You turned 23-months-old a few days ago. And with that, this is the last month you will be a one-year-old. I hope you enjoy and take advantage of this last vestige of babyhood.
This month, you have begun to show signs of being a little storyteller. One day, I was opening the door to let my friend out, when (unknown to me), a big gray cat waltzed right into our house. My friend says, you know what just came in? (I'm thinking: a fly, a moth...) A CAT! I looked and sure enough, there was a cat in my house! Amidst much yelling of "Oh, my gosh!" the cat made it halfway down the hallway, glanced into the bathroom to the right, and realizing THIS WAS NOT HIS HOUSE, turned around and with a little cajoling, sped back out the front door. This was a good story in itself, but what made it very memorable for everyone was that you started acting out this scenario. Over and over, you re-enacted what happened with the cat.
You would be the cat: you would walk flippantly into the house, making your way from the front door to the bathroom, then you'd stop with a start, look into the bathroom, pointing and loudly exclaiming: UH-OH!! Then, with a sudden twist of your heel, you'd turn around and scurry back to the front door.
First story told. Many more to come.
We've been spending a lot of time out in the backyard lately, where you have found new entertainment in some rocks. You like to collect these and drop them one by one into an old flower pot. Sometimes you bring these rocks inside, and so one day you had one in your hand as you were starting to make your way upstairs. You handed it to me, and I, thinking you were done with it, tossed it away. You flipped out and yelled "kő!!!" (rock!) and took off after it. This attachment to the rock reminded me of Tom Hanks' attachment to his volleyball in Cast Away. You acted just like him from that scene where he threw away his anthropomorphized volleyball, then desperately screamed "Wilson!!!" and ran to retrieve his best friend.
You are growing and advancing in many amazing ways, one of which is your great language explosion this month. This is very exciting, to hear you talking so much, trying to say everything, and it is so endearing to hear you communicate - in two languages, no less!!
You have been learning your numbers (you can count to 5) and your letters, too (one of your favorite activities with your father is writing words with magnets on the refrigerator). You already recognize several of the words.
This month, we baked chocolate chip cookies together for the first time. They were a big hit. I also offered you some milk to go along with it. When I told you we were having milky with the cookies, you thought that you were going to nurse. When I said, no, this was "Moo Milky" (Bú tejcsi), your eyes widened in incredulity. YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING, they said. That I would suggest such a thing! I could hear your wheels turning: I know about cows in the fields, but I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF DRINKING THEIR MILKY! You mean to tell me that we go out into the field and suckle from a cow?!?
Well... umm, yes. Yes, we do. :)
(Except it's not quite as disgusting as that. It's been made more convenient for us, so we don't actually have to suckle. It is sucked out for us and sold in hygienic paper cartons.)
You'll soon find out that there are many strange things we do as a society, actually. And now, as you are nearing the ripe age of two years, I thought that I should slowly start breaking the news of these things to you. Therefore, this month, you get to digest this peculiar custom of how we take the baby cow's milk from its mother, so we can drink it ourselves. Because we obviously need it more than the baby calves.
Why don't we do the same with the milk of horses, the milk of pigs, or the milk of hippopotamuses, you ask? Don't ask me. I didn't make the rules.
(Possibly, because our society has decided that THE COW IS THE CLEANEST of them all? Or maybe because the other animals were less docile and DEFENDED THEIR MILK MORE FIERCELY when we tried to take it from them? Or could it be because the other animals don't have organizations, like the American Dairy Association, vying for their milk?)
Joking aside, all my cajoling could not get you to enjoy your "Moo Milky." After a few tentative sips, you decided that you had had enough of the "yummy moo milky." Each subsequent attempt thereafter met with a firm headshake of NO. It must be said that you are a child who doesn't refuse any foods, whatsoever, so this was a surprise to me. But I don't really blame you for rejecting the milk of another species. After all, it is an anomaly of nature for one species to drink another's milk. In our culture, this is acceptable, but you are not yet familiar with our culture. Congratulations for already showing signs of being an independent thinker!
This month was marked by an election that I'm sorry to say, turned out disappointingly for us - disappointingly for the sanctity of life; disappointingly for the free market and capitalism; disappointingly for the Constitution; and disappointingly for freedom in general. The mantra of this man was "Change" and "Hope" and we've learned that you can dupe a whole heck of a lot of people just by chanting these two words.
These are nice words, but I want you, Caleb, to always look for substance behind words. "Yes we can!" means nothing when it promotes an ideology that has failed throughout history. (A more fitting slogan would be: "But why would we want to?") Before believing in a clever slogan, I want you to examine the facts and promises behind it, to dig a little deeper, and even search out information that goes unreported, because more often than not in this world, you need to do independent research to have all of the relevant information at hand. This is crucial for being able to make a truly informed decision - in all matters of life.
Your father and I pledge to do our best to provide you with the skills and knowledge necessary to put learned information into the context of world history, philosophy, economy, and especially the Word of God, so you are able to analyze information and to think critically. (For this, you will have unlimited access to one of the best debaters and critical thinkers - your father.) We want more for you, Caleb, and we promise you: we will not allow you to become the victim of a dumbed-down, socialist-controlled public education.
A week ago, I observed you tenderly playing with your Gloworm, an infant toy that hasn't been much noticed by you before. When I peeked in to check on you, you had the Gloworm laying on the armchair and you were standing in front of it, softly talking to it, saying "baby, baby, baby, baby" over and over. You were also kissing it over and over and smiling at it really sweetly. I thought that this was so precious. Later, you shared your cheese and water with your baby. You continued to kiss it repeatedly and carried it around with you for about 45 minutes.
We also visited my friend this month, and you got to play with her 15-month-old baby, Joshua. I have noticed this before, but had no occasion to share it until now, that you are THE MOST GENTLE LITTLE BOY WITH BABIES I've ever seen. You are in awe of them, and when they come near you, your face takes on an expression of wonder, as you reach out in the gentlest way, barely touching them with your hand, patting them on their face, their tummy, their back, their hand, anywhere you can. You love babies! I have seen this sweet approach from you ever since you were 7 months old, when you first put your arm around a baby your age. Since then, every time kids come to play next to you at Barnes & Noble, or if little ones come in your vicinity anywhere, you reach out ever so gently, with the tentative whisper of a touch, sometimes not even noticed by the kids themselves, but noticed by your ever-watchful Mama. I have seen you react like this even with children much older than you, who don't really know what to make of your hand gently coming to rest on their shoulder. (My heart melts every time.)
It is wonderful, this precious way of yours. The affection you show towards little ones without reservation, through the reach of your gentlest little hands - all this and more, tells me that you are going to be a wonderful big brother.
Love,
Mama
