By the book

It has always seemed to us a little bit like Connor got hold of a baby manual at some point and decided to follow it to the letter. As a baby, he would cry when he needed something and then stop when we gave it to him, just like the books say. Jamie, of course, would cry when he needed something, then cry when he got it, then cry some more afterwards, so this really never ceased to amaze us.

And the very day that he turned 2, Connor started acting exactly like a two-year-old. As his abilities and ambitions expand, he has gotten more and more impatient with not getting what he wants, and suddenly much more prone to have some really impressive tantrums. One thing he wants, of course, is to everything Jamie does. Most afternoons he stays home with one of us while Jamie goes off to swim lessons and this makes him so angry. The other day as Sarah and Jamie had gone downstairs to the car, Connor started to go down the stairs, after them, saying, not a little desperately, "I coming Mommy!! I coming Mommy!!" As he saw them go out the door, his face twisted into a mask of indignation. I was punished for this.

He has also expanded his emotional range in the expected ways. He has a greater capacity for understanding relationships, and has, not surprisingly, particularly latched onto the mother/baby dyad. All women are now Mommies and anytime he can pair something small and big, it is a mommy and baby. The other day at the park he found two rocks for instance, and said "Mommy rock." And then with exaggerated cuteness, and a cherubic smile, "Baaaabbbeee rock!"

Finally, he also seems to know that along with all of this 2-year-old-ness comes an accompanying set of expanded fears. He's gotten very touchy about loud noises and now knows the word "Scary" (comes out sort of "Saaiir-ee"). And just as when he says baby, he has a kind of exaggerated gesture to accompany this reaction, cupping his two hands under his chin and putting his fingers on his cheeks, while his brown furrows. This also often leads to a snuggly boy, which is very nice. Not that we like him being scared, mind you, but we're happy enough to enjoy the snuggles where we can get them.