It is no secret Marcel is completely smitten with you his beloved big sister, but lately he has been showing his affections more and more. He is normally always awake before you both in the morning and at nap time, and the second he hears your little footsteps running across the floor he lights up and points at the stairs while he runs to meet you on the landing. When you make it to the bottom of the stairs, he throws his arms around you and melts into you, letting go only after you declare you have had enough hugging! He is relentless and goes back for many more hugs until you shout, "No more hugs! All done Marcel!" I usually have to intervene and give you your much needed space to properly come back to the living from your sleepy state of mind.
You are so sweet with him and although he can get on your nerves and in your space, you are never mean to him. You may loudly voice your frustrations and call (loudly) for me to help the situation, but you are gentle with him and I am so proud of the way you are with him. He is coming into his own personality and is proving to be hilarious, silly, a bit short tempered, possessive of what he claims as his own (especially food!), loving, affectionate, all while still wanting to do everything you do. Watching the two of you play and interact with one another is the greatest gift. I pray daily that the bond I see forming and building between the two of you will only grow and deepen as time goes on.
Here's a little snippet of our after nap snuggles on the couch this afternoon and a dialogue I wrote down right before I caught almost the exact same scene on film:
We were all sitting on the couch having our snack together, and without ever realizing it Marcel had made his way on to your lap. As he moved over onto the couch you said to me, "Mom, Marcel was just sitting on my lap then I was pretending to be his mom." You had that look you get when you know you are too cute for me to handle and I just melt at every word you say and I was so in love in that moment. You looked at Marcel while patting your legs and ask, "Marcel want to sit on my lap? It's really fun!" He pushed his hands into the couch with his little bum in the air and plopped it right on your lap. As you hugged your arms around him both laughing as you toppled over onto the couch you said, "Woah, this is making me nervous, but don't worry Marcel I got you."
And another unrelated video from our after nap play time because I just love listening to the things that come out of your imagination and watching your crazy expressive facial expressions! :)
You have the BEST imagination and playing with you is the most fun. The house if usually a disaster, toys and books covering the living room, dishes left on the table until nap time roles around, all for the luxury it is to get down to your level and play made believe in all sorts of imaginary lands. Marcel is the best playmate and tags right along with us adding his on touch to whatever it is we are doing. The two of you are becoming great friends and look out for one another always. The sibling rivalry and bickering has set in, but it doesn't interfere with your adoration for each other.
Today as lunch was in the oven, we set up shop at your tiny table in the living room and had a few "appetizers" together per Chef Marcel. He could play in your kitchen all day long, and is always ready with a fresh cup of orange juice or a warm bowl of soup. Any mention of food and he darts off to the kitchen to prepare something special and delivers it with the most delightful grin and often a sweet kiss before going back to work. As we were eating, you jumped up and said you were late for a wedding. This is the dialogue that followed word for word (luckily I had a pen in hand and took notes!):
"I'm going to a wedding date. You need to calm my baby down for me because she's going to be sad. Her bed is right here when you get her quiet. You can take her to the park in the stroller or just stay here. Ok see you in the day! Oh Wait!! I forgot my bag. I love you sweetie (gave a kiss to your baby)."
After a minute or so you returned and went on:
"There was no wedding! I looked everywhere but everyone left. So, how was my baby, Allie? Oh good!" You then proceeded to feed her snacks from you bag, kissing her sweet head letting her know you missed her. It was pretty much the dialogue I said to your first babysitter back in October when Papa and I were heading off to a wedding. Your memory amazes us daily, almost as much as your imagination and the stories you come up with. We are having more fun with the two of you every day, and love being your parents.
