What do you think you are doing getting so tall all of a sudden? Those jeans fit just fine a couple of months ago and now your ankles are starting to show. I don’t really notice this sudden burst in height, unless you are stretched out being held by Daddy and I can see the entire length of you. The length that used to drape over one arm, the length that didn’t come past my belly button when you were riding in your front pack.
And now you are starting to look more like a little boy than a toddler, or a pre-schooler even. Sometimes you throw over a look that makes me think it’s what you are going to look like in high school. I can see it already, hiding behind the pirate ships and the stuffed animals, a fleeting glimpse of the adolescent you will become.
You are starting to enjoy your brother. Some mornings, I let him go into your room to wake you up. He climbs up onto the bed, over to you and opens his mouth for a big sloppy kiss. If that doesn’t work, he’ll attempt to tickle you, saying, “dicky-dicky” which is his word for tickle. You don’t appreciate it one bit, but even through you are pushing him away, saying, “STOP IT!” over and over, you are laughing while you do it.
This has been a difficult year for you. Right about the time that you discovered that the baby brother just might be staying for good, Daddy got laid off and was home full time. At first we enjoyed the time immensely, going to the zoo and taking beach trips. Things that we weren’t able to do before because Daddy had to work all of the time. As Spring approached though, things started to get stressful and I’m sure you felt it. I went back to work full time for a couple of weeks and was back home only to find another 3 month contract position a month later and further disrupt your schedule. Me working, was difficult for everyone, including me, although in retrospect, it would have been extremely enjoyable had I known that everything would be alright in the end.
This has been a big year for change for you and for us. We’ve cut you a break with your behavior, assuming that you must be just as stressed as everyone else and tried to give you the benefit of the doubt as often as we could. Because your schedule was changing and something was going on in the house that you didn’t quite understand, we tried to cut you a break.
Now that Daddy is working again, I’m trying my best to get you back on a schedule. We removed the gate in the hallway, because you could open the gate anyway, there wasn’t much point in keeping it up anymore. You are able to open almost all of our child proof locks and knobs, which means, no room is safe. Luckily, you are starting to understand cause and effect and for the most part do a good job staying out of the places you are banned from, lest you end up in the time out chair.
You’ve honed your obsession with monsters, ghosts and spooky things, (spooky fangs). First thing in the morning there is a five minute dialog where you explain about the monsters and ghosts that were in your room and what you talked about with them during the night. And oh the love of pirates! There must be something deep within little boy DNA that causes you to automatically gravitate towards swords and fighting. Give you a sword, (and someone to whack with it) and you are a happy boy. Sadly, that person often ends up being the brother, or Mommy’s bottom which results in the sword going to live on top of the fridge. At any given time there is a collection on top of the fridge or entertainment center of swords, pirate hooks or hammers that have been taken away for hitting someone or something with it.
I’m so glad that the past year is behind us and I’m relieved that you weathered it as well as you did. You probably won’t even remember this time of your life, although if you do it will probably consist of swords, monsters and a whole lot of boxed mac and cheese.
I love you,
Mommy
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