The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

“Wear monkey boots!”
If Henry sees his rain boots — brown, with monkey faces on the toes — he wants to wear them. “Wear monkey boots!”
If the answer is no, there is crying. Lots and lots of crying. If yes, there is a giant grin, and two-handed waves at toes, and “Hi monkeys!” out of a 2-year-old’s mouth.
I’m learning to pick my battles.
Footwear is one that, for now, Henry is winning.
The kid is obsessed with socks and shoes. Since early October, he’d come home from his grandparents’ house wearing new socks. Pumpkins, spiders, Snoopy, skulls. He loved every single one of them. And every morning, when it was time to get dressed, he’d request a pair.
The white, blue and brown socks we had plenty of were no longer good enough. Now, Henry was all “pumpkin socks,” and “spider socks,” and “Snoopy socks.”
If they were clean, I’d usually oblige.
Then he’d start in on the shoes.
Some days he’d want the white athletic shoes, other days his blue shoes. For about a week, all he would wear were his newest pair of shoes (which were too big, and which Scott put on him one day without knowing they were supposed to be saved for another six weeks or so).
His favorite combination: The bright orange pumpkin socks, with the sparkly jack-o-lantern face, paired with the too-big blue and brown shoes with orange accents.
Where on earth is he getting this from?
I admit, I watch Project Runway, but it’s always after Henry’s in bed.
This seems to be one of these fun, new areas where Henry’s personality is coming through.
There’s joke-telling. The favorite is to point at something and say “That’s not (fill-in-the-blank)!” He’ll point at the table and say “That’s not kitty!” and crack up.
He laughs so hard that he can’t hold his head up.
I’ve heard friends with older children talk about how their sons and daughters showed parts of their personalities early on. One, adventurous, the other reserved. A girly-girl. A tomboy. Quiet. Exuberant. Silly. Serious.
At 2, Henry’s personality is starting to come through in a concrete way. He doesn’t like it when things are broken. He loves to color and draw. If given the choice, he’d go fast. Outside is his preferred environment.
For his first birthday, we spent part of the day at the Milwaukee Art Museum, at an exhibit with lots of moving parts, flashing lights and sounds. He was fascinated by all the things to look at, and we enjoyed exploring the installations. This year, we might take him to a petting farm, or Shedd Aquarium. This summer, we’ll take him camping.
Watching him discover the world, and watching his emerging personality, is absolute joy. I have no idea where he’s getting some of the things he enjoys, but in many ways, that’s how I like it. Without understanding where it came from, I can just enjoy the ride.
Even on the days when he can’t wear his monkey boots.
Written by Janine Anderson. Anderson is mom to 2-year-old Henry. Contact her at (262) 631-1703 or janine.anderson@journaltimes.com.
Mommy Talk is an online parenting blog written by Journal Times reporters Janine Anderson and Marci Laehr Tenuta. Find it online at: http://my.journaltimes.com/mommytalk.