Mama-Come-Lately

You are two years old.

You get a monthly kids’ magazine called High Five and you know it’s for you as soong as it show up. You love the stories and songs in it, but the big surprise for us is that you can find about half the items in the hidden pictures puzzle:

You enjoy spinning to make yourself dizzy, washing things in the sink, and practicing your jumping skills.

You want to sing your water bottle to sleep when we put it in the fridge because Mama said it was going for a nap once when we laid it on its side. You now like to do this with certain toys, and last night you did it with a Cheerio that was apparently worn out from bring on your high chair tray.

You get rides in the laundry basket after Mama puts the clean clothes away.

You are learning how to somersault.

You have begun to protest diaper changes by trying to sit up through them. Often you can be persuaded to calm down with a song or the promise of playing with a favored object like a nail clipper (really), but on the night of your birthday you bumped your head, so sometimes Mama reminds you of that when you’re doing your Baby Abs of Steel routine.

You enjoy washing dishes so much that you sometimes have a meltdown if you can’t wash them when you want to. You also like scrubbing the shower floor, and often enlist the help of your bedtime buddy.

You have begun to state clothing preferences, usually by asking to wear your robot shirt.

You can get up on the piano bench and play by yourself.

You refer to yourself as “you,” often while pointing your chest for emphasis.

You refer to Mama as “I.”

You swiftly declare yourself done with your meal if told you can have something you want after you finish eating.

You have begun to deploy the phrase, “I don’t like it.”

You finally got to go out in a fresh snowfall, but refused to touch the snow. Mama suspects this was because you got a face full of it the day before when we walked to a neighbor’s house while it was falling. You stomped around in it a bit, but were disappointed that we couldn’t make a snowman from it because it was so dry.

You recently met a newborn baby, whom you studiously ignored except to ask Mama to put him down and to say goodbye to him.

You speak in full sentences about 20 percent of the time.

You began eating pasta a few weeks ago, but once again refused to touch or taste your birthday cake.

You know how to get down from the big bed safely.

You delight in playing hide and seek with Mama, especially when you’re in your looniest pre-bedtime state and thus most likely to run into walls and furniture while scurrying from room to room. But she has a hard time resisting your requests because of the pure joy you radiate when you find her and throw yourself against her, squealing.

You enjoy sitting in a big boy chair when we have snacks at the mall.

You made your first attempt to sing an actual song on your birthday. It was “Happy Birthday,” and you took artistic license with the lyric, proudly warbling, “happ burfday for you.”

You are two years old, and it’s a struggle to refrain from calling you “baby.”

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A few days ago the Boo and I made a (long overdue) visit to a friend with a new baby. I had primed him for the trip, saying we were going to Auntie Suzanne’s house to meet Baby Henry, who was brand new and tiny and cute, all concepts he understands. I asked what we would say to the baby; since “congratulations” was a bit of a mouthful we settled on “welcome” even though the kid was lobbying hard for “good morning.”

We arrived and visited for a bit, patting the two sweet house dogs and chatting before the baby woke up. When we went into the nursery, all attempts to get the Boo to look at the sweet sleeping child were met with requests to flip light switches or attempts take me out of the room by my finger.

I alternated between saying deep things about how tiny and cute the baby was and either deferring or granting my kid’s requests. When I was walking around with Henry in my arms, the Boo actually pulled (gently) on my outer wrist and said “down.” Using my Mama interpretive powers, I understood him to mean, “Put that kid down, there are more light switches I need to check out and I need your help to do it, lady.”

Even with the toddler juggling act, it was a sweet visit, bringing back memories of those love-struck early days when the simple enormity of the new baby routine made me feel both powerful and utterly stoned. I had wanted to go on my own, but having my kid with me felt good, too, even as I sheepishly plied him with chocolate chips to extend our time there.

Back at home, we settled into the late afternoon routine of play and mealtime. I was rinsing something at the sink when Boo piped up from his chair.

“Auntie Suzanne!”

“Yes, we went to Auntie’s house, that’s right. Who did we meet there?”

“Puppies!”

“That’s true, there were puppies. Who else did we see there?”

“Foxy!”

After a bit more prompting, he did acknowledge the existence of Baby Henry and noted that he had been sleeping. I hope they’ll be pals somewhere down the road, but right now, he only has eyes for Foxy.

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You are 21 months old.

You kiss all the “boo boos” on the banisters:

You say “hi” as sweetly as possible after you get scolded.

You have met Santa a few times and you think it’s fun that he waves at you, but you are not inclined to get very close to him.

You have a toy phone, but you use the TV remote to call your grandma in India.

You are cutting at least one molar. We know because you are gnawing on everything, including your fingers, like you’re four months old again.

You understand that sheet music is to songs as books are to reading. Luckily, the music we have out is at the “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” level, so Mama can play it for you.

You are happy to mix up a pretend drink for yourself while Mama cooks, though you sometimes require her assistance with pouring in some pretend salt or honey (two of your favorite taste treats).

You are trying like hell to draw a circle so you can draw a cat. Which explains why you scribble over every cat we draw for you — you’re teaching yourself to draw. Duh.

You occasionally claw at Mama’s face, usually when you’re tired or scared. But we still have chats about why that’s not okay.

You will now eat hard-boiled egg whites if there’s enough seasoning on them. You will also eat cheese crackers because Elmo is on them.

You demand music during car rides.

You adore your play food and are particularly fond of making sandwiches. Cheese-lettuce-whole cucumber-and-pretzel sandwiches. You also like to send the lemon, ear of corn, and tangerine on short trips into space.

You are also really into some soft play tunnels we just brought out, and the few new books we’ve gotten you recently.

You want to run all the time: Before diaper changes, after diaper changes, freshly out of the car, as soon as you finish your morning bottle. But most interestingly, when you are a little uncertain or shy about a social situation.

You encountered your first train table last week. We more or less had to rip you away from it when the train store closed. Now we’re figuring out how to fit one on our main level.

You are 21 months old. How did that happen?

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