Back in the Saddle

Ok... no snarky comments from the peanut gallery. Yes, I know I've been out of the blog scene for a while. No excuses, I'll admit that I just haven't been feeling it lately and I'll leave it at that.

I can't honestly say that writing has been a priority lately, and that has begun to worry me. I've always felt writing was a part of me, and to virtually ignore that side of me for months makes me more than a little concerned. So, I figure the best thing to do is just put some words down again and see what sticks to the page. On that note, let's go with a topic that seems to be easiest for me lately: my son.

Yes, he is 18 months old now and I am starting to realize that the last year and a half was apparently the easy part! I don't think I had it in my head that any of this was going to be easy... I just under estimated how quickly he was going to start testing limits. Then again, he is my son. So, let's examine this a bit further with the good ol' top 20 list again:

1) A crying infant is bad. A whining toddler is worse.

2) Playing has taken on a whole new meaning, and is a lot more tiring than it used to be!

3) The kid can eat. And eat. And eat!

4) I waited months for him to take his first steps. Now I just want him to stay still long enough to wipe his nose.

5) It's rewarding to see him "get" the things we teach him. It's magical to see him learn things we haven't taught him yet.

5) Grandparents to your toddler are like sitting in the sun: initial reaction is warm, inviting, and beneficial; prolonged exposure means you get burned for the next couple of weeks.

6) Experimentation is the root of learning for a little boy. Destruction tends to be the weeds that come with those roots.

7) Actors will tell you that an audience enhances performance. My son resembles this statement when professing his displeasure.

8) Did I mention he can eat? A lot?

9) Many people told us that toys would take over our living space. They didn't mention the "toys" would include plastic water bottles, paper tubes, and empty shipping boxes.

10) Parenting is proving to be like a night at the improv... try out your material and hope you get some results. If not, wing it and hope for the best.

11) I see more of myself in my son than I prefer to admit. Particularly when he's mad.

12) Tragic Irony: my boy seems to be very well-behaved, and that makes those times that he does act out all the more frustrating.

13) He has his own shelf in the refrigerator. I'm not sure where he puts all the food we feed him.

14) Despite our best efforts, he now understands the concept of "dessert".

15) ALERT: my son can now say "i-Pad" (kudos to Grandma for this one).

16) It's possibly the greatest compliment I've ever received to hear fellow passengers aboard our 7 hour flight back to Hawaii remark at how well our son travels.

17) An 18 month old can drink enough milk in a week to suck a cow bone-dry.

18) Diaper rash STILL sucks.

19) Silence during my son's waking hours now makes me paranoid.

20) Even after 18 months, despite whatever frustrations I may feel, regardless of all the challenges we face, I still say that fatherhood is the best thing I've done in my life. Period.

So there it is. Hopefully, it won't be another 6 months before you see another post. For now, it's time to feed my son again. Until next time!