I always knew that when I had a child I wanted it to be boy. Don't get me wrong, if you had ended up being a girl I would have loved you just as much, but I just about cried in the office when they told us they were 99.99% sure you were a boy! Your Daddy wanted a boy too so we thought we had hit the jackpot! We had heard and seen some nasty things when it came to raising girls and I knew how horrible I was when I was growing up so girls were just not for us. Little did we know that boys are a roller coaster in and of themselves. I love you son, but there have been and there will be some interesting obstacles in our lives!
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Hello Readers! What a hectic time we live in, yes? Between the east coast and the election and now all this talk of succession! What is this crazy world coming to? Well, I have been burying myself in work and my family lately and I have decided to pop my little head up and see if the all clear signal has been given! As it seems things are now just simmering, I thought I'd throw a blog out and see how everyone is doing.
Liam is growing like a freaking WEED! He is walking, babbling, and working on some baby signing (he's got "binky out", "all done", and "more" all figured out). We're gonna be working on some new signs soon. He claps when things are good or he is happy, and we have finally hit the oh-so-lovely tantrum stage. If the world is not his oyster then it is ending and he is going to let us know about it. We're trying many different methods of dealing with these tantrums but our most consistent and successful method has been to stay calm, speak in quite, low tones and talk him through them. No cuddles, no sympathetic tones, no surrender! He is learning his boundaries well and responds well to us enforcing them so things are working out on that front for the most part.
Our monster eats like a champ! He is up to a couple jars of food at each feeding and a couple of bottles a day. We recently discovered (after some pretty nasty trial and error) that he is intolerant of PediaSure or any kind of store brand version of such. Doesn't matter the flavor. His tummy just does not like it.
We're up to 8 teeth and working on some molars right now. He has made himself bleed a couple times between biting his own fingers and biting his tongue. Trial and error, I guess. He's still rocking his binkie, mainly due to teething. I would like to get binkies the heck out of our lives but they'll be around as long as he needs them. *shrug*
Through all of this growing and developing, I have found that boys are just not as easy as everyone makes them out to be. Sean and I always wanted a boy. ALWAYS. We wanted someone to carry on Sean's lovely last name and we were both looking forward to mud pies, hockey, and rough-housing. Don't get us wrong, you can enjoy all of those things just as easily with a girl but we were both set on a boy! I didn't want any of that "Oh, I can't have a barbie? Well, I hate you forever and I don't love you anymore!". Girls tend to be psychological terrors as little kids and I just wanted none of that. Oh, and that high pitched, almost-to-the-point-that-only-dogs-can-hear-it scream. No no no no no no....
So, needless to say, when we found out that Liam was going to be a boy, we were ecstatic! Oh man, we started buying all the dinosaurs, trucks, manly outfits, and Star Wars things we could find. We decorated his room in Star Wars paraphernalia (which we would have done if he was a boy or a girl), and got ourselves pumped up for life with a little boy...
...then he actually came. Holy Guacamole, no body warned us about the trials and troubles that boys bring screaming into the world with them! Wowza.
So, since we've been parents to our little monster I have been compiling a list. My list of things that they just don't tell you about when you are all bright eyed and hopeful about bringing your bouncing baby boy into the world. A list of things that, if I had been told, I would have had a chance to, oh I don't know, prepare for in some way. I'll preface this list by saying I have never raised a girl. I have pulled as much knowledge from people who have and I have sat in on enough Brag-a-Thons to hear SOME of their trials and a little bit about how they are different but I am no expert. So, some of this list may apply to both genders. Without further ado...
The Thing About Boys:
1. No Down Time: I remember looking through parenting magazines and seeing pictures of my friends with their little girls and they were always curled up with Mom or Dad, or calmly playing with their toys, or off in imagination land. I feel like there is this cord permanently attached to my sons hands and my waist. All day it is up down up down up down around around around. He never just sits down calmly to play with his toys. It is just chaos on wheels all day long. Then he crashes for a little while then BAM! HE'S BACK! He only has two settings: fast and FASTER!
2. Easy Outfits: This one is a benefit for some and a major downer for others. Boys have all of three or four things that they need on to leave the house. They don't make much more for them and people would look at you like a crazy person if you tried to make things for them. Pants: check, Shirt: check, Socks/Shoes: check, maybe a hat or sweater if it's cold: check. Done. Out we go. You don't have to find ruffled underwear or leggings or cardigans over something or other. There's no bows in the hair or earring to match. We're not worried about hats and whether or not they're the precise shade of pink as the shoes. Is it too soon for baby bracelets and what is the difference between leggings and tights? *whew* If they are kind of the same shade and if they repel drool and dirt, it's going on my son. Don't get me wrong, I like to match his clothes and he has super cool hats and shoes that he wears but, man, I have to give it up to Moms that have girls and know how to dress them! I would be lost! Now, if you were looking forward to all that clothing distress, having a boy is going to seem boring and uneventful. However, with all of the other drama that boys bring with them, I will take boring and uneventful when it comes to his clothes ANY DAY!
3. Nothing Like Dad and Son: A lot of people talk about Mother/Daughter Bonding and Daddy's Girls but, in my own personal opinion, there is nothing like watching a Father and his son. Not even the Mother/Son things that I have the absolute joy of experiencing can compare to watching my husband sit around in a Broncos jersey with his matching son while they enjoy the game. Nothing compares to seeing Sean walk Liam through the house and teach him about pictures, microwaves, foods, and mirrors. It just tickles me pink every time. I can't wait to hear about man-to-man talks and see them on Liam's wedding day. Ah!! I just can't wait to see the man my husband is going to help create!
