Long time readers of my blog know that I have two sons that are both my pride and joy and the ultimate source of my frustration. (I know, I know. I'm no different than any other parent out there.) But, hopefully, there will be some new readers coming over from the Challenge that don't know as much about me. So I'm going to give you a glimpse of my boys (mostly in pictures).
Teddy (Theadore) is my oldest. He turned 6 in February and started school last year. He can be a bit of a goofball, and loves to ham it up for the camera. He's got a great sense of humor, a big heart and a love of helping others (most of the time). We have our problems, of course - he has my temper and an inability to be patient. He likes to throw things when he's angry and argues constantly when he doesn't get his way. But the bad times are far out numbered by the good.
Teddy is also a huge Pokemon fan. It started with the handheld games, watching Mommy and Daddy play them on the computer or the DS. It wasn't long before he knew all the Pokemon, their strengths and weaknesses and their stats. He collected stuffed Pokemon, Pokemon figurines, Pokemon toys and, more recently, Pokemon cards. He's really gotten into the trading card game and goes to a local league every Sunday. He played in the Tennessee State tournament a few weeks ago and, while he didn't place, he did have a great time. And that's what matters at this age.
"But isn't he too young to play Pokemon?" I hear some of you ask. "After all, he can't read the big words on the cards." And that would be an easy misunderstanding to make. But an incorrect one. Teddy is a fantastic reader, reading somewhere along 4th grade level while he's in kindergarten. He started reading at around 2 1/2 and by the time he was four, he was blowing away his Parents' Day Out teacher with his ability to read. He's blown away his kindergarten teachers as well. He's started reading comic books and chapter books on his own. He's just as likely to have a book in his hand as he is to have his DS. And I couldn't be prouder.
Something else that I'm proud of is his love for his brother. sure, they fight. What siblings don't, particularly when they're younger? But Teddy looks out for Pete, tries to protect him, plays games with him and gives him hugs. He loves to teach his little brother things - pointing out numbers and letters of the alphabet, passing along his incredibly knowledge of Pokemon (which Pete just laps up), reading to him and explaining things to him. He's a fantastic little brother.
But regardless of how much bigger he's getting, how much older he is, he's still my baby. He still snuggles up with his Bodie (the body pillow that my step-mom made for him when he was a baby), Piplup (his favorite stuffed Pokemon) and needs to be covered by his Backyardigans blanket. I love to watch him sleep so peacefully, remembering the baby that he once was.
Peter turned 3 in September. He alternately makes me laugh and fills me with dread - my boy is a daredevil! He'll climb anything, run as fast as he can and dart through small spaces. He's given me more than one heart attack. The laughter, though, is what makes my day. He loves to say silly things or make silly faces. And he's at the age where he doesn't understand things as well, so he will say something that isn't quite right or make a comment to something I say and the way he does it is funny. Like when his teacher told him to hold his horses, he told her he doesn't have any horses. He loves to bring a smile to everyone's faces.
He's still Mommy's Boy.... well, until Daddy's home on the weekends. Then it's "I want to sit next to Daddy! I want Daddy to get me out of my car seat!" But that's ok, because the rest of the week, he's all about Mommy. He gives wonderful hugs and kisses, snuggling in my lap with his thumb in his mouth and his plo (his name for his pillow) in his other arm. He thinks I know everything, so I often hear, "Mommy, what dat?" He's a sponge that wants to learn everything and wants Mommy to teach him.
His love of his big brother borders on hero worship. Wherever Teddy is, Pete wants to be there. He'll sit next to him and watch him play games on his DS. He wants to go to League with Teddy so he can watch him play. So often, he'll call out, "Teddy! Come here! I gotsta show you somedin!" And honestly, he couldn't have a better role model. Though, I'm sad to say, he has his brother's and his mother's temper as well, hitting either of us when he gets angry. But he always apologies to either of us when he does it. Because he knows that it's right. And he doesn't want Teddy mad at him because he might not play Pokemon Battle with him!
While he's following in Teddy's footsteps by loving Pokemon, his real passion right now is dinosaurs. He wants me to turn on shows about dinosaurs (Dino Squad on Netflix and Dinosaur Train on PBS are his two favorites). He pretends to be a "twitedatop" (triceratops) and a T-rex and asks me or Teddy to be another dinosaur. He has dinosaur books that he loves to read and any time he sees anything with a dinosaur, he has to point it out. It's a good thing to be into at 3.
Like his brother, Peter will always be my baby. I'll always remember holding him in my arms, keeping him close to my body as he slept. I'll always remember moments like the one above, thumb in his mouth and his ploes keeping him company. I'll always remember the "Mommy, help" moments. Right now, he argues with me every time I call him "baby". He's not a baby, he's a boy, he'll emphatically insist. And yes, he is a boy. With bumps and bruises and bug-bites. But that doesn't make him any less my baby. And that is something that will never change.
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| Me and my boys |
