Parker - (almost) 22 Months

"One of these kids is not like the other. One of these kids just isn't the same..." Yeah, that's the song I sing a lot around this house...about this particular Rico Suave. Don't let his devilishly good looks fool you. He's a couple handfuls. The crazy thing is, who would believe me? When we're home he's wild, crazy, into EVERYTHING, loud, talking, running, etc. etc. But when we leave the house, he's a total mute, barely acknowledges other's existence and rarely moves from where he is put down. Ha ha! He puts on quite a show.

The truth about Parker is that he is so not mellow, it's ridiculous. Evan and Maren, it seems, really eased us into parenthood. Yes, they were pretty typical babies and toddlers but they didn't absolutely destroy the house on a daily basis. Parker, on the other hand... Let's see, yesterday he got into a lighter and razor blades, and dumped a bunch of that pink baby lotion on the carpet. Today he dumped out a box full of sewing pins. A couple of days ago he was in time-out three times before 9:30 a.m. - spitting, hitting, you name it. I sometimes wonder why I clean anything up because it just gets undone, and worse!, shortly after. Maybe I should let everything go until Parker turns three and then try to reign it all in again. Ha!

The good news is that that's not the only blessed thing about Parker. Although he's a handful for us, I realize that he doesn't scratch the surface of how mischievous some other kids his age are (hi, Beth). Some even call him tame. Okay, then. So what are the fun things going on with Parker right now? Well, first of all, speech, of course. He didn't have quite as many words at 18 months as the other kids did, but he's quickly catching up, probably adding about five new words a day. I LOVE this stage! Some of my favorites include, " 'mon" (come on), "where is?" (where is it?), marbles, apples, bubbles, I love you, thank you. Oh, there are so many! The thing that cracks me up is that if he's talking about an object, it is usually plural. Well, unless it's a ball, I guess. Everything else has an S on the end. Cuteness!

Parker, of course, called me Mama for the longest time. Just this past week or so he's realized he can just call me "Mom". Which was sweet. The first day. Now I would definitely say that my name is being taken in vain. "Mom?" "Mom." "Mom, Mom, Mom." "Mom?" Yeah, I'm grateful to be loved but maybe you could just call my name when you actually need to show me or need help with something, Buddy. I must say that he says it with the sweetest little voice but that word has been draining this week. And it's especially grating when it's being screamed at the top of his lungs from his crib when he wants out. Ugh.

Parker likes to do anything and everything that Maren and Evan do. No surprise there, right? He's at that age. The beautiful thing is that he's usually allowed into the group and everyone gets along swimmingly. Have I ever mentioned that the other kids adore him? Oh, yeah, guess I have. Well, it still hasn't worn off.

One of my favorite things is Parker's running and, even more, galloping. Oh, I could watch that galloping body all day long! He's so stinkin' cute. And to catch his cheeks bouncing up and down as he tears down the hall is hysterical. He also loves to dance and is getting into spinning in circles with the other kids and doing really fancy tricks like putting his head on the floor and only holding on with one hand. He's also trying out the crab walk which is quite cute and comical. Of course he always wants an audience when trying these fantastic feats.

Parker loves baths (what kid his age doesn't?) and is an absolute terror during them but you can't help but laugh. He gets water everywhere!! On purpose, of course. He thinks he's quite hilarious. During prayers, though, he is quite a reverent little boy...only unfolding his arms if there is some really, really good food really, really close that is just begging to be eaten.

While I do look forward to the day when he doesn't feel like he has to scavenge into every nook and cranny of our house in search of fascinating things to carry around all day, he really is a dream. He's funny and loving and silly and sensitive. Oh, talk about sensitive...the other week during a particularly PMSy moment with tears, he came over to me and wiped the tears off of my face and said, "ssssshhhhh". Oh, the sweetness. It's amazing how quickly toddlers learn about emotion. That pretty much made it all better. Anyway, Parker (sometimes known as curmudgeon or hooligan), we are so blessed to have you. We love you every second of the day!