For a long time, I saw a lot of Scott in CJ. He is silly. He is stubborn (because I'm not stubborn at all). He is all boy. He loves girls. He loves to be outside. He's very coordinated (because I'm not at all). There are so many ways he is like his daddy. He even has his eyes. And for a while, I was a little bummed I didn't see more of me in him. But, I decided, if he has to be like someone in this world, I'm glad it's his daddy.
Lately though I have been seeing more of me in him. Specifically in his tendency toward being a little OCD. Scott swears I have OCD, and I have even taken screening tests to prove to him I don't. So I turn all my cans facing forward in the cabinet...that way you can see what's there. So I fold all my towels the same way...that way they fit in the closet nicely. So I have to put things away when I am finished with them...that way I can find them easily the next time I need them. He could give you many more examples, but it turns out since none of these things effect my daily relationships and I don't HAVE to do them, I don't have OCD. CJ on the other hand...I'm not so sure about. He has gotten quite particular of late. And I honestly think it is hilarious.
Auntie Julia was the first one to notice sometime was up. A few months ago, you could get goldfish that had basketballs mixed in with the fish. Juls was sitting with him and noticed he would eat all the basketballs, then all the partial basketballs, then all the fish, and then the partial fish. Every time, same order. Here is is doing it while we were at Richard and Krista's.
Since then, here are some other new funny things he has become quite particular about...
*I was putting his books in the basket in his room, and the basket wasn't quite pushed up squarely against the corner of his dresser. He grunted with displeasuer, when over, moved it square, and said, "huh," which is his sign of approval.
*If this kiddo sees trash he MUST throw it away. He will run from the back of the house to the kitchen to throw a piece of paper away. One day while I was at the gym, the girl in the childcare room said he kept picking up paper from a craft project they did with the kids and bringing it to her to put in the trash can (that was out of his reach, otherwise he would have to do it.) This morning at church, I asked him to throw something away in my classroom, and even though he isn't in there very often, he walked right over to the trash can, threw it away and grinned at me. The only thing that makes it more funny is that he does it with great glee and sometimes even shreaks of delight.
*If he gets oatmeal on his lips, fingers or the tray, it must immediately be wiped off.
*He loves to close drawers and doors. He will run to the car, wait for me to put his bag in the front seat and then close the door. When we get home, he closes his car door, runs for the back door, and closes that behind us as well. This morning I was getting ready for church, and when he came in the bathroom, he first closed the closet door, then closed my drawer and said "huh." All was right in his world again.
*He has a spoon preference. No longer are the Take and Toss spoons OK. We must now use the Munchkin spoons. They are better for teaching him self feeding though, so I don't mind this one at all.
*One morning last week he soaked through a diaper and his shirt. I hung the shirt on one of the knobs of his dresser to dry before putting it in the dirty clothes. I was in the kitchen and I could hear him over the monitor doing something in his room. When I went to check on him, he had taken the shirt from the knob, opened his dirty clothes drawer, put the shirt in the drawer, and closed the drawer behind him.
He's such a funny little guy. I love that he is developing personality which includes preferences, an order to how things should be done in his world and the desire to do things for himself. I can't wait to see how he will continue to grow and change. But for now, I am savoring ever last minute of littleness because they are getting fewer and further between.