Cubby

This boy. Darn him. Half the day I am not sure if he has me laughing or crying.Remember how Penny began calling him Jessy cub? Somehow that has now just become Cubby. Mike doesn't think it is manly enough, but Cubby's not a man, he's just a little boy. A little cute trouble making boy.It's good to have a number of kids because it humbles you and teaches you that . . . well . . . you don't really know anything at all about raising kids. For example, when you have one or two or even four kids who love to be read to and never throw their food on the floor, you kind of think you know a thing or two about raising studios little kids who . . . don't throw their food on the floor. To keep you from a know-it-all attitude, it is then good for you to have another kid who sometimes will humor you a bit with your silly book reading shenanigans, but will also sometimes yell, "NO!" and run away at top speed when you try to read a book to him and who, despite all your best efforts of discipline and positive reinforcement and slight temper losses and watchful eyes, will continue, each and every meal to hurl his unfinished portions all over the floor. He will also manage to sneak into your master bathroom at least once a day to make a mess of most of your little eye make-up compacts. And when he speaks he may use a fair amount of cool words that only you actually understand (heaven knows how sad he will be if I'm not here and someone else doesn't know that soosoo is cereal -- which it so obviously is). Luckily, his siblings all seem to understand him with out a seconds thought. Like when he called, "Penny! Coco!" today and she knowingly got him the toy baby stroller to push around (and remember how "monkey" is "coggys"?). He will also do all sorts of crazy little boy things that you didn't really think your kids did -- like catch live flies and bring them to you.But, the nice thing about realizing you don't really know anything about shaping or raising your little kids according to a set pattern is that you realize you don't really need to know all you thought you knew. Your kid who is not one bit conforming to your preplanned 21 month old conduct is turning out pretty darn cool all on his own. (Side note: my favorite thing about this picture is not me sleeping or Jesse hanging out with me while I do . . . it is the feet of the photographer who is sitting on a bean bag -- feet on the table as she shoots).
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And making you insanely happy and in love with him every single minute -- even when you've just cleaned up breakfast's yogurt from all over the floor. And, he might actually turn out to be super good at a few things that don't seem to mesh with his rough and tumble character -- like coming into your room in the morning and lying by you for a very long time while fiddling with a little toy. Or, snuggling you on the couch for no apparent reason.
And giving you the best little hugs a tiny fella could possibly give.And politely saying, "thanks," any time anyone gives him anything.And just being all around pretty much the cutest and coolest kid in town. And look how much he likes his mother! That kid (shaking my head). I like him kind of ridiculously.

He really is the "good boy," that he is constantly congratulating himself on being. Aggh. Look at that face. I need to go get him out of his bed and kiss him this minute.