Happy 1 1/2 year birthday, Sebastian.

Wedding Pringles
(1 year, 5 months)

I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again: having a boy is absolutely nothing like having a girl. I wish I could say that some things are easier and some things are more difficult, but I can’t think of a single thing that is easier when you add a little testosterone into the mix. Heck, even wiping poo off a stinky butt is more challenging once you add those extra bits down there. It’s a good thing he has such a winning smile.

Bubble Cup
(1 year, 5 months)

With Second Child Syndrome in full effect, I haven’t had the luxury of blogging every single one of Sebastian’s milestones as I did with Emily. But I’m not giving up entirely. I hope this little entry goes a long way to catching you up to where our bouncing baby boy is today.

• Sebastian is violent. No need to beat around the bush. He is a brute. I’m not saying he’s any more violent than other boys his age (though I fear he might be), but all we have to compare with is a lovely little girl. We were totally comfortable with forward rolls, brushing hair, impromptu ballet performances, and teddy bear cook-offs. Now we have shouting, hitting, throwing, biting, shouting, pushing, kicking, and shouting to contend with. He’s a rough-and-tumble bruised-and-battered kinetic little ball of pent-up hormones. We often fear for our lives.
• A year and a half appears to be the time when children (or maybe just our child) begin to appreciate the company of other similar-sized people. Sebastian loves being around other kids – especially older kids. He likes chasing games and hiding games best. It’s very interesting watching him follow people around and imitate everything they do. He’s a little monkey man.
• Sebastian was born into a house filled with magic ponies and pink dresses. We supplied no “boy” toys at the beginning. The first toy that Sebastian showed any interest in? Emily’s doll stroller. What did he do with it? He flipped it upside down and spun the wheels. Oooh wheels! At that moment, a whole new world of spinning delight had opened up to Sebastian. He was fascinated by absolutely anything with wheels: cars, trains, bicycles, skateboards, shopping carts, suitcases. Sebastian has got a wheel fetish.
• Strike that; Sebastian does not have a wheel fetish. It’s an obsession! He has, however, got a pretty nasty shoe fetish. Around the house or in public. His shoes or anyone else’s. Sebastian loves putting on and walking around (or dancing) in different shoes. It makes him very happy.
• But why walk (or dance) when you can jump? Sebastian is a jumping fool. It started with the patented Bum Drop™ around the house, moved on to the bouncy bed with Emily, then proceeded to flourish on the couch in the living room (mostly from the arm of the couch, but he has been known to Bum Drop from the couch to the floor). His love of jumping has trumped any fear of water as he now enjoys jumping into swimming pools – usually when we’re there to catch him (but not always).
• Many of you know that Sebastian started walking when he was about nine months old, but did you know that he then started playing football (soccer) when he was only 12 months old? He’s amazing. He can kick the ball up and down the field for hours. And such ball control! Whenever we go to a park, the first thing he notices is if anyone is playing football. If so, he’ll walk right over to them and try to steal the ball. The big kids usually think he’s quite funny and let him play for a little while. I love it when he places the ball on the ground for a free kick, takes a few steps backwards, lines up his shot, and then charges at the ball and blasts it into the net. He’s only been playing for six months but he’s already better than his father (I guess that’s not really saying much).
• Have you seen this boy’s smile? Sebastian’s teeth came in early and he’s very proud to show them off. His winning grin regularly wins him friends wherever he goes. He really is a smiley boy.
• After smiling, Sebastian’s second favorite thing to do with his teeth is eat. Well, maybe biting, but probably eating. Only thing is, he will eat when he’s good and ready to eat. If the stars aren’t aligned correctly, that food is getting thrown across the room. But when he decides that the time is right, he will eat pretty much anything we set in front of him. Pasta, sausages, fish, chicken, vegetables, fruit, yogurt, rice, tofu… you name it! But only when he’s ready.
• And now for a very contentious point. Talking. Sebastian is definitely the strong silent type – he just shouts instead of being silent. At a year and a half, Emily was already speaking circles around where Sebastian is right now. I know you’re not supposed to compare your kids to each other but, if this was really true, why would God have invented blogs? You see, as physically capable as Sebastian appears to be, I’m not so sure his elevator reaches the top floor. I mean, the lights are on but I’m not so sure anyone’s home. I guess what I’m trying to say is that he’s just not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I know, I know… “But he’s a boy! Boys develop later than girls!”. I’m having trouble swallowing this pill. Sure, he babbles all the time in his own adorable little language. He sometimes points to things he wants. He picks up random objects (remote controls, toy cars, shoes) and “talks” into them as if they were a telephone. But he’s not really talking. Just look at this:

I swear he knew I was preparing to write this blog entry because he only added a couple of those words to his repertoire this week. At least he’s finally making and effort. And he’s finally starting to understand what the heck we’re talking about! When he bounds up to a helpless puppy dog and grabs a fistful of fur, we can say, “Gentle!!” and he’ll calmly stroke the dog’s head. That’s good. When he picks up a wooden toy train and is about to throw it at Emily’s head, we can say, “Put it down!!” and he’ll calmly place it on the floor. That’s good. He does not (apparently) understand the word “No”. It will be a major milestone when/if he ever understands (and respects) this word. Fingers crossed for sooner rather than later.

And that’s our boy! He gives the bestest hugs and is terribly affectionate. He’s the sweetest little bruiser you’ll ever want to meet. Here are a few choice photos from the past few months:

Dr. Jones
(1 year, 2 months)

Marsupial
(1 year, 2 months)

Swamp Thing
(1 year, 3 months)

Speed The Tractor
(1 year, 4 months)

Swing High
(1 year, 4 months)

And finally, here are a couple of videos. In this first one, you can observe a bit of those football skills I mentioned earlier. This is in the back garden at Jan’s sister’s house in England.

And in this second one, you can see a bunch of those jumps and a couple of Bum Drops. I wonder where he gets that from?