Funny Cruz

Winter Break is coming to a close for me, and I've been so thankful for the extra days I've had to recharge, regroup, and just enjoy slow days at home with Cruz.  The two of us have spent a lot of time together and besides sleeping, I don't think we've spent more than an hour or two apart.  It was definitely busy, a little stressful, and there were times when I seriously thought I might pull my hair out.  But then, I would listen.  Listen to Cruz talk to himself as he played, or grab a gallon of milk out of the fridge for the 18th time, grunt and mumble, 'it's big,' to himself, then shut the fridge light off, and whisper, 'shh, babies sleeping,' like he does every time a light goes off.  And as I listened, I tried to soak up every part of him, thinking to myself that this life of ours and this stage we are living is so temporary.  And as stressed or stretched as I may feel sometimes, I know that someday I will think back to these days as some of the very best.  And that someday, when my kids are moved out and I'm old and gray with nothing to blog about, I will miss these days.  

Even the ones where I might pull my hair out.

There seems to be a lot of laughter in our house right now, whether it's Cruz and his scrunched up face and fake laugh, or Beau and I laughing at the funny personality or quirky mannerisms of this child we created.  

-Cruz says 'pweese' with everything.  What used to be a very firm, 'yes' or 'no,' has now turned in to a polite and adorable, 'yes, pweese' or 'no, pweese.'  We think it must be a daycare thing, as neither Beau nor I can take credit for this, but one thing is for sure --- it is extremely difficult to get upset or firm with our son when he puts a pweese at the end of his rebuttal...

Us: Cruz, will you put your toys away?

Cruz: No, pweese.

Us: Cruz, should we change your diaper?

Cruz: No, pweese.

Us: Cruz, can you stop coloring on the table?

Cruz: No, pweese.

After we've both melted to a puddle of mush and picked up the toys ourselves, we both silently question whether our son has merely picked up a habit, or is truly being polite, or has figured out yet one more strategy for parental manipulation.  Whatever it is, it's effective.  Most of the time.

-Beau's favorite thing Cruz does is what I call, 'The Ponderer.'  Beau asks Cruz a question, something like, 'Hey Cruz, what should we do today?' to which Cruz proceeds to point and look to the sky as if the world is full of possibilities, put a finger to the corner of his mouth, and say, 'hmmm...' in his best impression of Socrates.  He usually responds with 'choo choo.'  He's quite good at contemplating the universe and his existence, or maybe once again really good at making his parents laugh. 

-Cruz LOVES helping us cook in the kitchen.  If he even hears the sounds of pots and pans, he is at our side in a matter of moments, pushing a chair to the counter top and desiring to be a part of every part of the process.  He thinks everything is 'chicken soooop' and loves to taste as we go.  Santa brought him this bath time toy and we think it's added to his love of cooking.  Now if only we could work on his love of eating what we're cooking.

-Cruz has this thing that he does where every time we turn off a light he puts his little finger to his mouth and whispers, 'shhhh, baby's sleeping.'  It's one of my favorite things he does.

-We read a lot around here, and there are a few favorites that Cruz can now read (or more so, recite) on his own.  I love how he waits and waits to say 'exercise' on the corresponding page of 'The Going to Bed Book,' and how he happily yells, 'Red Truck CAN, Red Truck WILL!' in this one.  

-Cruz likes to be helpful in all he does, whether this 'helpful' means dumping a bowl of Cheerios on the kitchen floor, only to exclaim, "Oh no, big mess!' and run to the closet to grab the broom.  He also loves to pick up things he shouldn't --- a half-full glass of water on our end table, a tape measure that didn't get put away, or my camera, carry them ever-so-Cruzily, and present them to one of us, saying, 'he ya go, mom,' or 'he ya go, dad.'  Although these things prove about as helpful as Cruz 'helping' in the kitchen, we go with it because it's adorable and also good accountability, I guess.

When I think about how I would characterize this little sprite of mine, one of the things that sticks out the most is his innocent and genuine enthusiasm for the world around him.  He gets so excited about the smallest things --- a semi passing us on the interstate, a bus stopping in front of our house, or watching a movie with popcorn before bed.  I love this about him, and love that it makes me more aware of the happy around me, too.