These past two days were fun-filled for Aenaon. He was thrilled by his Tia Rosi and cousin Stephanie's overnight visit on Friday. He couldn't get enough of "Deh-di" (Stephanie) who, at almost a full two years older, would feign exasperation with his 'youthful' antics. It was pretty funny to watch (especially coming from one who's not quite four...) I must say it's the fist time Aenaon interfaced with such a situation. But, as a parent, I guess that's the name of the game- letting your children go, and letting them see for themselves the many different types of relationships, people, interactions, reactions, etc. and letting them figure out how best to handle them (of course it doesn't hurt to help them navigate this often treacherous domain...). So Stephanie would tolerate his wanting to be close to her, his calling her name as loudly as he could (over and over again), giving her power hugs, pressing himself as closely as he could against her (I've seen him do this with many people he likes. He physically closes any space separating him from the object of his affection-- even if it's a big, old, overly-talkative "stranger" at Starbucks whom he befriends (he went right up to this particular man's face, practically pressing his against it, and followed this up by giving him his signature running (/diving) hugs, which the man tolerated quite well, "if it's all right with Mom".)

So Tia told me he "plays hard". And that he is essentially "unfazed" by falls, bumps, etc. I know this to be true, and I interpret it this way: when Aenaon is focused, he is exclusively so- to the point even when he becomes oblivious to physical pain- it becomes inconsequential in the face of his objective (yes, even at two, I kid you not). The more excited and determined he is about his objective, the less he allows for any impediment (of any kind).

Other memorable quotes from the day: "mo' babur, pees" (More capers, please.) This was said when we counted a current sixty-eight capers already on his plate. He gets a little nervous when the pile of food in front of him shrinks when he still wants to eat it, so he asks for more at this point, rather than when it's all gone. (Perhaps that's typical of all children this age?) Or, is that another of Aenaon's idiosyncracies?

Aenaon is now wielding his bilingual skills to his advantage. I was outside weeding, and he was "helping" me (read: throwing our mulch into the street), and whenever a Spanish speaking woman would walk by he would say "Ola!" (so clearly and distinctly, I was startled myself), and, of course, would elicit an emotional response from the passerby "Ah, precioso". He did this with absolutely no prompting from me. (Now either her can already "tell" who speaks Spanish, or he thinks everyone who walks by our house speaks Spanish (which happened to be the case this afternoon). I was applauding him for his communication once inside, and I was saying it in Spanish and English, and he would remind himself, "Papi, "ola" " and he was still saying this after I put him down for his nap "Papi, Ola", "Aena, Ola". I think he was really proud of himself for the bridge he traversed. All were impressed.

Aenaon Anecdote, The Unkind Fan

Hi. This is "mom", that ubiquitous figure I've become. My second self, or primary self, who's to say. Anyway, just wanted to share this bedtime anecdote with you about Aenaon. Firstly, after eating his Curry Wheatberry Salad (his favorite, yes he has distinctive tastes for a two year old), we came home and readied the little ones for bed. First I put Adara down, but she began to cry after I went into Aenaon's room. She cried the whole time I went through his nighttime routine. So I rushed back to her and nursed her some more (until she was nearly drunk, or passed out with satisfaction), but Aenaon was crying by this point. Really crying (which he DOESN'T do anymore at bedtime). So then I went back into his room to see what was the matter. Well, it was his fan, "Mami, no fan" he said half sobbing and utterly distraught. It may seem like a simple problem to solve to the outsider. He was standing up at the switchplate, and he had turned it off. But, here's the catch (and the crux of the problem). Aenaon's fan takes about a minute and a half to completely stop spinning. (It's a ceiling fan, if you couldn't tell...) So, when one turns the switch off, it doesn't immediately stop. And therein, my friends, lies the problem. The all-holy sense of Order, which is so crucial to a toddler, was violated. A crucial rule was broken. The world is a frightening place, and our little ones try so hard to to feel knowledgable and understanding of the myriad of occurences and rhythms in our world-- so they thrive on order and routine, because they feel like they can know, or control something in their surroundings. Therefore, something as simple as a fan that does not stop turning immediately when you turn it off can cause a breakdown of seeming disproportion to the occurence at hand. But after a couple of lullabys all was well in the R-- household again. (I had to close my eyes a few times so I wouldn't laugh because he was watching the fan so intently as it slowed down while I sang).

So let me include a few "baby notes" while I'm at it.

Aenaon's current favorite nighttime read: (please forgive my "stars")

Moonhorse by Sylvia- (will have to look it up later) (****)

other current favorite reads:

Hello, Robots by Robert--- "..aa.."(see above) (***1/2)

Nursery Rhymes Collection

and old favorites:

It's OKAY to be Different (***) Todd ______

People by Peter Spier (*****)

Past favorites:

Jamberry

Well, there are too many. He's always loved books. They've been his preferred occupation. I worry a little that Adara is missing out because I'm always catering to his reading preferences, and I don't spend the few minutes I have with her alone reading...

