OH FOR PETE'S SAKE!

My Little Man is 19 months, 8 days, 1 hour and 32 minutes old. In that time he has caused me to cry with joy, wince with pain, laugh until the tears rolled down my face, grab my chest and inhale as if I was having a heart attack, and gasp in disbelief. Until Manny, I had no idea what it was like to raise a little boy. I had no idea the never-ending energy of a boy. I had NO IDEA a child could do the things he does...No FREAKIN IDEA!!

He can eat enough for an entire family......in one sitting! My 2 girls eat like birds...little baby birds, in fact. On the other hand, Manny can devour 2 slices of toast, grapes, bacon, sausage AND spaghetti for breakfast....Yes, I said "spaghetti for breakfast"...his father is Sicilian for Pete's Sake!!

From very early on, Manny knew how to take a toy and stand on it to make himself higher. I've never had my house so full of gates until this little Man came into my life. I never had to baby-proof my house until THE MAN showed up. He's gone over gates, under gates...in fact, he can close this folding gate faster than I can!! We eventually put the gates away.

This may not have been the best idea we've had as parents.....


and.......

Now, anyone who has children knows that you give up alot...your sleep, your last french fry, your most favorite flannel pants to the tween, your sanity....but if you hold onto ONE thing, let it be your sense of humor!

A sense of humor can brighten up your life. To hear a child laugh can bring you far from in the dumps to a place where it just doesn't matter if you have no cream for your coffee, or that someone left toothpaste in the sink, or that your house is in total disarray. I have heard that children won't remember how clean the house was when they were growing up, but they WILL remember any quality time you spent with them. Some people think a sense of humor is part of our genetic make-up like brown eyes, big ears or monkey feet, but in fact, a sense of humor is learned. It can help you connect with your children and it can make them healthier and better able to handle difficult situations. Yeah...this is what I keep telling myself when I find my little Man in a precarious situation........this is healthy, this is normal, this is NOT a preview of what he will be doing when he gets to college.......

.......right???