Pride and Joy

Several times over the past couple of weeks, the folks at VillaKids (my gym's kids' club/day care) have told me Milo earned a star and a treat for being a good helper. They tell me he is quiet and well behaved. My initial reaction is, "Well, of course he is." On the heels of that comes the reaction of, "Wait. You mean MY Milo?" They tell me he is such a good boy, they wish all their 2-year-olds were like him. Again, I have to wonder where that kid goes when they bring my kid out to me.

First of all, I'm so proud of him for being well-behaved and helpful. And I'm really happy that he is good for them. I wouldn't want him to be the kid that makes people cringe. And he isn't a bad kid at home. He's actually pretty well behaved most of the time. But when he isn't. Well, let's just say he can be challenging, energetic and a little bit deaf, I think. Really, how many times can you say no to a kid and he just ignores you?

My mom used to tell me that my brother's teachers would tell her how polite and well-behaved he was -- at school. At home he was a holy terror. I know. I lived with him. (Those of you close to me know which brother I mean.) Milo is nowhere near that bad. Maybe because he doesn't have brothers and a sister to tease constantly. My brother grew up to be a responsible adult, a good husband and father. So I guess it all works out in the end.

And I know, for every 5:30 a.m. wake-up call from my boy, for every gallon of water splashed out of the tub, for every random toy chucked at my head -- or the dog -- there is a hug, a kiss, a "Hi, Mama" that melts my heart and reminds me that he is my pride and joy.

But maybe he could save some of the quiet for home too.

23 months

Dear Milo,

You are 23 months old today. Sometimes the past almost two years seems like they've flown by, other times it feels like a lifetime.

You seem to change and grow every single day. You are getting to be such a big boy, and it's often hard to remember how little you were not so very long ago. Because, really 23 months isn't such a long time (even though for you, it's been a lifetime). Thank goodness for all the pictures we've taken.

You, just a few hours old

You took your first plane ride this month -- and your first vacation that didn't involve staying at a relative's house. It was all pretty exciting.

As you can plainly see.

I was pretty nervous at the prospect of flying with a toddler, but you were a champ. You were well-behaved, then just took a nice long nap.

We went to San Diego to enjoy some sun and surf. We took you to the zoo and some museums -- and, of course, the beach. You and Daddy ended up with colds so we didn't do as much as we might have, but we had a really great time.

You got to meet one of Daddy's cousins, and I think she was quite taken with you, even though you slept through a lot of our outing with her.

You're kind of obsessed with trains at the moment. I don't expect that to go away any time soon. You also really like hippos (or as you call them "meebos") right now which really makes me smile. Because I have a bit of an obsession with them.

You've started calling me "Mom" sometimes. I'm not sure if you're switching to that or if you just get lazy and don't want to pronounce the second part of "Mama." Either way, I don't think I like it. It's too grown up. You are trying out new words all the time. But when you don't know a word, you just kind of babble something. At the zoo, "Bye bye, turblabla" to the tortoises. It's really cute though.

You do so many cute things that you know are cute. You lay down, pretend to snore, then pop up and say, "Oh. Hi." It's just too cute. You are also requesting certain songs to be sung, including "ABDD" and "Up Above," as well as "Itsy Bitsy Spider."

I think you are the cutest thing in the world. When someone else tells me you're handsome or cute or adorable, I can feel my chest swell with pride. At the airport, you were reading letters out loud and a lady heard you -- a retired teacher, no less -- and commented on how impressive it was for your age. I just about burst from the pride I felt.

It's actually kind of surprising that I don't just explode from all the pride and love and joy I feel just having you in my life. The fact that you're smart and beautiful is just icing on the cake. Which you're also kind of obsessed with right now.

I love you, my smart, beautiful, wonderful son.

Love,
Mama