12 Tidbits about Xylus, age 2

AUGUST, 2013

For grandparents, aunties, and uncles, and anyone else who cares.

1. Everything with wheels is called a “Go Go.”
2. In fact most things are two words repeated.  “Bo Bo” is the thing we use to cross the water to our island.  (Other people call it a ferry.)
3. Everything that looks like an insect is a “Bee.”  After discovering that a “Bee” grasshopper had landed in something that he was eating the other day he was decidedly done.  I honestly couldn’t tell for sure if the two things were related but it did seem to me to be a cause and effect situation.
4. When he wants to get his sisters attention (who is 4 ½ months) he will jump and wave his arms in the air.  Sometimes she thinks it’s funny and laughs at him.  Oddly enough, sometimes she doesn’t even notice.  (Perhaps she is already beginning to master one of the essential happy tactics any girl with a brother should know: selective ignoring.)
5. He runs everywhere.  When he gets out of bed in the morning the first thing he does is RUN down the hall to the kitchen/living room.
6. He once mowed the lawn (well so to speak… with his little fake wooden “mo mo”) naked with his dad, who was also naked.  The two of them mow the lawn regularly together, with Xylus following directly behind his dad with his ‘mower.’  The naked mowing has so far been a one off experience but was GREATLY enjoyed by the mother. 
7. Whenever anyone talks about going somewhere, he immediately takes stock of who will be going “My?” means him.  “Baby,” his little sister obviously.  “Momma,” and then “Dada.”  He usually firsts asks about himself, but the rest come in random order.  When the said departure is mentioned again, even if only a few minutes later, he usually reevaluates.  Almost 99% of the time he discovers that nothing has changed, but he is always keen on making certain.
8. Grandma’s are called “Nana.”  Not of our prompting—he came up with it on his own which leads me to believe that it was the toddler’s tongue that originally came up with that name for Grandmother.
9. All other people are sometimes called “Yaya.”  No matter who you are—except for his Aunt Nicole who has trained him to call her “Nini” (pronounced NeeNee).
10. He does not like to take animals who are in the water out of the water.  If this is done, when handed the said animal (frog, jellyfish) he immediately puts it back where it belongs.
11. He sometimes drives his trucks and cars on his very patient cat Gwydion, who has since Xylus’ birth tolerated all sorts of ‘abuse’ un-begrudgingly.  I did notice a change however when Xylus was nearing two years old.  Apparently Gwydion then decided that he was old enough to be schooled about certain behaviors “Don’t pull my tail.”  Swat…. “I said, don’t pull my tail.” Scratch.)  Gwydion is now teaching Xylus about his limits.  It seems to be working out well.

    

12. According to Xylus “No” actually means no AND yes.  Most things are of course a “No.”