The Boy, lately

Oh, the things I could write about The Boy.

Three weeks ago, Trent had another set of ear tubes put in as well as his adenoids removed. Aside from the constant ear and adenoid infections, his verbal skills, or lack thereof, were causing a lot of concern. He babbled every now and then, but at 18-months we couldn't really think of a single word he said consistently. Since the surgery, his babbling has increased, we've identified over twenty words in his vocabulary, and his overall demeanor is happier. I am grateful that he is no longer in constant discomfort or having hearing trouble.

Trent is certainly coming into his own as of late. And his developing personality is bringing back memories of the girls at this age. Three memories in particular stand out to me.

1. He has learned the art of throwing a tantrum, from the quick-paced foot stomp to the tearless wailing. It completely reminds me of Evie's legendary tantrums. That girl would remain inconsolable for twenty minutes and then turn it off like a switch.

2. He still wakes in the middle of the night and most of the time he just wants me to snuggle with him. At this age, Lottie insisted I sing her to sleep. She would hold my hand the whole time and move her face so close to mine our noses would touch. The youngest lambkins are big snuggle-bugs.

3. Trent recently went through a phase where he let spit run down his chin if he didn't get his way. He quickly learned we didn't like it, so that just increased the episodes. Well, thanks to a similar experience with Evie, I knew we just needed to stop reacting to the behavior and it would stop. When Evie was young and angry, she used to lick the object nearest to her. I remember a particularly spectacular episode when she was told not to pick flowers from a garden, so she screamed and started licking every leaf and flower around her.

In general, Trent will do, wear, or eat anything if he thinks the girls are watching. They act as his personal fan club and I think we must be raising the most confident child in the world with all the cheering and high-fiving going on around here. Although lately he has started to terrorize them (mostly hair-pulling and sitting on their faces when they are lounging on the couch), so the adoration might drop a few levels if he doesn't stop. 

Regardless of the naughty behavior discussed in this post, Teddy-boy is precious to us all. How we love that little brother.