Luke at 10 Months

Please believe me when I say that I adore this kid. I mean, seriously, just look at him! He oozes personality and he melts my heart over and over and over again.

With that being said, this kid is driving me bananas! I realize that we were incredibly lucky to have such an easy child first. In fact, I am glad she was first. She helped ease us into this parenting thing, and if she had been really difficult we might not have been quite so anxious to bring another one into the mix so soon. I can't imagine my life without either of these kiddos. But this monkey. . . *sigh*

He is so different from his sister. In some ways it's really fun to see his unique personality. He loves people and flirts with anybody who will pay attention to him. He's laid back and entertains himself quite well much of the time. He's incredibly determined to get what he wants, but doesn't resort to whining for the most part. We can practically see the scientific wheels in his head turning as he drops a toy over and over and over again just to see the results. But unlike Millie the observer, he is a hands-on kind of kid. He wants to examine everything with his hands and then his mouth. Often he crawls around the house with a toy hanging out of his mouth that he didn't want to put down.

Some of Luke's latest talents include:
* Unloading the laundry basket as quickly as possible
* Opening, closing, opening, closing, opening, closing doors
* Unloading cupboards, drawers, bookshelves, dishwasher, you name it
* Pulling out wipes, one at a time, over and over, until there's a big pile that won't go back in the package

Some of his recent obsessions are:
* The toilet--hands down, his favorite toy
* Toilet paper--he digs it out of the trash and EATS it. So gross.
* Eating everything he finds on the floor, especially leaves
* Dropping food off of his high chair just to watch it fall, then screaming to get it back
* CORDS, particularly the vacuum cleaner cord--when he hears it turn on he squeals and comes to chase it
* Splashing in the bath until the floor is drenched (not to mention me)
* Digging in the trash and scattering it around the bathroom floor and tub

I realize that most of this stuff is par for the course for most parents, but we are having to relearn the game this time around. Part of me just can't wait to see what this kid comes up with, and part of me is terrified that he is fulfilling all kinds of stereotypes and I think I might know what's coming. He is a joy and a delight, he and his sister adore each other, and we are at times way in over our heads with this little guy.