4. Legos, Dinosaurs, and Everything Star Wars: I'm gonna say, right off the bat, as a girl that was raised by three older boys, I am in NO WAY into gender stereotyping. If my son wants to dance, he's gonna dance. If he wants to have a doll, we're gonna buy him the best doll there ever was. I will say that I am a complete SUCKER for the "boy section" of the toy aisles! I love action figures, light sabers, dinosaurs, hulk fists, and LEEEEEGGGGGGGGGOS!!!!! We're still in the "Duplo" stage because Liam will full on eat anything smaller but I LOVE THEM! And I love that Liam loves them! He brandishes his wooden sword while he walks around the house, he loves having his dinosaurs all lined up for him to play Godzilla with and throw across the room. I love blue, green, and red hues everywhere in my house (This is coming from one of the biggest fans of pink that you'll ever meet). I will say that I was a little surprised at how quickly all of this "boy stuff" overran my home. It escalated quickly. Veeery quickly....
5. Rough EVERYTHING: Rough play, rough tantrums, rough touching, rough throwing. Even rough cuddling. Between hurling things across the room, banging as loud as he can on everything until it shatters, dropping everything off of everything, screaming, grunting, hitting, rolling, running, banging, banging, banging, and the general rough-housing, I am in a world of intensity. We specifically asked his Physical Therapist if this was normal and all she said was, "Yep. You have a one year old boy." *sigh* I was not ready for this. I feel like I say and demonstrate "Gentle" all stinking day. "no no no No No NO NO NO NO NO NO GENTLE GENTLE GENTLE.....no no no No No No NO NO NO NO!!!" All day...every day. Please know that with this rough and tumble lifestyle comes broken items and messy messy days. If, in the beginning, you are accepting that, at any given moment, whatever you find important or sacred may just shatter into a million pieces or become covered in some kind of nasty substance, your life as a mother of a little boy will go a lot smoother.
6. Silly Moods and Faces: My son has the weirdest sense of humor. You may think that a one year old doesn't quite have a sense of humor, but they can and do. The most random things make him laugh but usually it is something breaking or someone getting hurt. This is something that I work on with him. I don't want him to think it's funny when Mommy drops an entire box of Cheerios and it spills all over the floor. It's a little hard to do while Mommy is laughing at herself but it must be done. Teaching Liam that it's not funny when Mommy stubs her toe on the side of the couch and jumps around in pain for 5 minutes is important but very difficult to do while trying to hold back the immediate tears that spring to my eyes. I, also, have never met a kid that makes more insane faces than my son. He is always growling and spitting, squishing up his face or opening his mouth as wide as he can just to see how wide it can go. He is just figuring out how things work and seeing what sort of sounds he can make and how loud he can make them but, occasionally, I fear he is already losing his mind. These weird sounds and faces will inevitably transition into fart jokes and utter destruction but we will handle that when it happens. One day at a time...
7. Slow and Steady: Boys are stubborn as ROCKS. It is absolutely 100% pointless to try to force a boy to do anything! They all say it's best to let kids do things on their own time but boys seem to be particularly obstinate. Try to get him to walk and he will spend an extra week crawling, out of spite I'm sure. Try to give him foods that he SHOULD be able to eat and he'll choke on them and throw up...even though he has big strong teeth that you know he knows he can chew with. Try to potty train before he gives you the heads up and you are, most definitely, getting pee in your favorite shoes. Why? Why are boys like this? I'm absolutely positive that they're taking after their fathers. ;)
8. Hockey and Football Rule the House: He may not like them when he grows up and I'm sure that it's just because of the constant chaos of the sports but my son will sit with my husband and watch HOURS of football and hockey without fussing or complaining even once! But when Mom tries to get him to watch his Reading Videos he is out of my lap and running around like a tornado within minutes! What is happening here?? I've heard that it's all about attitude. Maybe I speak in a different tone than Sean or I am more tense than Sean while watching the videos but man...sports are definitely the winner in this house.
9. MOTHER OF THE GROOM! WOO!: Yay for Father of the Bride paying for the wedding! Ha! In this day and age I'm sure things are more balanced when it comes to paying for the wedding, especially if Liam ends up marrying another man. Oh no!!! Who pays then??? Oh well. It'll all work out. But, please please please let us only have to pay for napkins or something! Parents that were looking forward to helping their daughter plan their big, beautiful day may be struggling with some major disappointment on this one but, hopefully, you will have a great relationship with your son's future bride (or groom) and you can help as much as she (or he) will allow. Or you'll be graced with a son that is all about wedding planning and you'll get to be on the ground floor for it all anyway! All I know is that I'm more than happy to sit back and let the catastrophe that is wedding planning play out before me with little to no involvement. Yessssss.
10. Sometimes a Boy Just Needs a Hug: Society says that boys are suppose to be more rough and tumble and that they need to work things out on their own so that they learn how to be men. I can tell you that that is bunch of bull honky and that sometimes a boy just needs a hug and quite possibly a snuggle. As with any child, my son needs to learn to have the confidence to comfort himself and get himself back to a normal emotional level but there is definitely a difference between stumbling while he's walking and him actually falling down a step. His type of cry is usually a good indicator of which level he needs. You also need to know that this fact will never change. Up until his dying day, a boy or a man, will sometimes just need a stinking hug. Let him hug it out. Comfort him. Let him know that it is okay to feel his feelings and work through them with someone else. These will be the most valuable lessons you can give him for his future as a grown man.
So, there it is. Keep in mind that this is a Beta list as I only have a one year old. This list will continue to mature and grow as Liam does.
Are you a parent of a daughter? What would you put on your "The Thing About Girls . . ." list? Anything you didn't see coming?
Any parents of sons out there that want to add something to the list? Let me see 'em! I can't wait!
As always, I leave you with a picture of my terrible terrible monster man. Happy Tuesday everyone!
