Two Months Together

Two months ago today we first met this little boy.

He wasn't happy, but he didn't cry a lot those first few days.

"Maybe he's just quiet," his father guessed. Yes, and we didn't think he liked congee either.

Guess again. As it turned out, Michael has strong opinions and he lets us know what's on his mind. We hear a lot of "no," but we also hear "mine" (thanks to Louis) and "please" as he tries to use his powers of persuasion to win us over. And he does, again and again. (I still can't believe he talked me into a fourth chocolate sandwich cookie for dessert tonight.)

He still hates going to sleep, getting washed up after meals, waiting more than 30 seconds for me to prepare a meal, and having me buckle his car seat--he thinks he should be able to do it himself. But some of his other dislikes--playgrounds, for example--he's managed to get over.

In another month (or a week?) I'll be complaining that our son who screamed when he saw the hotel playground in Guangzhou is a daredevil on the slides.

Except I won't really be complaining. It's just too wonderful to see our little guy lighting up and enjoying some of the fun his big brother loves.

The other evening I took the boys to an evening of family fun, and John joined us in progress. When Michael saw Baba, he took off running to his father in a blur.

What a difference two months makes.



That's another thing about Michael. He loves to run. Louis has always liked to go fast--and his newest pair of shoes he calls his "fast shoes"--but Michael seems surprisingly quick. Baba calls Louis "Louis Caboo-is" because of his love of trains. He calls Michael "Michael Motorcycle" because he's so speedy.

Some days I forget that Louis and Michael have only been together for about six weeks. Especially during the past two weeks they have seemed so natural together. Sure, they have their disagreements over who gets to play with which train car, but they are settling into a new normal. And Louis seems more relaxed and comfortable in his big brother role.



The other night John worked late and I was putting both boys to bed. Louis took Michael's toothbrush, wet it, put the toothpaste on, and brushed his little brother's teeth. He knelt on the bathroom floor and brushed them gently and carefully. Michael, who does not like to have his teeth brushed (in fact, Louis was the first one who was able to brush them for us), held his mouth wide open and gazed at Louis. Then Louis insisted on putting on Michael's nighttime diaper, zipping up his sleeper, and reading him "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb." Our big brother is growing up.
 
His little brother isn't so small either. I am so curious to see how much Michael has grown when we go to the doctor again in a month. He's either growing quickly or I'm getting weaker every day--or some combination of the two.

Michael's vocabulary is growing too. He says "bear" and "cheese" (when pretending to take a picture) and "woof-woof" and "moo" and so many other words I have probably already shared here. I think he has 30 words or so, but every day we seem to notice another, so I'm sure I'm miscounting. He blows kisses and waves bye-bye and sings the Pleasant Goat song that his electronic Pleasant Goat car plays.

And whenever he sees our scarecrow or a spider, he says, "Boo!"

Time certainly flies when you're having fun with two boys.