Sunday Snapshot {Caleb}

Caleb. Caleb Lutao M_____. My baby. (Well for six more days anyway...)

He walked ~ literally ~ into my life two weeks and five days after his second birthday. I can still remember how my heart skipped a beat when I looked up from my paperwork in the Hubei Province Civil Affairs office and there he was.

This little guy loves life! What he lacks in size, he more than makes up for in noise, energy, attitude and speed. And hugs. You can't forget his hugs! This kid wraps his arms and legs around you and squeezes as if his life depends on it. You know you are something special when he's done lovin' on you!

Caleb is willing to try most anything. Well, anything that doesn't involve a new food.
Climbing a kiddie rock wall? No sweat. Sledding down a pretty steep hill in a laundry basket? Bring it on. Flying down the sidewalk on his scooter? No fear.
As you watch the Olympics, if you find yourself looking at the sports of Luge and Skeleton, wondering what kind of person would be crazy-brave enough to try it, I've got your answer. This kid is one of those. Wouldn't surprise me one bit if he casually tosses the desire to try one of these extreme sports at me one winter. Not one bit.

He's my little peacemaker. Most times when he and Kylie get themselves into trouble together, he'll give in to end the strife. And usually when they fight over something that we (heaven forbid) only have one of, he'll give it to her to make his sister smile. And then, if you know to watch for it, you'll see him smile because he made her happy.

He does things that really make me scratch my head in wonder. Like the fact that he'll pick the raisins out of his bowl of cereal on the mornings that he asks for "some mommy's cer-al" (Raisin Bran Crunch) yet he asks for a box of raisins for a snack. Or that he practically gags when he eats any potatoes unless they are fried, but will slurp down a bowl of my slow cooker potato soup like he's never eaten before. And then there's the fact that he'll pack away regular spaghetti noodles but won't let a single strand of angel hair pasta pass his lips.

He really likes, no, let's go ahead and say that he totally loves his big sister. And he also loves to copy her. The best part of that is that she doesn't like being copied so much. So every time he copies her ~ which is AT LEAST once a day ~ she'll ask him why he copies her. And every time she asks, EVERY TIME, he'll smile and say, "Cause. (insert long pause) I yuhv you!"

He's pretty funny. And pretty cute. And he knows it. And he knows that his smile saves him from my frustration frequently. So he uses it. A LOT!

He is also quite perceptive. Sometimes I have to wonder how in the world the child picks up on the emotions that I'm feeling. I frequently think that I have on my poker face and yet he'll take one look into my eyes and ask, "Mommy, you an-gee?" or "Mommy, you sad?" 99% of the time he's called it correctly.

Daddy is his hero. When Ian leaves for work he says, "Awww, Dad-ee go work? I miss heim." But oh the squeals of joy when he hears the door opening in the evening. So fun to watch this little one imitate his daddy in so many ways.

Right now we're re-working the bedtime routine. Some five nights out of seven we'll hear the pitter patter of little feet about five minutes after the light goes out. He'll make an appearance in the living room with a hint of a grin on his face. And the conversation that happens every time goes like this.
"Hey guys. I tell you sump-in."
Pause. Looks around to see what's going on in "non-sleep land."
"Whaa you doin?"
And immediately following our response, he says "Oh." and then pitter patters back to bed. Same thing. Every time. Sorta reminds me of the movie Groundhog Day. But cuter!

This kid is a snuggle bug. The best mornings are the ones that he hears Ian getting out of bed and comes toddling in to catch a morning snuggle.

I love to hold him tight and tell him that he's my boy. I guess I do it a lot. One day while I was holding him, he wrapped his arms around my neck, gathered my hair into a pony (to hold me still so he could look into my eyes), smiled at me, and said, "Mama, you my boy!"

Caleb is so excited to be a big brother soon. For a while we wondered if he understood, or if he would be troubled about being demoted from "the baby" status so soon. But recently he's been excitedly pointing at every airplane he sees, saying, "I fy on airpane to Tinah to see Dar-hee and give her hug!" Hope that excitement carries on past Saturday...

He's my pint sized dynamo. He wears me out. And I couldn't love him more!

To see some more Sunday Snapshots, or to play along yourself, head on over to Ni Hao Y'all.