Archie at Nearly Two

There is just one month left before Archie turns 2, and I see more than ever how desperate he is to be big.  I think it is a symptom of being a second child, having someone more able to follow around and learn from, but Archie is just desperate to do everything his big brother does.

The pair of them are as thick as thieves, and they have a bond I never even imagined when I was pregnant.  They talk in their own language, plot to do things (mostly reach the fruit bowl) and talk and sing to each other as they fall asleep.  They are equals in play, but not in everything.  Dylan is bigger, can reach higher, can talk clearer and can demand easier.  Archie loves having time alone with me when Dylan is at nursery, but asks for his brother often and definitely misses his playmate.

Archie copies what Dylan says, but he can't talk with the clarity and complexity of a three year old.  He is desperate to potty train and demands pants over his nappies some days, but he isn't quite there yet.  He wants to be taller, bigger and reach each milestone before he is done with the last.  He is a nearly 2 year old who is desperate to be 3.

At 23 months Archie is head strong and determined.  He has started insisting on choosing his own socks every morning, and his own shoes when we go out.  He knows what he wants and he isn't into compromise, but he is generous and shares wonderfully with his brother.  He shakes his head and says 'no like it' at anything he doesn't want to do, and wakes up demanding chips and oranges, his two favourite foods.  He is starting to tell us how he feels, and being forced into a buggy is met with declarations of  'Sad, Archie sad'.  

He is a free spirit, he wants to be outdoors, to run and to climb and to explore and when he is done he wants to be at home - something he makes very clear as well.  He loves to cuddle and my bump is the very best pillow he can find.  His hair is wild and grows an inch overnight it seems, his eyes are full of fire and his smile is full of mischief.

Archie is as different from his brother as he could be, but they are the best of friends, partners in crime  and hilarious to watch together.  Archie is so close to being two and to becoming a big brother as well, but I want to record where he is now, before everything changes.