One thing mom said is great about me (one of the many, of course), is that I'm really generous- without any prompting whatsoever. Even though I'm prone to pummel my sister at times, I still offer her things to play with and eat before myself- and no one asks me to do it. It just seems like the right and natural thing to do (which makes mom happy).

Now that the weather is nice mom has been making sure to take us out as much as possible. At this stage in my life, the little "Neanderthal" stage (cf. Dr. Karp), mom has come to realize that I need lots of exercise and outdoor play. Almost like a pet dog, for example. If I don't get the necessary amount of exercise I am more apt to bounce off the walls (and to bounce my sister off the floor). I was hard at play yesterday (with mom) and she thinks I might have broken her nose. I was flipping myself over her, and at one unfortunate point I threw my head back (with all my force behind it) into mom's nose. There was a big CRUNCH! And that was the end of our play...

(It's still very sore and swollen...)

Forget that vocabulary list. I am missing at least two-hundred or more words, and, as I wrote earlier, Aeanon is using more and more words every day. Yesterday, when we were coming down the stairs in the morning he said, "buy dried mango Joe's" (which I found very amusing). Later, when we were in the basement, he was in the bathroom with me (and I rarely have him there with me), he leaned into the shower and said, "wash dog", which must come from him having watched me wash the dog (now probably a year ago)- which I don't even remember. But I did, indeed, give the dog a shower in the basement. Funny thing is, we haven't had the dog since December, but he still thinks of him when we see certain objects, etc. He's heard "yia yia"'s voice on the tapes she left, and I told him who she was. Another day I asked him if he ever saw yia yia in his dreams and he said "yes". When he can talk more I will ask him again, and get some more details just to see. I plan to ask him lots of questions about what he can remember as soon as he can talk more (womb, before womb, etc.) just to see what he consciously remembers and can speak of. I think that's fascinating.

So he knows words related to cleaning: wash, clean, sweep, broom, drier, etc. and all of the foods he likes to eat: bananas, pineapples, papaya, grape leaves, apples, (all the berries and fruits I can think of), squash, pumkin (pumpkin bread- one of his favorite treats, which he was also requesting earlier).

I feel so bad keeping him cooped up in the house. Too bad we don't have a yard, and too bad it's been raining so much.

Well, Aeanon will be up and dictating soon, so I'll write again later.

(Kissing his sister. What a nice brother! (We're working on positive reinforcement/expectations!)

Notes on Aenaon:

I was originally compiling this list just to see how many words Aenaon knew (because the two year check-up says most kids have a vocabulary of about two-hundred words). But as I've begun this process, I realize that it is too tedious, and quite honestly, he gains a number of words (or starts saying them, rather) each day- and this list is growing too large!

Aenaon's words:

train, plane, car, bus, truck, ditch digger, blue line, orange line, ding, red, purple, green, square, circle, triangle, octagon, heart, star, all the letters of the alphabet (I don't want to spell them out here), one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, puzzle, all gone, done, run, walk, go, play, toys, park, book, library, Starbucks, Target, slide, swing, sand, ball, up, down, abajo, in, out, yes, no, album, wipes, diaper, shoes, zapatos, socks, calcetines, cat, dog, lion, duck, bunny, frog, hop, goat, bird, pigeon, pig, cow, bull, horse, sheep, sleep, awake, store, Joe's (trader joe's), food, fruit, strawberry, blueberry, mango, grapes, shapes, crackers, bread, hommous, onion, carrot, broccoli, stove, chair, highchair, shade, bed, CD, DVD, T.V., again, guitar, violin, organ, rug, shower, bath, sink, water, agua, drive, leaf, tree, flower, dirt, fly, ant, spider, bee, car seat, hot, cold, cereal, spicy hot, tongue, eyes, nose, feet, toes, hands, head, cheeks, chin, leg, knee, rest, rice, corn, pasta, noodles, more, mas, bank, money, boy, eye, beetle, cup, bowl, plate, spoon, fork, papi, mama, theia, opie, (numerous names of family and friends), house, home, hi, hello, bye, balloon, slowly, okay, poem, blocks, sirens, tape, raspberries, yummy, coat, jacket, jean, beach, ocean, tea, milk, juice, zoo, penguin, baby, stroller, hug, kiss, man, open, closed, gate, yoga class, mouse, cut, Bandaid, boo boo, teeth, toothbrush, paste, pretzel, okra, this, gas pump, rain, snow, umbrella, dried mango, nuts, ginger, ginger snap, almond butter, cheese, eggs, sauce, shower, bath, soap, towel, napkin, dark, light, luz, oscuro, love you, te amo, clothes, shirt, pants, dress...

Of course, not all the words sound just like they're supposed to, but he produces them, and I understand what he means.

He can count to ten.

He has an excellent sense of direction, and memory of place, association, previous occurrence, etc. Points out stores, people's houses, all places we've been, places where we've seen things or done things (we pass this corner where we saw a cat once, and he still calls out "Mami, cat, meow!" from the back seat). Whenever we take specific turns he calls out a potential destination for the place we're going (always correctly, in terms of direction).

