Dimples

I'm not even sure where to start.

I was exhausted all day today, but its just becoming the new norm for Shaun and I running around after a toddler. The days can be challenging at times, especially with such a high energy, do and think later, thinks no's are funny, stubborn as the day is long, 100% boy we have in our house. The past couple days have been frustrating more than not as Shaun and I try to discover what our happy place is on the spectrum of discipline with Sully and then on top of that remaining as consistent as we possibly can with the follow up. As Shaun said, they sure don't tell you about days like these in the parenting books.

No, no they don't baby. I even looked in all the indexes and "frazzled" wasn't listed once.

As I laid in bed ... frazzled ... I watched Sully as he looked at me and smiled while his eyes started to dose back. He grabbed my hand and pulled it up onto his tummy and I asked "Tickle?" (which that usually means ... tummy rubs are the best btw) and he shook his head no. He put his little hand around mine and squeezed it, then fell asleep. Guess he was just in need of a security blanket, literally. I looked at the dimples in his hands and it made me think of the dimples in his cheeks. God I love it when he smiles. He also has a dimple under his right eye that makes itself present when he smiles or laughs really hard. His whole face lights up. Its the kind of thing that I know one day will be the thing that makes a girl fall head over heels for him. And it reminded me that I wouldn't trade frazzled days, stepping on a building block he's put in my shoe or having mashed up crackers in the bottom of my purse ... for anything.

Even on the challenging days like today.

All those things that can make the days "challenging are the things that also make him into everything that I love about him. He's my spirited child and it pours itself out into everything that he does. And I think thats pretty amazing, especially at 1.

I have a philosophy; there is no such thing as a bad child, just bad parents. So I need to do what I can to figure out how to better meet his needs. I guess I forget sometimes that maybe he really does miss Shaun and I when we're gone during the day. Scratch that. I know he does. My hand on his tummy with his little fat fingers clenching it says that he does.

Having a child has made me have some pretty serious a-ha moments. I'm trying better to change those things about me so I can be a better parent to Sully. To learn to take those "challenges" and turn them into something positive for us both. I cringe sometimes to think that his first real word was "No". I don't want to be that parent, the "No" parent. Its a work in progress, but hey, we're at least working on it.

Sullivan.

He's just shy of 14 months old and is now a full fledged walker ... and climber I might add. He loves avocados, carrots, yogurt, climbing (I think I said that) anything that has to do with water, his red push-car he rides outside, the cats, terrorizing the dogs with hockey sticks, hockey, running around with no diaper, using anything that looks like it could be a phone as a phone,chicken nuggets, chalk, things with buttons, brushing his hair, drinking out of "grown up" glasses and then backwashing into the poor soul's glass that was suckered into letting him have a "sip". And he loves music. We dance to it, sing it, sign it, you name it.

He dislikes diaper changes, getting dressed, being told no, most juices, growing teeth, sitting still, crust, foods with funky textures, and wearing the tutus mommy makes for our little girl friends to get measurements.

He can sign drink, please, more and all done. He also does the hand gestures to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Wheels on the Bus and and Little Red Caboose. He is saying new words everyday, his top favorite being mama, dada, no, yes (yesh), dog, dat (whats that which is accompanied by the cutest little finger point in the shape of a sideways gun that I've ever seen) and today we've added car (kah-KA!).

We recently went to the doctor to have his ears checked and he weighed in at 24.7 lbs. I have no idea where his height currently stands, but I do know that in our Mommy & Me class he's the same height as most of the 2 year olds and towers over the kiddos in the 10-14 month range.

Recently I found out the school I use to teach at, at the college I graduated from has now added a 2 year old preschool class. Before, the kiddos had to be on the later end of 2-3 years of age to enroll. Shaun and I talked and we're enrolling him for August of 2011 - application has already been sent in and on the waiting list. Sully will attend two days a week. Its still a little ways away but I'm really excited for him to have a place where I know he will thrive a couple times a week. MP CDC is by far one of the best preschools around, and it will always hold such a very special place in my heart. Working there and being an alumni left me with some amazing people I'm lucky to call friends and some even funnier memories. I gladly will leave my child to them. I know he's going to love it.

Mexico was great, except for the sea sickness. last week we had a fun day at the SB Zoo ... got to love those year passes. We had an impromptu BBQ here last Sunday for Memorial Day with our group of friends. This week upcoming will mark the start of the June birthday festivities in our house followed by fathers day. For mother's day Shaun got me a Nikon camera photography book that I've been trying to read in whatever spare time I can get once Sully is down. I've also had a handful of crafts that I've been working on for friends, and Sully as well. We fill the rest of the days with parks, zoos, walks, baking (Sully has discovered the beater) and living in the pool outside on the warmer days.

What else can I say, life is good man.