Of our six kids, so far Manny has had the hardest time with attachment. And for most people who don't know him like I do, he is the hardest to attach, too. But my oh my, our sweet Manny Boo has come such a long long way.
Even though we got his referral at about 6 weeks old and even though he was just 6 months old when he came home to us, Manny is still our most fragile kiddo. We will never know what kind of trauma happened in those early days and weeks. Or for that matter when he was still in his Mama's belly. But whatever it was it has stuck with him and emerged more and more over the years he has been home.
Baby Boo Bear
A few weeks ago Manny turned 3. Three is a hard year. It has been my least favorite with both Grace and Haven. JoJo seems to have chilled out a bit with 3, but Manny is really starting to blossom. His language is expanding everyday. His tantrums are fewer and shorter. He still can pitch a fit like nobodies business, but we are all learning to avoid the triggers and to bring on the love and cuddles as fast as we can when he starts to flare up.
So it sounds like he is hard to love, but really Manny just breaks my heart with his sweetness. He is especially fond of of Katriel. She is his special little person. He likes to hold her hand in parking lots. If he is going to share with someone it is usually her. This afternoon they were playing "Night Night". They took turns laying down on the couch, covering each other up with blankets, saying their prayers, and kissing each other on the cheek. So so sweet.
So for all of Manny's hard edges, deep down he has a heart of gold.
Some vital statistics for our giant sized boy:
- Manny is in the 95th percentile in weight and 99th percentile in height. Our doctor said if he stays on this current growth path he could be as tall as 6'3" or 6'4". Holy Smokes!
- Manny has transitioned to vegan like a champ. We were most concerned about how he would react to losing milk. He drank a TON of it. But he is such a healthy eater. He would rather eat a tomato than a bowl of ice cream. And the removal of milk seems to have cleared up all his allergies. He used to have a constantly runny nose and we were pretty sure we had another tonsillectomy in our future, but all that snoring and wheezing has cleared right up.
- Manny loves music. Loves to play the drums, loves to air guitar, loves to watch music videos. And he has actual rhythm. He got two drum sets for his birthday: one little puny one pictured below from his Mama, and really cool big boy drum set from his Grandma. This one we let him bring to the kitchen table so he won't drum on the dishes.
- Manny does not like wear sandals, he prefers tennis shoes.
- Manny does not like to dress himself. He is completely capable of dressing himself, but he would much rather have you do it for him. Grace is still kind of the same way. Completely opposite for JoJo and Louise who will dress themselves in six different outfits in one day.
- Manny has the most beautiful eyes on the planet. You might think its your kid, but no, it's my Manny Boo.
