The Cappuccino Life

Jun. 20, 2008 - One

I can’t get over how much fun this one year old stage is. For some reason I’d forgotten just how hilarious and delightful new toddlers are. Yes, by this time I’m a bit tired of waking in the middle of the night, and I certainly don’t enjoy the newfound tendency to scream and tantrum, but the vast majority of the time, I feel like I never want to leave this stage of Biruk’s life.

I think it’s that kids this age are experiencing and incredible mental growth spurt. And along with that comes much more social interaction and communication, even if verbosity is still a long way away. Every day Biruk figures out something new, and he’s always so pleased with himself. Since he learned to walk, he toddles (or waddles!) everywhere with his little chest proudly stuck out in front of him. Except for when he’s toddling around with his finger in his bellybutton. Or if he gets away from me without a diaper and tries to walk while holding onto, um, something else (boys!!).

Biruk desperately wants to do everything his brothers do, and I think that really pushes his learning. If they bounce a ball, he tries to bounce a ball. If they run to Josiah, he runs to Josiah. If they jump up and down, he bounces on his knees. If they sing, he goes “lalalalala”. If he catches me exercising, he imitates my arm circles. If we are at the park, he’s no longer content to sit in the stroller while I do my walking. He must be let out to play. He heads straight for the slide, and climbs up the slide part, flops on his belly and scoots down, over, and over, and over again.

The best are his discoveries. Last night, for instance, he discovered the window near his bed. He was enthralled. He could reach the corner of the curtain from his bed, and when he pulled it away, he discovered the night sky. I wish I’d had a camera to capture that sweet little face, softly lit by the night sky. He did a little stargazing, before he turned and discovered that the open curtain had made a triangle of light on the other side of his bed. He was even more enthralled. He pointed and grunted and jumped up and down. Josiah and I were “playing dead” (hoping that lacking an audience he would give up and go to sleep) but we were watching him and giggling quietly. The next morning, after he had his morning milk, I left him on the bed and came to the next room. Soon I heard someone stomping around, and assumed it was Gebre. But I when I went to investigate, there was Biruk, having silently climbed off the bed, peeking impishly around the corner at me. Later on, I gave him a car puzzle to play with, and soon found him holding the car shapes up to his ears, chattering away on his new “phones”.

I’m not even sure what I’m trying to express. I guess just that I am bursting with happiness and pride watching yet another of my little ones figure out the world so adeptly and in such an entertaining way.

Comments