the baby, whom he's been alternately loving and ignoring until now, has become mobile.
she's officially a crawler, which means she can make her way to things that catch her attention, like newspapers, the laptop -- or the boy's toys.
when she was confined to a bassinet or a playpen or a high chair, she posed no threat to him; now she can get attention by crawling into his spotlight.
suddenly, he seems to have an idea of "mine."
just a month ago, i watched him at the library playing amongst other toddlers and a number of older kids.
toys went in and out of his hands with nary a protest; if they disappeared with another's, his attention moved elsewhere.
now, if the baby begins gnawing or even handling his older toys, he snatches them from her grasp.
come nap or bedtime this past week at kris' parents' house, i have literally had to stand over the boy's crib and repeatedly lay him down every time he stood up or tried to get out.
he made his objections known at the top of his lungs, much to kris' embarrassment and her parents' dismay.
eventually, he would pipe down and sleep.
while trying, each effort on my part would take less time than the one previous. i'm not sure if that's a sign of progress, but it sure feels like i'm breaking a little bit of his spirit each time. that breaks my heart.
(oh, yeah, this visit to gaga and papaw's, he learned how to clamber out of the crib without crashing to the floor. apparently, this has translated to his crib back home, too -- the site of two failed attempts. we no longer have a cage.)
once it became clear that it was time for bed (and, he'd become agitated by our having to clip a split toenail) he was back at full volume and fight.
the whole time, he kept screaming "mommy woom! want mommy woom!"
in mommy's room, of course, was his crying baby sister.
rather than subject her son to daddy's strict bedtime discipline, mommy came in and read to the boy until he calmed down and she was able to let him drift off.
so i'm the bad cop. i can live with that; somebody has to.
sometimes he crawls, though i think that's more to do with too much walking as trying to become a baby.
lately, it's been his requests to "carry me you," so we'll pick him up and hold him, which i don't mind.
it's too bad i can't convey to him how dearly we still hold him in our hearts.
it's part and parcel of his age, i suppose, these "terrible twos."
on one front, he's asserting his toddler self with his "no's" and tantrums, while on the other, he's clinging desperately to his baby self with a desire for attention.
as tired and frustrated as it leaves me and kristina, though, long after this stage is behind him, i suspect we'll only long for the bright, stubborn little boy who wanted only for us to "carry me you."
