Lately, I've been noticing how long and lean Evan is when I pick him up. He somehow feels lighter than his baby sister--even though he's still got about 10 pounds on her. Anyway, I've been reminiscing about two years ago when he was this chunky monkey:
He's more boy than baby every day. While he still sleeps in a crib at night, he just yesterday asked for a pillow that has quickly become as essential for sleep as his baby doll and puppy dog. I think he wants his bed to be more like Tobin's. And he demands water as a ploy to delay us saying goodnight. He wants to carry his brother's backpack when we pick Tobin up from school. He occasionally pretends to go potty by standing in front of the toilet like Tobin does. (He's shown no strong interest in potty training, which is just fine by me because I'm not ready for that transition quite yet either.) Recently, we decided to try letting Tobin and Matt go without Evan to T-ball practice, thinking it would be easier for Matt to help out without having to keep tabs on Ev. Evan was heartbroken when they left to "play baseball" without him. We were just finishing supper, so I offered him some ice cream as consolation and then said he could take a bath with Lauren. Both seemed to lift his spirits and help him forget he'd been left behind.
Evan does love being with his sister. When I carry her in to see the boys after she wakes up in the morning, he'll reach up to her and say something like "Hi Waurnen! How you doing? I wanna kiss me, kiss me!" And he gives her an enthusiastic kiss, much to her delight. When there's music playing, sometimes he'll hold her hand and ask her to dance, swinging her arm gently. Sometimes, he does have trouble remembering to be gentle and kind with her. Seemingly out of the blue, he'll intentionally push her over. Or he'll take a toy that he's sure is his. We've corrected him many times for such infractions. The other day as I was carrying him back to take his nap, he put my cheeks in his hands, furrowed his brow and said, "I no push Waurnen. Okay, Mama?" I'm not sure if he was mocking me or having a sincere repentant moment but either way, I had to smile. And shake my head.
As Evan approaches three, he's especially temperamental. (Imagine!) He changes his mind quickly and forcefully. I'll offer him yogurt at the end of supper and he'll act offended and say "No, I don't want yogurt!" emphatically. And then when I start to sit down again, he'll wail, "I want yogurt! Pwease!" Sometimes I have the presence of mind to anticipate his change of mind and things go a bit more smoothly. I continue to find that in most situations in which he gets upset about life, if I remain calm but firm, we get through whatever it is fairly quickly. It's as if he needs to flip out for 60 to 90 seconds and then he's over it. I know things may get worse before they get better with him at this age but at least I have a strategy.
The challenge of big emotions aside, Evan continues to move through life with enthusiasm and his own distinctive style. Recently the two of us have been playing board games. I think Matt or I remain his best partners as big brother is a bit too conventional with his rule following. When playing Candy Land, Evan likes to keep all the pieces to himself but will permit--sometimes insist--that I wave "hi" to them. The colored gingerbread men tackle each other. Frequently. With Connect Four, he likes to separate the colored chips, handing me "Tobin's yellow" chips while he keeps the red. He wins each time he completes a column, exclaiming "I did it!" My role is to set up said column completions. Memory is the closest he comes to being a traditional gamer. I try to use only about four or five matched card pairs at a time. He points to the cards he wants and patiently waits while I flip them--kind of like a live-action iPad. He's really quick about making the matches and gets so excited with each one, jumping up and down while saying "Yes!"
How I adore watching him figure out how to be a big boy, all while remaining planted in the wonderland that is toddlerhood. I wanted to get a video of him saying or doing something funny but oddly enough he disappeared right after lunch. So I was left chatting with Spider-man, who showed up about the same time.
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