2 going on 8

You know, I really enjoy spending time with LR. Sure, sometimes I'd rather get housework done, or some decorations up on our bare walls, but most of the time I'm fascinated by him. He's a great mimic right now. I'll be in conversation with Nanny C and he'll be quietly playing with his trains, offhandedly repeating every tenth word or phrase we say. He's not saying them to us, he just saying them to say them. It's like having a big parrot in the house. He smiles all the time and only gets really irritated if you say you're too tired to play a game of chase right now. "Mommy's tired," carries absolutely no weight with him.

Yesterday I was surprised by a knock at the door just before 6pm when our two 8 year-old female neighbors asked if Hudson could come out a play. Seriously? When I opened the door, LR wanted to go out, but while I was looking for his shoes, the girls came in. They started playing with his train set, and then took all the balls out of his basket. LR was elated and giggled the whole time. One kept trying to give him hugs. (He was convinced she had cooties.) The other talked my ear off about other girls in the neighborhood and things they'd done and seen today. They took turns peppering me with questions about our house, LR, and life in general. By the time I shooed them out the door a half hour later, I was exhausted. LR was irritated that I made them go. He kept asking for them.

For now, I'll take a 2 year-old over an 8 year-old any day. Parenting is obviously something you have to build up to like weightlifting. You can't expect to bench press twice your weight the first day.