishing, J-Dawg merrily returns to his blocks so he can finish his sculpture. Once done with the building, he begins rummaging through his pile of books again, clearly he's got an agenda, and nothing will make him waver.

- Papa? Argadildo?
- Um, what?!
- ARGADILDO!

So, about a year ago we were at a mall and it was lunchtime. The food court happened to have a Chick-Fil-A. Since it's so rare for us to eat something like that (and because I love their soup), we decided to eat there, ordering the boy a kid's meal. For those of you who don't know, Chik-Fil-A is a company that prides itself on virtue and it's founders are very - let's just say they're not open on Sundays for a reason. And as such, they don't provide meaningless, mind-melting toys, they provide uplifting, thought-provoking toys...

...when we got J-Man's kid's meal, the toy inside was a mini-book entitled, A Tale of Resourcefulness with Armadillo.

Or should I say Argadildo?

To Be Two

Two years old – where has the time gone?!

Since your first birthday, so much has happened; it’s hard to keep it all straight. The past year has been such a blur. Each day you continue to amaze your Papa and me. In the past year, you have grown and developed so much. Every day you learn something new, and every day is such a joy to behold. My head just spins thinking about it.

It’s crazy to behold, but you’re now speaking in short sentences and you have the alphabet down pat. You are a wonderful singer, usually choosing the Alphabet Song when we ask you to sing for us. However, you especially do me proud when you belt out, “sing….sing A SONG!” at the top of your lungs. The Itsy Bitsy Spider and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star are also a regular part of your repertoire.

Not only can you sing, but you’re good with numbers too. You can count to 20 with ease and love to shout out all of the house numbers you see as we pass by. "Tick tock clock!" is another of your refrains. Whenever you see a clock, or even something that just looks like a clock, you take great pleasure in making sure we all know it's there. You can name and mimic almost any animal under the sun and in recent months, you have really begun to expand your creativity. Play-Doh has become a regular staple alongside window markers, finger paints, and plain old pen and paper. I love collaborating with you on your art and I’m honored that you allow me to.

You have such a great sense of humor. When asked what your name is, you consistently reply, “ELMO!” and then just crack up laughing – it’s delightful (but in all seriousness, you're NOT a red, furry monster!). You have also become really interested in make-believe, pretending to drive an ice cream truck and to cook gourmet meals – mmmmm, noodles! Another favorite game of yours is to complain about things costing “too much, too much, Mama!” thus requiring that you demand a refund on the faux credit cards you carry around in your wallet. Let me tell you, your frugality and ability to negotiate would make your grandparents on both sides proud.

It goes without saying that you’re a Renaissance man, but in addition to your intellectual endeavors, you are also proving to be a burgeoning athlete. You run like the wind, wanting to play your versions of soccer and basketball. You are able to jump like a frog, gallop like a horse, and dance like Kevin Bacon in Footloose. You are now SO interested in what other children are doing, especially older ones. I wish that you had more than just four cousins, and that they didn’t live in Los Angeles and Prague, but in actuality you’re really not doing too badly with the whole making friends business without those things. And, when you START SCHOOL IN THE FALL (!!!!!), I’m confident you’ll have loads more.

My heart fills to near bursting when I hear you, clear as a bell, say in a singsong voice, “Mama, I LOVE you,” “Papa, how ARE you?” and “I’M sorry, Bodhi.” And though it’s been two years, I still cannot even begin to express how overwhelming and incredible your presence in my life has been. This is not to say that it’s always been easy, but boy if I have to be responsible for parenting someone, I sure am thrilled that it’s you.

Happy 2^nd Birthday my Angel-Boy.