Sneaky Little Secrets

Cubby is walking. I know this only because I have caught him twice unawares. Whenever I am in the room he zips around on all fours, wreaking absolute havoc on everything. The moment I leave, he pulls himself to a stand and walks. Not the wobbly, unsure steps of a beginner, he walks like a pro. A few nights ago I turned from the kitchen just in time to see him walk a good five feet across the room, he looked up, met my eyes and plopped onto his tush with a cheeky smile and a happy gurgle. "What are you doing?" I shouted with surprise. He crawled away. Hmph.

This has been the pattern of the last few days. Why he refuses to walk when Mommy is in the room with the camera ready? I do not know. For some reason, he wishes to keep his new talent a secret. Meanwhile he is pushing every button and boundary in sight. We reprimand him with a firm "NO", to which he responds, with mischief twinkling in his blue eyes, "no no no no no" shaking his head and smiling with sneaky flirtation. This boy is a charmer, I can see a mile away that he has my father's personality and my temper. God help me.

Cubby refuses to be contained these days. No more pack and play, no more silent play in the crib, no more walker. He will only sit in his high chair if snacks are provided. He wants to be free, and not just to move! This morning just before nap time, I found him sitting on the floor without his diaper, howling with despair as he tried to wrench himself free of his shirt. Apparently, Cubby's idea of a good time now is running around naked, behind my back, preferably with a cookie in each hand.

Writing the latter reminds me to inform you that Cubby is a cookie monster. He loves loves loves cookies. I've been buying flax seed, bulgar wheat, whole wheat, multi grain, oatmeal, etc varieties and he can not get enough! He needs a cookie in each hand and he needs them before Bear gets any. If I dare give the Bear a cookie before Cubby he squeaks a loud protest and scowls at me from his high chair before unleashing a string of words pitched in an unhappy tone. He repeats almost everything he hears the Bear say, but only understands 10 or 12 of the words he repeats. For example, when he hurls a tirade of words at me to proclaim his displeasure over being fed second, he starts off with "mama" and ends with something that sounds like, "diaper doggie agua no no monster lion cookie cookie." Eh? He really means, "Mother, how dare you wound me with this demeaning injustice, fetch me a cookie immediately!"

Luckily the Bear is easy going and does not seem to mind being second on the feeding schedule. Cubby is in for a big surprise when Mommy has another baby, that is all I can say!

This afternoon I am taking the boys down into the garden to help me water the new seedlings I transplanted last night. Their Aunt H gave them watering cans for Christmas and I am eager to teach them how to grow and care for plants. Cubby has an iguana watering can and the Bear has a little bumble bee. As of now we have only watered the potted pansies by the door, but today we will venture out into the garden. The lavender roses are in full bloom and a family of blue butterflies has moved into the garden. I've never seen blue butterflies in South Florida before and can only surmise that some wealthy family in Coral Gables purchased them for a science project and then released them into the backyard. I don't know how long they will survive once the heat returns, for now they seem quite relieved to have found my garden. I am happy to enjoy them and show the boys the "farter-fees," as the Bear once called them, before moving onto the more sophisticated, "butt-fly."