18 Months & Counting.

My little Mr P celebrated his 18 month birthday last week, accompanied by the usual visit to the doctor. Upon her entering the room, P took about 4 seconds to compose himself before beginning to tell her a story. A story that by the sound of it included both exciting & serious turns, encompassed a few comedic moments & was critical to the completion of a good well-child visit. I can't tell you what exactly the story was, but it was apparently enough for his doctor to deem him 'socially mature.' She asked if he talked like this often, to which I replied "not often-- pretty much non-stop." She laughed, which made P laugh & hold his belly like he'd just heard the funniest joke, & for which he had a quick, if unintelligible response. (When I told my dad about this he said "Well, his dad's never met a stranger." Which is true.)

The visit progressed well; we learned that P is 10th percentile in weight & 20th in height. He's just a little guy, but he's healthy & abundantly happy. Well, for the most part anyhow. He had to get a shot, which is never any fun for either of us, but at least I don't cry anymore. I had a 'moment' this time that has been in my mind ever since. As the nurse was preparing to give the shot, & asking me to hold his arms, he was looking at her, a bit wondering, but not unhappy, however the moment he felt the pain as the needle entered his leg, his little eyes shot to mine, full of tears & confusion, probably wondering why I would let this happen to him. I grabbed him up the moment the band-aid was on, & just loved him up, wishing I could explain it all to him. And yet, just moments later, all is forgiven. The pain is forgotten & he trusts me with his whole heart once again.

This utter trust continues, as his new favorite game is to climb on to the nearest object & jump, full bore, into my arms. There is no hesitation. His little mind trusts that I will be there, ready, able & willing to catch him before he falls. As cliche as it seems, that's a lot of responsibility on my shoulders, because I know it's not just this one game; It's life. I am the one who has to be held responsible to raise this boy with all the correctness, truth, love & direction I can muster. Sometimes it's so overwhelming that I was entrusted with such an amazing spirit to raise. I have to take it day by day & heaven knows some are better than others, but because I have Ty & so many others around me, I'm willing to give it a go. But ya know, that little Mr P makes it a lot easier on me than he probably has to. Knock on wood.