The Threes

You know the old saying, "Things come in threes?" Well, I don't know about that, but this one is totally three.

Today, he played with cars, sticks, and his new football. He made a basketball crush a pretty Polly, and then laughed about it. He threw a fit when I told him that he couldn't have a large tootsie roll right before he ate his birthday cake. And he chased his sister around with his doggies saying, "Ruff Ruff" even when she repeatedly told him not to.

But he still snuggled with me when he woke up from his nap. And he smelled his same sweet smell that he always smells like when he first wakes up from a deep sleep. I can't put my finger on what it is. It's just a sleepy smell. All warm and snuggly. Melt-right-into-me-snuggly.

I love him so much. And he's such a treasure. I'm so thankful that I get to have him for my little boy.

My Little Joy

When I was pregnant with Asher, we were excited to choose his name for it's meaning. His name means "happy; joy; blessed". That, he is.

Popcorn for Breakfast?

Don't let that shy smile fool you.   Sweet?   You better believe it.   Curious?   More than George!   Boy?   Totally.

Remember my neighbors who had the evil santa claus at Halloween?    They're so nice!   We took them cookies around Thanksgiving, and actually met the wife, but still haven't had a chance to really get together with the kids.   But for Christmas, they brought us one of those huge tins of popcorn, you know the kind with the 3 different flavors.    Well, Asher loves popcorn.    He gets really excited about it, and even though my father the doctor would disagree with allowing him to eat it yet, I give in.

Now that my sweet little boy can climb out of his crib, he comes in to wake me up in the morning by standing right at my face by the side of my bed.   Usually I hear his little feet pitter patting down the hall on his way in.   But the other morning, as I was sleeping soundly all snug in my bed, I heard a weird sound that woke me.

*crunch...crunch... crunch*   "Mmm...'ca-corn'.   Good, Mama!"

My son had woken up, and proceeded to help himself to the huge tin of popcorn, and come in to proudly show me his morning  snack.    I have no idea how long he munched on it before coming to show me, but you can be assured, the "ca-corn" is put away!   But the trail of his crumbs by my bed is still lingering.

Bye Bye Ball!

Yesterday I went in and found these two in the bathroom...after I had heard the potty flush. They were both standing over the toilet looking in it, and looking quite suspicious.

I asked Asher if he had gone potty. He said no. I said, why did you flush the potty? And as Maddie was pointing toward the potty, Asher said, "Ball flush."

"You flushed a ball down the potty?" I asked indignantly.

"Huh." (which means yes.)

I asked again..."YOU FLUSHED A BALL??!!"

"Huh!!"

So, now worrying about our already old house sewage line, I asked..."A big ball or a small ball?"

In his cutest cock his head to the side and squint his eyes look, he said, "Ummm....'mall. Bye bye, ball."

"Yes, bye-bye ball," I said.

A Real Boy

You know how in Pinocchio, when he turns into a real boy, and Gepetto keeps saying, "A real boy! A real boy!" ? Well, that's how I've felt this week with Asher. I feel like he's turning into a real boy. Not a baby. A real boy. And there's nothing I can do to stop it or slow it down.

I think it started with the haircut. I had been putting it off for so long, just loving the way the curls hung around his neck. I know that those first curls don't always come back, and I wasn't quite ready to part with them. I also knew that cutting it, would be the start of a new big boy look, and he's just been my sweet baby boy. But as the cute curls turned into a mullet, it started to look less "babyish" and more unkempt. And then, it got so long that it started to look like a little girl. See...

The long eyelashes don't help that, either. So, I distracted him in the bathtub with some toys and brushed it down while it was wet. Then in one snip, I cut those long curls. Well, then, as soon as he heard the scissors, he would jerk away, so I had to think of a new distraction. I got him out of the tub, put a diaper on, and sat him on sissy's bed (his favorite spot) with his favorite book, and a handful of Pringles. Then, I tried to very quickly, snip some of the sides away, to match the back a little bit. It was fun to see such an immediate change in him. To really see him look more like a real boy. Or a little man in a diaper finishing his chips.

It's really amazing and fun to see the change from baby to little kid, but it's also hard to see it happening so fast. Last Tuesday at his 18 month old appointment, I told the doctor that he only really had about 5-10 words. This week I'd say it was about 15-20. And sentences starting to come out, too.

And then there's the climbing. Like pushing a chair over to the counter, and climbing up for what he wants. Or climbing out of the bathtub on his own. Or climbing onto the bed or table and getting off without any help at all.

He's probably my last. And he'll always be my baby, but he sure is changing fast. I like this picture of him. He's fake crying because he can't have more Pringles. But I also like it, because he looks a little bit more like a baby here. Poor thing, I'm sure he'll be in counseling for years.