Captain Destruction

Before Yorke was born, people who already had a girl and a boy told me how different they would be.  They told me that boys were much more prone to the "bull in a china shop" mentality.  It's not that I didn't listen.  But I will readily admit that I didn't get it.

Now, don't misunderstand, Charlotte is busy.  Very busy!   Once she could self-locomote she has always been on the move.  I mean the first time she got "tired" we thought she was very sick.  (I'm not kidding.  We were at the beach and looking up what ER to go to.  We finally figured out she finally got "worn out"…. at 2 years, 4 months old and after 5 days of non-stop beach activity.)  She has always been inquisitive and interested in exploring and checking things out.   Occasionally I had to rearrange things to keep her out of them, but it wasn't really that big of an imposition.



But this one.  This second one is different.  He is, as they say, like a "bull in a china shop."  He is equally inquisitive and busy.  Always moving, even though he isn't walking yet.  Always investigating.  And, he's strong.  Oh so very strong.  Charlotte has always been strong too, but she weighed a good 6 lbs less than Yorke at this age and was thus more easily wrangled.   Pretty much anyone who spends time with Yorke (teachers at church, family, friends, the nurses and doctor, etc) comments on how strong he is.  He is NOT easily wrangled.  If he decides he wants to roll off his changing table…it takes every ounce of strength in me to stop him.   Instead of throwing temper tantrums, he just throws stuff.  See the vent cover that he removed in the picture above?  He loves to throw those.  Yes, throw.  He's mostly stopped because, lucky for me, he does seem to be slightly deterred by "no."  He's still pulling them out and sticking large portions of himself into the vents, however.  He can open things Charlotte still has trouble getting open.

Not only is he strong, but he's fast.  He's quick to recognize an opportunity and take advantage of it.  If he sees an open door or the dog bowls on the floor, he will be managing some form of mischief before you can even realize he's gone.  He knows how to open doors, open the toilet lids, get things off the counters, and move furniture in order to reach something he wants.  Charlotte was definitely an explorer, but he seems to have a different level of purpose and determination.  When a cabinet doesn't open, Yorke doesn't just move on to something else.  He yanks until it either opens or breaks.   He has been into so many things that Charlotte seemed fairly content to leave alone.


Yorke is also a climber.  I think most kids either are or aren't.  Charlotte wasn't much of one.  I was.  I think my mom thinks it Karma.  Maybe.  See those things we put in front of the TV to keep him out of the DVR/DVD player/wireless router, etc?  That plan crashed and burned when he realized he could climb up on them and stand in front of/lean on/bang on the TV.  He can balance on things in ways that I wouldn't have thought possible.  Here he is on a foam chair.  Shortly after the photo, he stood up and knocked the lamp off the table.  I didn't think the foam would hold him up so well.



I don't really remember Charlotte breaking anything in the house or herself.  I predict that we won't be so lucky this time around.