Up and running

It is amazing how fast they go from barely walking to running (to climbing). My youngest loves walking all over the place and especially loves opening and carefully emptying kitchen cupboards. Today we watched him "set the table" ... taking out a plate and putting it on the table (which he could barely even reach) and then returning to get another plate, and another. His biggest challenge in life is dealing with older siblings who still want to carry him places... but he definitely lets them know that he is done with that.

We went to the park Friday and Stephen LOVED it! He is used to kids running and screaming around him, so while another toddler at the park would back up and just watch, he was in the thick of things, climbing, digging, sliding, and grinning his head off. Definitely NOT a kid who wants to stay by mom.

As he has become much more mobile, I have had another epiphany. I have another goer. I know kids are all busy, but anyone who knows my kids, knows that mine are BUSY. I kept thinking this one would be different... he would want to sit and cuddle on my lap. And he still does. Briefly. Then I remembered, this was the boy that at about 6 months, would get bored just drinking his bottle and want to check everything out every few minutes... he seriously would never just sit and drink a bottle, even when he was hungry. Sigh.

Actually, I would probably get unnecessarily paranoid if I had a tranquil child. There is one tranquil thing he does, which I absolutely love. He reads books. He has 2 older siblings who are in the thick of learning to read, so I guess it's only natural. He gets one of his favorite boardbooks, sits down, opens them, and sings or babbles to himself while turning the pages. It is absolutely adorable.