I became friends with my big belly over the course of Ian's growth. I loved how it looked. I loved being pregnant (after the horrible nausea part ended). We knew the sex very early and had his full name decided before he was born. But we didn't know him. We were not prepared to meet him. You can't be. All the hopes and expectations are blown away by the perfect creation with his own opinions and personality. It is amazing. An ordinary miracle. Ordinary because it happens so often, yet miraculous to everyone, every time. I don't think anything tops the first time, because you are so clueless with the first one, but subsequent babies, like the one currently under construction in my uterus, are still miraculous. Ian is 2 years old today.
In his second year of life, he learned to talk (and swear--see bad parent post here) and sing, to walk the balance beam, to jump off the diving board, to count some and say some letters, to throw a ball and much more! He does something new everyday. Today, he willingly lay on his back in the water (why else, to impress a girl). He helps--even when we don't want him to--by turning the a/c on and off, the dishwasher on and off, closing doors, finding (and losing) cell phones, keys, etc., presses buttons on the elevator, and walks the dog (with supervision). He has an incredible sense of direction (must be recessive genes), a short temper, and a curious mind. He wants to know more. He loves to learn vocabulary rather than listen to stories. He's tried peanut butter and strawberries, two of the last of the delayed foods. He has traveled to Jamaica, Hawaii and he now lives in Korea. Three world regions in two years, not bad!
Korea doesn't have many foreigners so he is fascinating to the locals. They love his blue eyes and take pictures of him where ever he goes. He has even gotten a few modeling gigs for catalog shoots. At the most recent one, he started following directions instead of just taking bribes. They asked him to kiss the little girl next to him and he did. Everyone clapped and asked him to do it again and again. The third time he got overexcited, stood up, took the little girls head in his hand like that famous kiss photo --and she fell down. He needs to work on his moves, as he should since he is only 2!
Today marked our two year anniversary as a breastfeeding pair. I think my milk went away a few weeks ago, but he still likes to nurse. I think he will wean before the baby comes. Some kids keep nursing throughout. If that is the case, it will at least be easier to cut him down to once or twice a day. I'm proud that we got to two years and overcame the early difficulties. Nursing has been an incredibly powerful experience.
Last year, Ian had a wonderful family birthday party followed by a playgroup birthday party. He fell asleep after both birthday lunches and missed his cake. He prefered pesto green beans to cake at that point anyway. Today, his sweet tooth (o.k. chocolate addiction) has developed but he still loves vegetables.
This year, we are going to have a belated bowling/pizza birthday party with a few toddler friends. With Curt's crazy schedule we couldn't get anything planned on time. So September 27 will be his big celebration. We had a great day at the pool today, but will do all the cake and singing on the 27. Today, we spent the day at the pool, Ian's favorite place.
By this time next year, we will be a family of 4 plus dog.
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