Quirky Little Second Born

Oh, blog, how I have neglected you!  I can't believe we are already eight days into the new year and, gasp, I am just now writing my first post of the year.  I will post very soon on one of the reasons that I have been away...our annual Christmas excursion to the bluegrass.  Other than that, the only excuse I have is that life has been very full and very busy lately.  So much so that I have had little time to sit down and think, let alone, sit down and write.  But I have missed it and I hope to begin my regular posting again and get our little family journal up-to-date.

With that said, what better way to start the new year than with a blog about Sethie?

Have I mentioned that I love studying birth order? There is definitely something to it.  I also love studying my boys.  They never cease to amaze me.   And they always throw me for a loop.  Especially my loveable second born.  Since I am a second born who functions more like a first born, I think that I have them both figured out.

Or shouldn't I, at least?

So, not the case.  I find it so interesting that although Caleb looks like his daddy, he is a mini-ME.  We think so much alike that it is scary.  I guess I should say, we process things VERY similarly, which can drive me crazy at times, but is a comfortable insanity, so I am fine with it.  Seth, on the other hand...I am not always sure how that sweet little angel processes things.  I am still trying to figure him out. 

We are currently trying to get him comfortable with making his own decisions.  We are blessed that are boys are really close, but if there could be a draw back to that, here it is:  Seth can struggle with making a decision independent from his brother.  He adores his brother and wants to do everything that big brother does. Although that is endearing and probably completely normal (especially since Seth is only three), I really want to foster independent thinking in our boys and sound decision making.  I also want Seth to develop his own interests apart from his brother. Not that those interests can't be the same (What a bonus when they are!), but I want him to choose an activity because he enjoys it, not just because Caleb enjoys it.  I want our boys to be comfortable and confident in their decision making.  I don't want them to be arrogant and rigid, but I feel like in order for them to learn to make wise choices, learn how to seek guidance when needed, and discover what they truly enjoy doing, then they must first learn to make decisions for themselves.  Simple enough, right?  I know they are young, but since I have always struggled in this area and am sensitive to it, I want to stay on top of this with our boys, especially our sweet little "go with the flow" (or at least big brother's flow) second born.

But all hope is not lost.  There is one area where Seth actually has no problem expressing his opinion...or shall I say, asserting his will.  Well, actually two.  Food and fashion. 

This post deals with the latter.

Who knew a three-year-old BOY could be so concerned with what he wears? And it isn't always about what he is wearing that is quirky, but actually HOW he wears his clothes. 

Seth prefers wearing shorts and pajamas.  Period.  When it turned cold in the fall, it was the struggle of a lifetime to get him to put on pants.  We came to a compromise, though, that we could all live with.  Most days, as soon as Seth gets home from anywhere, he goes upstairs and changes into shorts or pjs. He wants to be comfortable and I get that. Of course, when we go back out, he has to redress.  He goes through multiple wardrobe changes per day, but he has gotten extremely proficient at dressing himself.  

He does have his favorites, though.  That is for sure.  I have to wrestle certain items away from him just to get them in the wash.  And even though he is very opinionated about what he wants to wear or does not want to wear, sometimes indecisiveness does rear its little head.  So, what is Seth's solution when he can't decide between his favorite blue shorts or his pumpkin shorts?  Buzz Lightyear pjs or Superman pjs?  Star Wars t-shirt or preschool t-shirt? 

He just wears them both at the same time. 

Since Seth dresses himself, we are not always aware of his layers right away.  Multiple times, we have shown up at preschool with his favorite blue shorts on UNDER his pants.  We have also been mid-grocery trip and I will see pj pants peeking out from behind his regular pants.  Yesterday, Seth and I were building with his Trio blocks when Seth told me he was hot.  He proceeded to take his pjs off.   No bare chest was revealed.  No, there was a whole other set of pjs under his Buzz Lightyears.  One evening, I was getting Seth ready for his bath and I couldn't help but laugh, as he had obviously taken his layering to another level.  First his pants, then his favorite blue shorts, then his pumpkin shorts, and finally his underwear.

This has been going on for awhile now, so you would think that I would remember to check for extra clothing before we leave the house.  Some mornings, well most mornings, we are flying out at the last minute, so I don't even think about it.  You would also think there would be a big bunch of bulkiness to make his layers obvious, but somehow, Seth pulls off his look with concealed style.

I am not sure if this is normal.  Probably not, but that is okay.

In the end, there are some battles that are not really battles, so they are not worth fighting.   Plus, it is part of Seth's quirkiness. 

And that is in part of what makes him Seth. 

And we LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE our Sethie!