By the time summer came around Mattias and I were convinced our third child was a monster. Our mothers, who spend more one-on-one time with Anders, always try to convince us of his sweetness and innocence. But these qualities rarely come through. Constantly competing with his older brothers, and mostly losing, this squeaky wheel's squeak became more of a screech. And then, his brothers left for Sweden.
The last child became the only child, and Anders received a status upgrade equivalent to first class on a plane. We ran boring errands and ate out at restaurants, while mundane to most, he delighted in free samples and soda fountains.
He got hours and hours of play and interaction from both parents. We built awesome structures, cooked his favorite foods, and gave him first choice in countless everyday decisions.
One weekend we drove North to the redwoods to spend time with dear friends visiting from Philly. A sufferer of his father's genetics, Anders became carsick and barfed all over himself somewhere in Marin. Thanks to the kindness of Jehovah's Witnesses we were able to clean up before our date at the park.
The following weekend we treated Anders to a day at the Sonoma County Fair. This was Anders' very first time to a fair, the older boys went to the Arlington County Fair every year while we lived back East.
With $25 in ride tickets, the little dude bounced from ride to ride. After a while he said "I wish my brothers were here." When I asked "Why?" he said, "Because I like them!"
Maybe this time was the grease our squeaky wheel so desperately needed. For a month we got to see an easy, sweet side of Anders that doesn't come through in the chaos of a larger family. He's cuddly, helpful, easily entertained, and surprisingly thoughtful. After the brothers came back we noticed that these qualities stuck around-- or maybe they were always there and we just didn't notice.
