Friday, January 21, 2011

Luca at 2 1/2 years


Faces:  fifteen seconds' worth 

Sometimes I forget that Luca is still a little guy.  He's such a hurricane of activity - messes, shenanigans, sweetness, demands, proclamations, laughs - and he fills up our mental and physical space so thoroughly that most days he feels like a giant.  Then I'll step back, look at him, and remember that he's still miniature.  He looks especially tiny when bundled to the brows and attempting to traverse the snow piled all around us.

He's been up to a lot of new tricks lately.  In general he's very physical and boyish.  For example, a while back he figured out that skidding down the hallway on his knees is a pretty cool move, so he does that a lot. And whenever T is home, Luca's favorite thing to do is order his dad to recline on the couch, then jump all over him.

When he's not wrecking shop, he's busy doing all the things 2 1/2 year olds do.  He loves music - the more guitar, the better - and still likes to "rock out".  He's sweet to his stuffed animals and cabbage patch kids, and can spend hours playing with legos, playdoh, or his train set.  Though he refuses to sing his ABCs, he recognizes all of the letters and knows what sounds they make, and can count from one to "thirteen, thirteen, thirteen."  Apparently, his number elevator stops there, for now.

Some favorites from Luca's current repertoire:

"You're my best friend":  we have no idea where he picked up the idea of a best friend, but he picked it up and how, though his use of the term tends to mean something closer to "I like you."  It started with the cabbage patch kids, then playmates, and then moved on to T & me.  No matter how many times he says it, and to whom, I still feel special when he gives me the "you my bess fren, mama."

Superhero stories:  again, the concept of superheroes is one that neither T nor I remember introducing, though its arrival probably has something to do with an episode of The Backyardigans.  He started by proclaiming himself a superhero, then quickly transitioned to wanting to hear stories about them.  Though he enjoys Batman and Superman, his far and away favorite is Spiderman - to the point where he defends the Webbed One's honor against all others.  Strangely, after the big three comes the pizza delivery guy, who has attained superhero status in Luca's mind.

Riding his skateboard:  As you can imagine, there's not a lot of outdoor skateboarding going on in Minnesota right now, but that hasn't stopped Luca from getting hooked on the idea.  He regularly takes one of our couch pillows that is shaped roughly like a skateboard, throws it on the ground and jumps on for ride.  This is yet another idea of unknown origin, but he is half Californian, after all.

Big boy bed:  Luca transitioned easily to his big boy bed in November, a big relief to T and me.  Especially me, since I feared lifting 35 lbs of boy in and out of crib while pregnant.  Every night he climbs into bed with a few books and one of a rotating selection of toys.  He doesn't have one particular beloved stuffed animal, but needs some object to keep him company while he falls asleep - could be a ball, or a lit flashlight, or even a pretty big helicopter.  The funniest and most convenient thing about his bed is that once in, he acts like the ground is hot lava.  If he needs something that has fallen on the ground, he'll call us to retrieve it rather than venture out himself.  We'll take it for as long as it lasts.

And that's our boy, halfway between two and three.


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