Monday, July 23, 2012

Mr. Personality

When you're expecting a baby, you wonder and wonder what the baby will be like as they grow up -- what they will look like, who they will take after, and, if you are expecting a baby in India, what gender they will be. Some of those questions are answered as soon as the baby is born, but other answers emerge more slowly.  With Micah turning 3 this week, we're beginning to learn a lot more about the personality of our dear boy -- who tells us several times a day that he's not a "big boy" yet, just a "little boy."

He's an observer:  He needs to observe an activity for a while before jumping in, but then masters it quickly.  If he can't do it right, he doesn't want to try it. For example, he didn't want to do anything on a playground except swing for a long time, but now he's a little mountain climber. Right now he's observing the potty process at school, with two boys who are a bit further ahead of him in putting it in practice. This is requiring some patience for mommy and daddy, who would love it if he would start dressing himself and trying the potty more willingly, but I think he's not too far off track for a boy.

He's a collector. We refer to him as our little financier because he loves to gather like objects up into a hoard. His latest passion is to walk around the house gathering pieces of paper and putting them into a sack.  Problem is, sometimes those pieces of paper are trash and sometimes they are important papers! He also can't leave the house without putting some "precious" objects, ranging from rocks to toys to photos, into his bag. Thinking about this, I realized that we've been doing this a lot lately too -- gathering up swimsuits and towels before heading to the pool, or gathering snacks to have when we're away from the house, so I realized this funny little habit is just based on what he sees his "bigs" doing.

He likes having explanations.  We were trying to think of a way of bribing or rewarding him to get rid of his "beechies," but before we did, we actually told him the truth:  the dentist said that beechies were bad for his teeth.  And what do you know, within a few days, no more beechie!  {We're still looking at many years of orthodontics someday}.  Another example: exhausted from the game of Micah jumping out of bed a thousand times and frustrated at having to be mean to him in order to get him to stay in bed, I sat him down and looked him in the eye. "Micah, mommy doesn't want to yell at you or make you cry at bedtime. You don't have to go to sleep right away, but you have to stay in your room."  And sure enough, I stood outside his door and heard him moving around and singing happy birthday to himself, but he didn't come out.  We were so spoiled by having such an easy bedtime routine for so long that I suppose we are due some trouble, but at least now I know how to deal with him around it.

He's happy. I can count on one hand the days that his day care reported any other mood than "happy," and those were usually days he was sick.  He's just a cheerful, contented guy who has an easy time with transitions.

He's verbal.  Micah loves knowing the right word for every kind of car or truck, and is a good conversationalist.  He sometimes has so much he wants to say or ask that he stutters a bit trying to get it all out, but we are always amazed at how much he knows and remembers.

He hates commotion. Loud noises disturb him, and when his cousins started fighting recently he told them it was time to go home.

What I find most interesting about a lot of these traits is that in many ways, he's a lot more like me, his non-biological parent, than his adventurous, thrill-seeking dad.  I have to admit that this tickles me no end.  He loves his dad's silly side, and they will always be the best of buddies, but very different personalities.


Loading up his stroller with candy at a grocery story.
Popsicle pause on a not summer day.

Whee!  Not afraid of the highest slides anymore.

Having a happy 4th of July in Arcata, California.

Next post: Micah turns 3.  Wahhhh, my baby has left all traces of babyhood -- except diapers -- aside.