The 3rd M is sharing his likes and dislikes with us more and more.
Likes: “Crackers” (really, oatmeal raisin powerbars), Apkees (Airplanes/helicopters), aqua (to drink, to dump, to splash in) and school (he loves his friends and his teachers and learning in general).
Dislikes: Getting his diaper changed, mommie leaving, being told “no”.
He loves books and will frequently ask you to read him a book. Typically, it’s a Dora The Explorer book. He’s a big fan. He can say “Map” and points to his back whenever Dora opens up her Backpack. He also speaks Spanish, so he fits right in with his Latina “brethren”. He even knows where to find all of Dora’s books when the 2nd M hides them in the bookshelf because she’s sick of reading them. Smart kid.
Repetition aside, the 2nd M would much rather the 3rd M like Dora, who is independent minded, adventurous, generous and has plenty of friends; over characters like Cinderella whose self-worth is dictated by a man (the Prince) whom she meets, falls in love and gets married to faster than you can spell her name.
That said, the 3rd M did point to Cinderella’s picture in the book and say “mommie.”