Mayo 2001 Archives

Today is the birthday of my son. It seems hard to believe that it was just one year ago when we were in the hospital. Or on the other hand it seems hard to believe that it was only one year ago. It has been a good year. He has been very healthy, no sign at all of the malady that was predicted in utero. He has developed in so many different ways than Elena. She was walking by now - he seems content to crawl. He is climbing on beds, chairs, stools - she was happier on the floor. She communicated very well with signs, he seems happy just to grunt, squeal and cry. He has a mouth full of teeth (16 at last count) she didn't. He has a shock of blonding hair -she was a baldie. She was (and is) such a girl - he is such a boy!

Just the other day - Marialice had him out with a friend and Antonio started making his usual "hide and grin" eyes at this friend. "I think he is shy." We wondered, is he a flirt or is he shy. Elena seemed so willing to greet a stranger happily - to wave and strike up a friendship. He seems more serious, more reserved, but at the same time, more of a flirt. Mom said how glad she was that he was happy to be with her this past weekend, but even then, one afternoon when she went in to pick him up - he sat up and looked at her with an incredibly serious expression as if to say "I'm not so sure I want to be with you..."

Stubborn. The boy is stubborn. He loves to play with the animals water bowl and gets a regular swat for it. Yesterday Marilaice told me that he had put his hand in it, got swatted on the hand, then went right back and put a magnet in it. Got swatted on the leg and howled as if it were the end of the world. Got put back down and went right over and dunked his hand in it again. Another swat on the same leg - treason, infamy, distress accompanied by a big lower lip and huge tears. "How dare you punish me for disobeying..."

That's my boy on his first birthday!

Several thoughts:
Antonio is continuing in the tradition of smearing food on his face and in his hair as much as he puts it in his mouth. Yesterday the spaghetti was particularly interesting. When we started laughing at him, he grabbed his crust of bread, put up his hands so high and smiled a great toothy - red faced smile. Pictures to be posted soon....

Elena asked me this morning if I could take her to work. I said "no ... you're taking me to work" Then she said "Papi - when I'm older, maybe you can take me to work, and I can write words and play games - like PBS - on your computer" Oh if only work were that simple...

Antonio is starting to figure out what "edges" are. He knows that if he carefully drops of Elena's bed with his hands forward, he won't bonk his head. However he is now looking in the same way at the edge of our bed (which is only about 4 feet off the ground), and I worry that he will try the same approach. Marialice told me - "at least he is learning what the edge is..."

Elena is starting to do her sums - at three! She went to lay down for a little nap (nappy girl that she is) and she said - I'll lay down for three minutes. About 10 seconds later she came back and asked Marialice "Mommy, what is three plus three?" -- Six, sweetie. " Ok Mommy, I'm going to lay down for six minutes" Maybe 30 seconds later she was back up boudning and bounding around.

Monday is play at home day. We think it is because Sunday is often so social and exhaustive for the kids - they often are very content to play quietly and at home on Monday. Marialice gave Elena a rag and a spray bottle and sent her to the porch for a cleaning session. About an hour later - the car had been cleaned, the scooter cycle had been cleaned, and the rag was black. She sprayed and sprayed, and wiped down every cranny of her car... What a great girl.. (Of course Antonio helped...)