Levity

Parenting a toddler is exhausting. It's a neverending battle of wills punctuated by disbelief and hilarity. The exhausting part has taken over lately, as evident from the lack of posts here. So, as a way to center back on the positive I try to focus on moments that remind me of why I love Little Man so much.

*His current obsession with Iron Maiden, thanks to Husband. Listening to him warble out the refrain of "The Trooper" is second only to his requests to hear "Run To The Hills" -- or, as he says it, "Heels".

*Playing I Spy at the dinner table. His favorite opener? "I spy, with my little eye, something cookie dough!" He will then laugh hysterically if you fall for the ruse and make the obvious guess of cookie dough.

* We were chatting with a neighbor and she asked him how old he was. He correctly replied that he is two. She then asked him when he would turn three, and without hesitation he answered, "On my birthday!"

* We used to take swim lessons at a place that also sold scuba gear, and he loved looking at the mannequin that was fully decked out. We would explain the tanks and the regulators and the flippers to him, and he would always insist on seeing them before his swim classes. He has a stuffed shark at home, and one day he notice the lines that were stitched into the sides. He asked about them and I started to explain about gills and how they allow the shark to breathe underwater. Without missing a beat, he responded, "Oh! Like the regulator!"

*He runs/moves/dances like he is part of the Ministry of Silly Walks.

*The way he looks over the edges of his glasses at us -- it is like living with a schoolmarm.

Each day is a new adventure with him. Some of those adventures feel endless, but others leave us laughing until we have tears in our eyes. Those little moments will always remain as core memories.