And so it begins

Shawn Joaquin has an inordinate fear of his sister coming in the bathroom while he's using it, but he refuses to close the door. Instead he shrieks and screams "SHE'S LOOKING AT ME! SHE'S COMING IN! AAAAUUUGGGHHH!!!!!!" while inadvertently spraying his own leg in his spastic attempts to wave her off.

Last night at dinner he announced that he needed to go to the bathroom, confident that Madelena was securely strapped in her chair and unable to disturb him. He left strict instructions that we should just wait for his return and not even think about getting up in the interim. We helped him down and then went back to our conversation, which inevitably led to some laughter. Suddenly he screamed and then shouted "HEY, I NEED A LITTLE QUIET NOW, PLEEEEEEEASE" like some 70-year old man for whom his current task requires strict attention. He then returned to the table, passed gas loudly with a laugh and a shout of "hey, did you hear that motorcycle?" before slamming a huge bite of chicken with as much heedlessness and smacking as a 14-year old adolescent might make.

Later, when Gregg asked him to help pick up the puzzle pieces Madelena had flung about the room, he put the back of his hand up to his head, flopped on the sofa and said wearily "Daddy, SOMETIMES people just need to RELAX."

Every time I start to worry a lack of general mental acuity, he does something to remind me that no, he's not special. He's just a male, subject to the quirks, procrastination and repeated instruction as required by his extra chromosome. And that adolescence is just around the corner, waiting to snatch him up, roll him around in it's mouth filled with unbrushed teeth and epithets and toilet jokes, only to spit him back out at the feet of his family...unrecognizable, rude, and given to public scratching of private parts.