{"id":205,"date":"1998-08-06T20:26:00","date_gmt":"1998-08-07T01:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/?p=205"},"modified":"2014-02-16T13:30:49","modified_gmt":"2014-02-16T18:30:49","slug":"colin-at-age-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/?p=205","title":{"rendered":"Colin at age two"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Colin,<\/a>
Colin, about two years old, 1998<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

by Robert Gillis<\/em>
\nPublished in the Foxboro Reporter, 8\/1998<\/em><\/p>\n

His name is Colin. At the age of two years and one month, my adorable nephew is rapidly growing out of his nickname, “Colin-Baby.” The Little Man has been walking (and running) for well over a year, and his insatiable curiosity and every action fascinate me. He’s not a baby anymore, but a very active and happy little boy.<\/p>\n

I’m amazed how taken I am with the little guy. His vocabulary is still limited — maybe about two dozen words including “Mama,” “uh-oh,” “Dada”, “Ah-Ma” (grandma), “duck,” “yeah!,” “Doggie,” “Cookie,” and my favorite, “Aba aba ba bah.” On a recent visit to see my sister Theresa and her husband Steve, I spent most of the time there chasing Colin around the apartment. At two he’s a little giggle machine, delirious in his joy as he hides next to the refrigerator, daring me to find him.<\/p>\n

“Colin!” I shout, all the while looking right at him. “Colin, where are you?” I follow the giggles to the source, pretending not to see him until the last minute.<\/p>\n

“Ah-pull!” he says. He wants an apple.<\/p>\n

“Say Bobby!” I tease him.<\/p>\n

Then he surprises me. With an absolutely devilish grin he says, “No!”<\/p>\n

“No?!” I ask. “Bad baby, bad baby!”<\/p>\n

More laughs, so I stamp my foot. He giggles again. He thinks I’m crazy, of that I’m sure.<\/p>\n

“Say Bobby!” I demand.<\/p>\n

Then he astonishes me. He looks at me, and for the first time ever says, “Bah-Bay!”<\/p>\n

This brings joy for me. I hug him and praise him. “Good! Good! I’ll take Bah-Bay!”<\/p>\n

“Ah-pull!” he says again.<\/p>\n

We have an apple together. He’s fascinated by a Winnie the Pooh video and then “The little engine that could.” Then he’s on the move again, grabbing his “Tickle me Elmo” doll. Then he looks at the cat for a moment, and flops onto the floor. I gently toss a pillow over him, which brings more laughs as he pushes it aside to return his attention to the Elmo doll.<\/p>\n

“Mel-mo,” he says with joy, and presses the little red toy to make it giggle and shake. Last year it was Barney the Dinosaur. Then Arthur the aardvark.<\/p>\n

God knows I’m not the first person to be fascinated by a little baby, and while I always knew I’d love any child my sister had, I could never have imagined how much I adore this little blond kid. To me, he’s perfect. I know he isn’t, but to me he is.<\/p>\n

I was fortunate enough to be there when he took some of his first steps, and I’m gratified by the huge smile that breaks out when he sees me. I was amazed when I realized he understood concepts like “yes” and “no.” I enjoyed the goofy smile and the way his eyes lit up when he saw his birthday cake. I’m amazed by how much interest I have watching his excitement over discovering the most mundane, small details in the world.<\/p>\n

He’s got a temper, too. The “terrible two’s” arrived right on schedule. Mom called me after one of his tantrums and commented, “Sound familiar?”<\/p>\n

“No,” I said innocently.<\/p>\n

“He’s just like his uncle. I remember your temper tantrums.” “I don’t,” I lie.<\/p>\n

Before, I never really understood why children’s behavior was so fascinating to parents. People would gush about how their child took a step, or ate solid food, and I just nodded with that glazed look. But it’s different with Colin. I want to hear all about his first tooth, and weaning him off his pacifier, how much he loves Cheerios, and how his little swimming lessons are going. I want to know everything.<\/p>\n

I watch him run and play, sing and laugh, and I think to myself how truly blessed I am. He’s my nephew, my little perfect nephew. Maybe perfect only in my eyes (and his family’s). But perfect just the same.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Robert Gillis Published in the Foxboro Reporter, 8\/1998 His name is Colin. At the age of two years and one month, my adorable nephew is rapidly growing out of his nickname, “Colin-Baby.” The Little Man has been walking (and running) for well over a year, and his insatiable curiosity and every action fascinate me. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gratitude-and-giving"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t