Vintage Ian

I am watching a video of Ian (age 3) taken by my father-in-law, (Lolo) Rafael Sarmiento.  It's a Hi-8 video from 1993.  It is starting to show signs of degrading.  That makes me sad because I told myself to convert these cassette-type videos into digital format years ago.  Maybe I could have saved this video.

But there are a few minutes of it here and there that are ok.  There is one part that struck me.  Ian was playing with his Lolo's camera tripod.  He was trying to look through the arm that extends out from the tripod.  He was pretending it was a telescope!  I fast-forwarded to two minutes later, and you would think that this 3-year-old would have raced to another part of the house distracted by something and started another activity.  Ian was still in the same position investigating the tripod.  This time, he was trying the hinges of the tripod, moving it back and forth, twisting left and right, with such tremendous focus.  All the while his Lolo had the camera on him. 

More minutes into the video showed Ian in front of the Christmas Tree.  He was opening a Christmas present.  It took him 2 1/2 minutes to open the present.  He meticulously peeled the paper and tape off the box... not really trying to be careful of ripping it... but just studying each movement and layer very carefully.  When he got the box open, Ian slowly pulled  out a cookie jar shaped like Santa Claus.  Then Ian grabbed the  lid (Santa's head) and put it on his fist and walked around the house like that.

If you gave Ian a shrink-wrapped item, he would sit down and try to find the seam so that he could begin to open it.  If his chubby little fingers didn't work, then he would use his teeth. If he finally surrendered and needed your help, he would watch you intensely to see how you opened the package.  He was always determined.

That focus and curiosity is what helped Ian succeed at school.  You can tell by the hours of video his Lolo took of him that Ian got that from the Sarmiento side.