You're almost two years old and boy does it show. Your easy going spirit has slowly been replaced by a more boyish disrespect for authority. My authority to be specific (I would mention Daddy's authority but I'm still waiting for him to develop some.) Your listening skills definitely leave much to be desired. Your ignoring skills are highly refined and right up there with a full grown man's ignoring abilities. Another boyish trait of note is your propensity to repeat an action with undesirable results. If you consistently fall off a chair you decide to climb on, you might want to consider moving on to something else. Particularly since you're more prone to come running to mama, whining and crying when you get hurt as opposed to the
I-meant-to-do-that,-I'm-fine type of attitude Sofia would have taken at your age.
I suppose this confirms what I've known all along despite the almost unanimous opposition from my Senior Thesis Philosophy class in college, that men and women really are fundamentally different. Even compared to the classic tom boy that is Sofia, these qualities still set you apart in that time honored and recognizable the world over male way.
I will concede that your influences have been different as the second born child. The obvious and greatest influence is that of another child. You spend a great deal of your life following Sofia around, adopting whatever game she chooses to invent and acting like it's your own. You have progressed by leaps and bounds in your vocabulary which I think is greatly owed to the way you repeat every word, phrase, and conviction that Sofia has to offer. Just a couple of minutes ago, you and Sofia swarmed in here like flies, (that's what I call you two when you manage to find me and swarm around me no matter what room in the house I'm trying to enjoy some alone time in) and declared that you were bobcats as you displayed your hands gloved in mismatched socks. First I had to attentively listen to Sofia and then again to you with equal interest and surprise.
I know you don't know what a bob cat is but you never shy away from new words even if you can't pronounce them very well at all. It's a good trait to have. Not doing things for fear of being wrong will only hold you back. I've always been a competence first then comes confidence type of person, but as I've learned in my wise years, confidence will often get you much farther than competency. In this, you follow in your father's footsteps and I hope it serves you well.
Until recently, I had let your hair grow wild and long. I kind of always wanted you to have long hair but your hair just shoots down your forehead straight into your eyes, so alas, I abandoned my fantasy and took you in for a haircut. Despite my pleas that they not make you look like a Mormon missionary, you ended up looking like a Mormon missionary -sorry.
You're still a skinny little boy. I'll update with your measurements when we go in for your two year well check up. But, you're longer and your head is more proportional to your body making you look probably much older than you really are. I dress you like a regular little boy, but I miss the more cute and cuddly outfits of yester-year. I guess boys just have a shorter cute and cuddly shelf life than girls.
... more later
The visit at the pediatrician's office was challenging to say the least. Somehow, you seem to be able to retain some memory of doctor's visit even though your last one was more than six months ago. Nothing terrible has been done to you aside from the vaccines (no, I'm not counting the circumcision when you were two weeks old). Anyway, even though, the nurse kindly let us wait in the waiting room instead of the small examination room, you still decided you wanted to leave the second we got in the exam room. Despite the fact that you are normally quite friendly with anyone willing (or not willing) to talk to you, you wanted nothing to do with the nurse. You didn't want your head measured. You didn't want to lie down on the paper so we could measure your length, you didn't even want to sit or stand to get weighed.
Once we got called back to the exam room, you immediately turned back towards the door. As I tried and failed to distract you with nothing but my charm, Dr. Arnold walked in, quickly assessed that you were trying to escape and calmly blocked the door with a chair. I guess he's dealt with this before. I had a very hard time trying to concentrate as Dr. Arnold started talking to me. You were still rather enraged and started grunting and trying to move the chair out of the way. I thought at any moment you were going to make a break for it and I was going to be running after you down the hall making a spectacle.
As I wrangled you onto my lap for the exam, I braced myself for, what would surely be, the most embarrassing trip to the doctor's office. Where, despite Dr. Arnold's kind and regular reassurances on each visit that I'm "such a good mom", he would surely find out now that I wasn't and that I'd simply let you raise yourself as a feral child. Luckily, Dr. Arnold managed to sustain your attention for a couple of seconds with the lizard on his stethoscope. And although, you would only grant us short reprieves from the fit you were throwing in order to escape, Dr. Arnold was able to complete the exam and I was still able to escape with half of my dignity.
How much you don't grow:
Weight: 23 lbs 7oz (5th percentile)
Length: 33" (25th percentile)
Head Cir.: 48 1/2 cm (50th percentile)
On Sunday, we had Abuelo & Abuela, Tia Marcelo & Tom, Uncle Peter, and Autumn over. It was a bit windy so we ate inside. Marcelo was all about Tia Marcela, "look at this...", "Tia Marcelaaaaa!". There were some big gifts, a basketball hoop from Abuelo, and the Speed Racer car which we thought would need to be charged but Sofia showed us otherwise when she hoped in after it's excitement had died down a bit and pushed on the gas pedal. Marcelo immediately had to have at it of course. And although he managed to press on the gas pedal without assistance, he felt no need to take charge of the stearing wheel choosing instead to go where ever the car chose to lead him.
Marcelo also received a Sesame Street lego set from Tia Marcela, a set of cute little cars from Abuelo & Abuela, and a drum set with musical instruments from Mami. I know, why would I do that to myself? I don't know, because I'm willing to hurt myself just for the enjoyment of my own children. Marcelo loves to play the drums anyway on anything he can find. When we're out in the garage, he somehow knows to turn the plastic water containers upside down, hold it up with his legs and beat on it. He's a very musical boy, what can I say.
