My days of being able to put Ari down on the ground unsupervised are over, I am sad to say. In the last month, Ari has become increasingly mobile. He consistently rolls over (finally) and scoots across the room on his stomach or just generally flings himself in the direction of anything that looks intriguing. He still isn't crawling and ironically usually covers the most ground going the opposite direction of where he is trying to head. He hasn't figured out how to use those chubby legs of his yet. Instead he relies on his arms to do the work. But it's just a matter of time.
Unlike Kai, Ari is not a cautious kid. Almost nothing startles him. At Ari's age, Kai was terrified of our vacuum cleaner, exercise ball, airplanes passing over head, and he would freak out if anyone sneezed around him. Nothing seems to phase Ari. In some ways it's nice because he tends to be a lot more even keel than Kai was, but in other ways I fear it is a tell tale sign that Ari is going to be trouble with a capital "T" once he figures this crawling thing out. Already he manages to find any little speck on the ground that he shouldn't put in his mouth and things like electrical outlets, power cords, etc. are magnets for this child. One of his favorite games is opening my drawers and pulling all the contents out onto the floor and then putting them back in and closing the drawer. I am terrified that he is going to slam his fingers in one in the process. I am definitely going to have to take baby proofing to the next level for Mr. Reckless.
I also having a sneaking suspicion that Ari is going to be the child that constantly tests boundaries. Already he knows that the words "no no" mean. He got into the habit of throwing his food onto the floor when he's in his high chair. When I caught him in the act, I would take the food out of his hand and say, "No, no, Ari," while shaking my head back and forth. Now he loves to catch my eye and then drop food on the ground while he shakes his own head "no no" and watches to see my reaction.
With a personality like his, I don't worry about Ari holding his own in the sibling dynamic. In fact, I'm grateful most days that in God's good wisdom he gave Kai a 2.75 year head start on his brother. Otherwise I think I would have to be constantly stepping in in Kai's defense. Poor Kai already tolerates getting splashed and squeezed and pinched by his baby brother who wears an impish look that makes you wonder if he really does realize what he's doing (while I'm simultaneously assuring Kai that, "He's just a baby, Kai. He doesn't know what he's doing,").
Kai has not resorted to retaliating.
Yet.
Ari grew another couple of teeth this past month so he is up to 8 total (4 on top and 4 on the bottom). He loves to eat adult food. Boy does he put up a stink if I try to offer him baby food when he can see other people eating "real" food around him. He also insists on holding his own spoon some days. It can make meal times a bit of a challenge. Luckily he is pretty coordinated so most of his food makes it way into his mouth. And that means these rolls aren't going away anytime soon.
He puts his coordination to good use showing off new skills like clapping his hands, pointing at things, playing pass with a ball, and picking up the tiniest objects with his thumb and pointer finger. He's also come to enjoy book reading time and especially likes the lift-the-flap variety.
He also has a surprising attention to detail. Recently he has taken an interest in the moles and freckles on my arms. When I hold him he will look intently at my arms and point to each mole while talking up a flurry. It's pretty funny.
Speaking of talking, Ari continues to be very verbal. His babbling is becoming more and more complex. He says, "Mama" all the time, but it's hard to tell if he is saying it in context or not. He does seem to say it a lot when he's not happy and wants me to come and pick him up, but it could just be a coincidence. While I can't say for certain that he is talking yet, he is most definitely understanding more and more. When he's in an agreeable mood he will clap, kiss, and point to different body parts on command. He also knows words like bath, bottle, book, baby, Mama, Pappa, Kai and (most importantly), no no! I love this stage where you can literally see a child connecting the dots and making sense out of what must have sounded like babble during the first several months of his life. So fun!
I laugh when people comment on how chill Ari is, because that is no longer a word that I would use to describe him. He is rarely chill at home. He gets antsy pretty easily and is happy to let you know when he's not happy, which seems to be often these days. But he is usually really content and well behaved when we are out and about town. So other people rarely see Ari when he's being fussy. In fact, they are way more likely to see him doing this...
...which does nothing to bolster my credibility, but you can take my word for it, he is not chill. Somedays he fusses at me non-stop and it wears on my patience. The poor child is at an age where he, and only he, knows exactly what he wants, but he doesn't have the ability to tell anyone or the mobility to help himself. It's hard on him and it's a little hard on me, but he can be such a sweetheart too. He'll randomly lay his head down on me or scoot over to me and extend his arms to request a hug. He will sometimes rub my arm or pat my back when I am holding him and doing the same to him. He can be quite the cuddle bug and on occasion he still even lets me rock him to sleep. He also continues to love baby dolls and other stuffed animals. It's really sweet.
So, yes, he gets fussy, but he really is an ideal second child in so many ways. He is generally such a good sport when we are out and about. He misses naps or catches his zzzz's when he can. He loves being around the action, but doesn't insist on being at the center of it. He doesn't tend to get jealous when I am giving attention to Kai or any other child. He is happy hanging out at the pool, or sitting on a swing at the playground, or going on all the rides at Gilroy Gardens. He is just along for the ride and happy to be in the mix of things. And it doesn't hurt one bit that he is so cute.
Ari's also turned into a pretty good little sleeper. The only problem we encounter these days is that with his new mobility he seems to get himself into a jam at least once a night. Most nights if he wakes up crying you can bet that he's either scooted until his head is rammed up against the crib slats or has managed to get his chubby legs stuck in them. So I don't dare ignore his cries. Luckily, he is usually so appreciative when I come to his aid that he goes back to sleep almost immediately upon being helped into a more comfortable position.
We are at that stage where Ari seems to be making strides toward bigger and bigger milestones every single day. I know that the next few action-packed months of summer are going to fly by and before you know it Ari will be one--walking, talking and all. To be honest, it's coming too fast for me, so I'm trying to make a point of enjoying my baby each and every day, because I know just how fast he is going to grow (and I have a pretty good idea of how he will look when he does...)
