Last week, Lucas had his second birthday. Two years has flown by, and now my baby isn’t so much of a baby any more. He is in full-fledged I want to do what my older siblings are doing mode, from chores, to schoolwork, to playing games and building with Legos.
In many ways, Lucas has broken the mold of my expectations these past two years. From his first year with constant spit-up, late teeth, persistent finger sucking, and uncanny physical strength and coordination, to this past year with his ability to defy any childproofing attempts, his tenacity against which I am woefully mismatched, and his acute intelligence which is only mildly veiled by his as-yet limited speaking vocabulary, my ability to predict his forthcoming strengths and challenges has proven to be lacking.
On one hand, he is intense and demanding and dissatisfied with anything that doesn’t completely meet his “requests”, but on the other hand, he has a compassion and gentleness towards someone who is hurting that was not evident in his older siblings. He rarely says any intelligible words apart from Mommy, Daddy, and a few other staples, but will occasionally blurt out an entire sentence as clear as day. He loves bath-time when the water is running, but hates it any other time.
Yet, still, there are the normal 2-year-old boy things, too. He loves cars and trucks…well, anything with wheels, really. He runs and climbs and jumps and bangs his head on all kinds of things. He has started loving books – his current favorites being Peek-A-Who, A Good Day, Froggy Goes to Bed, I Love it When You Smile, and God Bless You and Goodnight. He will usually willingly go to bed at night, but insists on being picked up any time he wakes up (I have lost my will to stand my ground at 3am…for now, at least). He loves going outside at recess time, and even knows to go grab socks from his drawer and bring them to me with his shoes. He loves french fries, and bananas, and pretzels, and macaroni and cheese, and corn, and cookies…but there are many more things that he won’t eat without a fight. He is silly and funny and loves to be the center of attention. He needs to work on obedience, but has at least learned to obey stop! (the most important first step, in my opinion).
Lucas sometimes makes me feel like I’m in over my head, but his presence in our lives is immeasurably valuable. His biggest of big smiles, the way he sort of gallops away when he’s excited, and the out-of-the-blue hugs and kisses are some of my very favorite parts of any day. I have loved being Lucas’s mom these past two years, and I am so excited to watch him grow, and to know him more and better in the years to come. He is loved beyond words.