This is the train Opie brought Aenaon back from Japan. His first train! He loves it!

I turned two years old yesterday!! Can you believe it? My mom made me wear a tacky button all day with lights on it, and everyone stopped to say "happy birthday" and ask "how old are you?". It was a little embarrassing, but secretly I felt proud and special with all the extra attention. This "burday" thing turned out to be pretty cool. I got to play at my favorite park all day (corner of Clarendon and Commenwealth). They have every toy and plaything a child could want- and it's all public. (That's what can happen in a wealthy enough neighborhood where people have no need to walk off with the things!) We rode the train "ding, ding! Choo choo!" and the "Odin den" (Orange (line) train). (We have to go on the trains with flat boarding platforms and elevators 'cause Mom can't lift us in a double stroller alone!)

I had a great balloon, too, that read "Happy 2nd Birthday" but it flew off into the clouds after my visit to Tia Rosi's workplace (and my cousin Stephanie was there too, and we played amidst the bags of clothes and water cooler).

I got to eat my favorite dish from Whole Foods, the curry wheatberry salad. (Believe it or not. And I ate every kernel- which Mom estimated to be close to a pound!) I still had room to eat prima Stephanie's pancakes when I saw them, though. I was out on the town for almost eight hours straight, and I have to admit I started to have a bit of a meltdown on the return train ride home. I was passed out by the time I arrived. But it was all worth it. What a wonderful day! (Next year Mom said we're having a party, 'cuz Papi wanted low key this year- but it was so low key that it consisted of singing Cumpleanos Feliz and Happy Birthday and clapping before I was put in bed.) I didn't mind, though! I will show you how proud I was of my button in this picture: (and even this morning I was looking for it, so I could feel special again!)

This is a picture from the John Henry An American Legend book. I always point to the Spanish/Asian looking man with the mustache and say "Mami?!" and laugh. Mom thought you might find that amusing. Papi gets to be the handsome one in the brown hat. Hhmmmm...









This is mama and I after I stole a few swigs of her prized tea. As you can see from the picture, she wasn't too upset about it!

Mom said we were taking a hiatus from blogging. And I said, "that's okay, mama...whatever that is." So here we are, back again.

My mama and papi have been a bit worried about me lately (they don't tell me this in so many words, but I can see it on their faces). See, I',m turning two tomorrow. The big 2. T-oh-oh. Or "No-no". The "terrible" two. I guess I've seemed more in line with this colloquial phrase lately. I'm a terrible two. (I can't believe Mom just typed that!) No, not terrible. But I've developed a few new habits over the past week that are a bit grating. Mom's still not convinced that it's not sleep deprivation. But basically, I've begun to release a cross between a lion's roar and a monkey's cry when I don't get the immediate reaction I want. (Too bad this thing doesn't have audio.) It's not a very endearing sound, put it that way. And, well, I guess I figured since that was the case, that no one could stand it for too long, so they'd have to yield, and provide whatever it is I wanted. I've also taken to taking a big mouthful of liquid, and letting it dribble down my front (even in public places). And I've been stepping up my Adara attacks. I will do the running body slam or the roll and kick, push, pull or force in some other manner, until I am physically removed from the scene. In fact, mom thinks that's part of the reason I do it- to get her reaction- but I'm not divulging any secrets yet.

Other than that I am my usual self. I still smile and wave at lots of people. And I greet all the cars and trucks and buses and trains. I'm particularly into ditch-diggers right now. And I must have my travelling companion confirm whatever it is that I'm pointing out, otherwise I get upset.

And, of course, I still love fruits. I can eat hordes of it. It never ceases to impress people. In fact, in the supermarket today I kept calling out "More boop!!" "More boop!" as my mama wheeled us through the aisles. If one's hearing wasn't exact it might sound like I was excited to buy more poop. But, of course I was saying fruit.

Mom saw a book full of little "lessons I learned from my children", and she said "man, I can write that" so she started to write down a list of observations of what I do that can serve as inspirational (or just plain humorous) life-lessons or inclinations.

And for those of you who don't know this about me, I'm a capers fiend. I can down a bottle in less than a day. Which, at four dollars a bottle (jar) is an expensive habit. My mom bought me some for my birthday, but I've just spotted them, so I'm havng my first bowlful now. (They might not last until tomorrow...)

I've also been really into nursery rhymes lately. Mom is always amused by the ways they've been edited (or not) since she was a child. For example, the baa-baa black sheep has wool for the little boy who lives (already finished my first serving of capers) down the lane (as opposed to none for the boy whe cries in the lane). There are endless examples. As for the poorly edited, our collection of rhymes has rock-a-by baby, etc. who falls when the "bow" breaks. Mom thought, is this baby on a ship in the tree, or did I just dream up that there's such a thing as a bough (sleep-deprivation). But no, indeed, trees do have boughs, and cribs don't have bows. And there are "lot's" of other examples I've seen, too. Good thing these kids can't read yet! (Justy finished second serving of capers, jar was already half gone...)