Safety and Love

Tonight I went into Léo's bedroom to check his room temperature. Both his feet were dangling from the crib. He's so tall. I am amazed about new things he does or says everyday (today, going down stairs without support and, ahem, saying "Bama" when I ask him to say Obama!). 

Maybe it's because of the nature of my job or because of the way my parents raised me, but I am aware more and more that Léo is a lucky baby. He's born in the "West" to parents who have a sound relationship, money in the bank, jobs, a modern apartment, and who wanted him to be conceived and born. I often joke that I had to step away from his crib a few times when he was crying during the night as a baby (15 months old are still babies, right?) but I also know that I was well enough mentally to not break down, that my only stress was lack of sleep (not compounded by lack of food, money, housing, etc).  In one word, he is growing up in a safe and loving environment. Somehow I think that is enough for a child to survive and thrive. Safety and love. That is not all that it takes to make a child grow healthy, but that's definitely a good beginning.

One of my best friends just traveled to Rwanda for work. While she was there she visited the genocide memorial and took a picture that still haunts me -a room full of pictures and stories of children, some just infants, who were killed during the genocide. Right now I am reading a lot about the genocide in Cambodia for work and it just tears me apart to read that children were taken away from their parents to be raised by Angka -the government. 

One day Joe and I were taking turn chasing and holding Léo (when we chase him one parent runs to him and the other is his "safety" person, the one he runs to, laughing, to be picked up). As he and I were hiding in the closet waiting for Joe, Léo started laughing out loud. At that moment, I thought "Thank God we're not a situation where the difference between life and death  depends on the silence of a child who doesn't understand what is going on." I know...  not the best thoughts to have when you're playing with your baby. Still. I am so so thankful Léo will (most likely. Please God let it be never) not be in a situation where he could die because of political games. He will not be in a situation where he doubts our love, where he faces emotional or physical abuse. Again, most of it is luck (good political conditions on one hand, and luck of being a wealthy westerner on the other), but part of it is also Joe and my will to make his life a haven of love, laughter, and stability. And I'm proud we're able to provide that for him right now. We will always be his advocate, we'll always put his well being first, and we'll always ensure that his life is the best it can be. So there we have it: safety and love. For my baby, safety and love, always.

What Léo has been up to

My baby turned 18 months old yesterday! He's a full-on toddler now -but he's still my baby. In some ways he is mature -he talks more, he understands us, he runs and hides, and his brain is in constant motion- and in some ways he's still really young -he cannot control his emotions, he still wants to be rocked before going to bed. He is pretty tall (98th percentile) and fairly lean (70th percentile). His hair is full of curls. He is a picky eater but he's healthy -he loves Nutella and cookies but also all fruits and asparagus. He repeats a lot of words but can only say 2 or 3 phonemes "ba" for ball, "buh" for bird and bus, "abo" for apple and avion (plane, in French), etc. He loves to say "non!" He waves a lot, he dances and sings non stop, he loves being chased, he runs all the time, he walks backward every day for fun, and he tries to jump every time we're in elevators (go figure!).

We had a mini-conference with his daycare director and she said that he's very observant, doesn't smile that much unless he means it, plays on his own a lot, and overall is pretty reserved. That about blew my mind because at home he laughs all the time. He definitely is shy -something we have to know and respect. He is finally starting to pick up books -this morning Joe took him out of the crib after he woke up and instead of running into the living room he sat in his bedroom and chose books from his baby-library. I'm so glad about that! He loves everything Elmo (well, mainly songs from Sesame Street) and trains. He likes pointing at planes in the sky. He loves helping by walking the dogs and opening the garage door.

Sometimes he throws tantrums -he very carefully lowers himself on the ground and just lays there! I have to say I'm not good at setting boundaries and limits and he can pretty much get away with anything with me. Yup, I'm *that* parent! I'm aware of it and working on it.

Oh, and last but not least HE SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT consistently. Oooooh yeah! At home he still takes 2 naps per day during the weekend but we feel that this routine might end soon. When he was born he slept for about 19-20 hours per day so we know this baby needs sleep to function well. So do we. We have a deal!

That's it. We have a very funny, loving, kind, determined, joyful child. I love him more than words can express. He is my world.

 He loves having "fun" at the park (ha!).

 And sometimes he's serious.

 And his hair is always a bit crazy.

But that doesn't prevent him from being a ladies' man. That's his daycare girlfriend, Grace. (Their shirts match!)

 He loves Elmo. He also loves feeding Elmo!

Mainly he's just a funny, healthy, beautiful kiddo!