Please don't lick the goat.

We recently took Jonathan to the zoo with his grandparents in Omaha. He LOVED it. I think his favorite part was the petting zoo, where he got to chase goats and chickens all over the pen. Thankfully he didn't try to eat anything off the ground there, but I followed him pretty closely just in case. He got changed immediately afterwards due to the...stuff...that was clinging to his clothes, but he didn't seem to mind.

And life just got crazier...

Jonathan can walk. He's been building his skills up for a week, and today, he actually ran. He belly-flopped after about a yard, but he ran. He walks all over the apartment now, and can stand up in the middle of the room without help. I need to go baby-proof my countertops and the rest of the apartment that he can suddenly reach.

So big!

The Mood Swings of a Child.

I find myself wishing off and on that Chris and I were Jonathan's babysitters rather than his parents. Don't get me wrong, we love him very much and are extremely grateful to have him. Usually the only time I get this longing is when we actually do leave him with a babysitter. When we come back to pick him up, the answer we always get to 'How was he?' is "Oh, he's a perfect angel! I wish my kids were as calm as him! He slept almost the whole time! He's so sweet! Can I keep him?" or some variation on that. To that final question, Chris and I invariably think 'you can keep him overnight...' but we of course say nothing. 

The reason for all of this? He can be a little terror. (I say this lovingly, of course.) He never screams or cries for no apparent reason in front of other people, even when we visit home or have family visit here. He is really quite a well-mannered child. Until, that is, he is alone with his parents. Then, all bets are off. Then, the sweet well-mannered child sits on the doorstep while our sweet little terror comes inside to play. Not always, mind you, but often enough for him to be just like every other child. I promise. He's a sweetheart, really he is. But he is not above screaming tantrums when I take my phone out of his reach, or unrolling the entire roll of toilet paper and then tearing it to shreds and eating it. Once, he knocked over my 3-year old violet plant and began to eat the dirt off the floor. Then threw a tantrum when I put him in his crib to clean up the mess.

I do love my child. I must stress this. He is frustrating, but I do love him so very very much, and I would not trade him for anything or anyone in this world. His mood swings throw me for a loop sometimes, but secretly, I wouldn't have him any other way.

P.S. As I write this post, Jonathan is sitting on the floor shredding a Quizno's napkin and eating it. It's cheered him up considerably from his tantrums earlier this evening. (And yes, as soon as I realized he was eating it I stopped him.)

Birthday Party!!!

My son will be turning one in a few weeks, and to celebrate, family is coming from the far reaches of the globe. (Ok, the far reaches of the midwest, anyway.) We're looking forward to a fun weekend in which we'll be taking in fireworks, possibly a concert, the farmer's market downtown, maybe the children's zoo, and definitely swimming, hopefully in the outdoor pool in our complex.  So much fun, so little time!