There's something magical that goes on in the heads of kids when they're two or three years old. They're imprinting and integrating just about everything they come across into their own, often deeply twisted and esoteric, world views. Of course, the same goes for Christopher.
Every night we read stories together. And while he can't read, he has taken to sharing his own stories with us, quite passionately. Two nights ago, he picked up and pencil and, channeling the voice of a 1930s narrator, shared the following epic with us.
Adventure! 1920!
The guys went into mountains.
They saw Bulbasaur. "Pokeball, go!"
Team Rocket, blast off speed of light.
Somebody died.
The other night, for my sister on the phone, he provided the abridged version while using a baby monitor as his mic.
Adventure! 1920!
Everybody died.
Tomorrow is Christopher's 3rd birthday. Our little Kuri has come a long way, but he's still, definitely, half baked. For his first year, he was a pretty awesome baby. He slept through the night at 2 months. He didn't care much for strangers, but he also didn't cry very often. He kind of kept to himself, and we weren't quite sure what he'd be like in the years to come.
His personality really began to come out when he was about 1.5 years old. He also started to get impatient. The terrible twos were beginning and he was just starting to talk with us. As such, he'd become tremendously frustrated when we couldn't repeat back what he said (this, occasionally, still happens, especially when he sees a car he likes). Thankfully, this has been balanced by his obstinate, irrepressible goofiness.
Kuri is the only child I know who can have you tearing out your own hair one minute, then falling on the floor laughing the next. As time has moved forward, he's begun to use this talent for his own nefarious purposes. It's become a lot harder to put him in time out when halfway to the time out chair you're trying not to crack up.
I still have no idea how this boy's mind works. He's definitely a sponge, but his system for cataloging what he takes in seems completely devoid of logic, order, or scope. As such, facts, stories, words, emotions, requests, and endearments come out when you least expect them and in such a way that makes you think, "What the hell? Where is this coming from?" Perhaps this is why I'm falling over so much when he's around.
Here's an example. Kuri knows what it means to smile. He knows how to smile. He knows that you're supposed to smile for pictures. However, when you ask him to smile for a picture, this is his first inclination: eat the seatbelt.
Kuri also tends to have an agenda. Two weeks ago, Mimi was Star of the Week in her class. Her job was to take the special bear around and take pictures so she could show her classmates what a normal week is like. We took the bear to Japanese School, where we were going to take a picture with a giant fish. Kuri saw the bear on the fish and this, I suppose, must've have been going through his head, "Mimi put her bear on the fish. I must put my burp cloth on the fish. All my life has been leading to this. Putting a burp cloth on a fish. Once this is done, I will be victorious. All will be right with the world. Nothing must stand in my way." As we tried to take the picture, Kuri ran for the fish and began shoving Mimi and her friend out of the way. We had no idea what he was doing. We though he just wanted to be in the middle. His agenda wasn't clear until the bear flew off the fish and was triumphantly replaced with the burp cloth.
As with most kids his age, Kuri's desires change quickly. The day I went on Amazon to order his Halloween costume, he was sure he wanted to be Pikachu. By the time the costume arrived, he had decided the world would end if he wasn't Bulbasaur. Hence his reaction to his new "surprise" costume.
Mimi was able to make the most of the situation, though, as her baby sister looked on. She's six years old and can still wear a toddler's romper costume.
Although Kuri's mind is a bit of a mystery, there is one thing we can count on: he looks out for his baby sister. Mari loves sitting in her bumble chair playing with her kitchen and munching on pieces of plastic road. Sometimes, however, even this delightful pastime can get a bit boring for her. Kuri noticed this and built her a track with Thomas. It absolutely made her day.
Unfortunately for his father, Kuri is not as entertained by the track layouts he creates. As such, I often come to the rescue. We spend half an hour devising a new layout and my reward is, "That's so cool, Papa!" And then he runs off and demands chocolate milk.
For some reason, Kuri is an excellent shopper. He tends to behave in the cart.
But then again, I guess he always has.
Unlike with his little sister, Kuri doesn't always enjoying sharing with Mimi. But like Kuri is with Mari, she's very patient and caring, and I think he knows it. After all, she's been looking out for him since the beginning.
I may never fully understand the workings of this little guy's mind, but he's an amazing part of this family. Sometimes he's the glue, providing the middle ground between Mimi's busy schedule and Mari's feeding and food throwing. Sometimes he's the pressure valve, causing us all to crack up when we're frustrated or distracted by something that, in hindsight, is quite trivial. And sometimes, quite simply, he's the guy who wants nothing more than to go to Cars and Coffee with his Papa.
Happy Birthday, Kuri! I can't wait to see where the next year takes you and and where you take all of us.
