Love You Forever

The baby grew.  He grew and he grew and he grew.  He grew until he was two years old, and he ran all around the house.  He pulled all the books off the shelves. He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and he took his mother's watch and flushed it down the toilet.  Sometimes his mother would say, "this kid is driving me CRAZY!" [...] Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the ZOO!
(excerpts from Love You Forever by Robert Munsch)

Cam-man is driving me crazy.  Crazy with embarrassment.  Crazy with stress.  Crazy with love.  Crazy with laughter.  Crazy with gratitude.  Just plain crazy.  So crazy that I'll either sell him to the zoo or I'll end up at the zoo like some wild and crazed animal.

Within a 24 hour period, he shoved 5 "googly-eyes" from the arts and crafts bin up into his nose.  Then, despite a nasty bloody nose to remove the eyes, he did it AGAIN later that night with more googly-eyes.  He also made me turn beet red at his Little Gym class during the welcome song.  The toddlers were meant to say his/her name (which he doesn't yet...) and then point to a body part.  Parents would respond by singing a welcome song like "Sing hello to Elizabeth and pat your head..."  Cameron chose to lift up his shirt. Initially, everybody laughed at him sticking out his belly.  But then his hand reached down under his pants, under his diaper.  And he stood there beaming with pride as he grabbed himself.  Did he think we were meant to "Sing hello to Cameron and grab your private part..." Did I mention that he had climbed up onto the top of these giant gymnastic mats on the far side of the gym so he was standing higher than all of us while he rocked back and forth grabbing himself? All of the other kids were sitting in their mom's laps... this kid is driving me CRAZY!!!

But then, we have snow days like we did yesterday, and my almost-two-year-old is adorable and adventurous and curious...he keeps up with older kids.  He idolizes his sister. He squeals with joy and runs around the house, clutching a toy car in each hand.

For several months, his favorite party trick (besides his new fondness for grabbing himself) is to bend over at the waist, stick one leg and his arms out behind him and squeal "What Why."  "What Why."  The words are clear, enunciated, and completely out of context. And the three of us always laugh, so he does it again and again and again.

Cam cuddles with me and gives monster hugs.  He gobbles down warm cookies by the fire and smiles his trademark grin when he says "wo-mo" (one more) and shakes his index finger.  After 15 times of "wo-mo", he gets frustrated when I finally draw the line and then a Cameron-sized throw-down tantrum ensues.  But for those moments of absolute sweetness, he's my wonderful baby boy.  

But at night time, when that two-year- old was quiet, she opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of his bed, and if he was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.  While she rocked him she sang: I'll love you forever/I'll like you for always/As long as I'm living/my baby you'll be.

(excerpts from Love You Forever by Robert Munsch)