Leon

The other kids got their turns in the spotlight (for me to mock them horribly) so it's only FAIR that I torture Leon in the same way.  But it's hard to know where to start with Leon.  I don't know how it's possible for one kid to be so hard to describe, but it's something I struggle with.

I do know that Leon wants to be big.  As part of that, he wants to be independent.  He has always figured out ways to get what he wants.  Before he could talk, he would save the last bite of the food he was really enjoying.  Then he would point to that food and use the sign language signal for "more" to tell us he wanted more of that tasty thing.  As he got a little bigger, he would run to the pantry and hit the door.  As soon as we opened the door, the little weasel would wiggle past us, go into the pantry, and pull out what he wanted to eat.  A few weeks ago the kids were eating breakfast, and Leon clearly wanted something else.  He kept saying something about cereal and milk, and he had both.  And it was the same kind of cereal and milk that Michael and Ree were eating.  I had no clue what he wanted.  Leon finally said he was done, so I got him down from his high chair and forgot all about his frustration.  While the kids finished eating, I worked on cleaning up the kitchen which was probably a disaster from the night before.  (Much to the horror of most women, we are morning cleaning people.  Dinner dishes often go untouched until 7:00 a.m.) 

As I was cleaning, I suddenly realized it was quiet.  Uh-oh.  I glanced up and saw Leon and Michael standing at the train table in the sunroom.  The good news is that they were standing at the table, not on it for once, and they didn't appear to be doing anything too dangerous.  But I really had no idea what they were doing.  So I went to investigate.  Leon was finishing up his real breakfast.  Once Ree was done with her bowl of cereal with milk, her bowl of noodles, and her bowl of soy sauce for dipping the noodles (long story, don't ask), Leon had apparently taken each bowl off the table, carefully transported it around the corner and down the step into the sunroom, and had made himself the breakfast he wanted.  When I got there, he was finishing his meal.  There were no spills other than a few splashes of milk around the cereal bowl on the table.  That's when I realized he had been trying to tell me he wanted a bowl of cereal with milk on it like a big kid, not dry cereal with a cup of milk.  Ahhhh.  Got it.

Leon just takes care of things in other areas as well.  At the beginning of the summer I apparently had a hard time remembering to take drinks and toys for the kids in the car.  Not a problem.  Leon took care of both.  If we were leaving, I would find him standing by the front door, sippy cup in one hand, toy in the other.  He would make sure he was hydrated and entertained in the car.  Easy enough.

In some areas, Leon actually is a good helper.  He will clean up all the dirty laundry after baths and put it in the hamper.  He puts away the dog dishes each time they eat.  He picks up random trash to the floor and brings it to me.  (And he always seems to find the food crumbs that are so disgusting even the dogs have been avoiding them.)  These are good things.

Unfortunately, Leon also has boy energy and is constantly on the move.  So when he runs out of ways to be helpful, that's when he starts exploring and discovering.  I don't think the child ever does things to intentionally be bad or to get attention.  He's just curious and wants to learn.  He LOVES books, almost as much as his siblings, but anything other than a plain board book is typically not safe in his hands.  If there is a slight rip, he is going to pull on the page to see what happens.  If the book has flaps to lift, he is going to bend them as far as he can to see what they'll do (and he always manages to bend them right off).  If there is something on a shelf or otherwise out of reach, he will take matters into his own hands and find a way to get it.  Chairs will be moved.  Toys will be stacked.  Leon is a great climber, but Michael struggles in that area.  One day we discovered that Leon had built Michael a ramp out of blankets so that Michael could also climb on our bed and join Leon in standing hand having chicken fights.  Thankfully we got there before anyone was a "winner."

Leon's passion, though, is clearly the kitchen.  He just loves to to cook, whether it's for real or for pretend.  If I'm in the kitchen working, he will come to check things out and ask to be lifted up so he can see exactly what I'm doing.  He can also be entertained with a bowl, spoon, and measuring cup for hours.  This can be a wonderful thing.  It works inside, outside, and in the bathtub.  It is also letting him bond with his big sis.  They finally have something in common, and they discovered it in less than two years.  Not too bad.