So sometime over the past month Edric has gone from imitating and following the other two boys in everything they do to having a very distinct personality of his own and he hasn’t been afraid to let it shine through. I think it means that he is feeling comfortable enough to relax and actually be himself and not be in survival mode so much.
He has in true 2 year old fashion picked up two words. “No” and “Mine”. I know where he got the no from….I don’t know how many times a day I utter it…often as I am running across the house/yard/sidewalk/anywhere to prevent something/someone or whatever from happening. However I’m not real sure where the “mine” came from outside of the fact that he is two. But while we have worked for the last 5 months on words and what we get is difficult to understand at best on good days, “mine” is spoken very clearly and in the right context EVERY SINGLE TIME. Both Leighton and Caedmon had relatively minor terrible twos….now the 3s were a different story with both of them. However with Edric we are seeing all the classic 2 year old behavior.
He is into everything. EVERYTHING. I count it a miracle each night that we did not have to go to the ER that day (unless it was for me to work). Given the disaster that our health care system is in currently and the unbelievably high deductable our family has, I still fully expect that we will meet and exceed that this year. And likely next year. And I should probably forget college saving plans and just plan on turning the majority of my paycheck over to the orthopedists in town now. Start a pre-payment plan because we’re going to need it. And buy stock in Band-Aids. And sutures. And maybe just sponsor our own room in the ER. I think he can climb a flat wall literally.
And he likes to eat. Except for breakfast. Except for the day that I don’t make a big breakfast for him because for the prior 20 days he has barely touched his breakfast. Except that is the morning he will devour everything on his plate and every plate within reaching distance of him. And then some. A lot of some. If it is anywhere close to meal time…ie within 2-3 hours of a meal, he has been known to pull out plates, bowels, cups, silverware, and strap himself into his chair and wait for the meal to come. Granted we may have just finished lunch and he may have eaten enough to feed the neighborhood for the next week, but he’ll be ready for another meal. Except of course the day that I plan and prepare enough food to feed the neighborhood, then he’ll barely touch his food. And yes somedays I feel totally crazy.
He has grown so much and it is hard some days to remember where we started. Somedays I look at the mountain we still have to climb with speech and communication and wonder how we are ever going to make it, but then I stop and look back over the past 5 months and stand amazed at how much we have already climbed. Sure somedays I still feel like crying, but many more days I just shake my head and laugh.
There are little things each day that just make me smile. He burped a lot when he came home, (random fact I know and I’m sure he’ll appreciate me sharing with the world when he is older) and so we always would hold his hand up and say “excuse me”. So now when he’s all done with dinner and we ask him “what do we say?” just like we do the other boys, he covers his mouth with his hand and says “’ cuse me”. And I often hold my nose and say “stinky stinky stinky” when I change his diaper. So when he hears a world similar to that (like squeaky) he holds his nose and says “stinky stinky”. Those first number of weeks when he was so upset and troubled both Clint and I would hold him close and rub/pat his back and say over and over “I’m sorry” in both English and Korean. So now when he throws large objects at Caedmon’s head or hits Leighton or whatever, and I say “please tell him that you are sorry” he runs over and rubs the others chest or arm or back and says “sorry”.
Leighton and Caedmon have adjusted well too over the past 5 months. Leighton was already use to being a big brother but I wondered how Caedmon would do after being the baby for 3+ years. Well, I walked outside the other morning and found both Caedmon and Edric with their pants around their ankles writing their names in the snow and overheard Caedmon tell Edric “ok Edric when you are all done piddling then pull your pants up like this”. So I’m glad to see that he has fully embraced his “big brother” role and is teaching Edric the ways of life. As he told me in his little Caedmon voice the other day “mommy, I have to teach him things because he is just a baby”. Silly boy.
And so another month down, and many more memories made.
Hiking Mommy 