When my buddy was little, he was allowed in the kitchen. I emptied a drawer and filled it with toys. He would toss the toys out of the drawer and use it to climb. As he became a menace in the kitchen, he was no longer allowed in. Even after he was gated out, he used to throw every toy he could get his hands on over the gate and right into the cat's water. When we moved into this house a year and a half ago, I was worried about the open kitchen. I took the Potentially Deadly Weapons (vegetable peeler, rolling pin, pastry cutter, etc) and put them all a drawer with thoughts that I could somehow lock it if I needed. So far I haven't needed to lock it.
Starting when my buddy was 2 years old, I had to put all the kitchen table chairs in a corner and push the table in front of them to stop him from climbing on top of the table and swinging from the light. (yes... he actually did that once) All the floor lamps, coffee tables and pictures were put away. You couldn't even have a cup with any liquid on it anywhere within reach. My buddy has outgrown all of that. It is amazing when I think about all the things he would get into. I honestly never thought I would see the end of that era.
When my buddy was 3, he would push or tackle every child smaller than him. Every. Single. One. I had to hover over him whenever we were in public. His favorite were babies. Pretty much every baby he came in contact with ended up crying because of him. Now he's still not 100% safe around babies, but only because he would try to pick them up and hug them a little too tightly.
I've repressed the memory of just how many full plates of food my buddy threw across the room. And how he used to spit out whatever was in his mouth just to take a drink of milk. Meals may not be exactly civilized but they are so much better.
Smart. That boy is smart. I'm sure he wouldn't do great on a test that asked him which number was greater than or less than, but when I tell him he has 2 more minutes to play - he asks for 10. When I tell him he needs to read 3 books to get the iPad - he says, "One." He can dress himself and has made great strides using the potty.
My buddy's maturity level has grown so much. I know that we will get past the not so great place his is now... and find some new hurdle to overcome.
I saw this awesome T-shirt recently. It said, "Some people only dream of meeting their biggest inspirations. I raised mine."
How true.
A few of my favorite pictures of the girls so they don't feel left out.
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