It's that Man's Birthday AGAIN!!

Random thought on about my December Man Child!

Once upon a time a very round mommy gave birth to a very round baby. To be sure, no one knew why a 10 day early baby could look quite so huge. At 4.2 kgs (9.2 lbs) the midwife had too much fun snapping pics of the "biggest umbilical cord" she'd ever seen & a placenta nearly 2 kgs. (4.4 lbs) that she desperately wanted to pass around to all present. :)Did the kids gather round and adore his TINY little hands & feet?.....well....they gathered round alright to observe the time honored tradition of "Baby goes kuro-goma paste poo through 3 layers of clothes & pees on mommy & onlookers" while kids are scard for life & will never spawn.

Did we intend to make him look like a giant egg-head? No we did not but somethings just can't be helped. The round fat baby was at his best when he was in a loud room. Where the action was, there was the Travis also. Watching the action was alright until he was about 3 months, then he had to BE the action as well....and things got a bit more complicated.

One fateful day at 6 months he was standing, we were in denial. 7 months, he began to walk. I pretended I didn't notice & prayed it was just a phase. Well.......you know how that goes. Next thing you know he's climbing the stairs.

There came a moment of Revelation for me when he was 10 or 11 months & we took a walk to a park more than a km away. He ran there and (I wish I was joking) but he ran back as well with short breaks where he'd collapse & sit on the ground for a moment & then get back at it. It was one of those moments when you try not to make eye contact w/ your husband & inevitably when you do, you're like, ".....YOUR SIDE OF THE GENE POOL!!"

At this point we also looked into a toddie leash. (We never did do it, couldn't get him to hold still for long enough)

Story that comes to mind when I think of his pre-walking stage: Seeing Benny trotting through the hallway with 6 mo old Trav sliding along with him becasue he's clutching so tightly to his fur & just won't let go. This is the "Chicken Smile" phase. If you get it, you get it. Don't get me started on the 'fro, though. He will probably never live it down & when he's 19 over the hill, well-meaning friends of mine will go, "Hey Trav, I remember you, give us a Chicken Smile?"

Story that comes to mind when I think of his 1's: Us running around Walmart looking for him in a half panic. He's on the other end oblivious, running around with two rolls of wrapping paper in his hands like baseball bats.

Yeah, there's that Chicken Smile again. (BTW, whose gonna step forward & claim rights for thinking of that title? Elaina?)

This is the kid that my friends would always tell (sadly) true, bizzare stories about & sigh wistfully, "I'd just LOOOVE to have a kid like Trav". (Strangely, when I'd offer to send him over for the weekend I never did get any takers). If it weren't for this Mark-in-law, we'd still be rebounding from pent up energy left over from his TERRIBLE (and by that I DO mean TERRIBLE) two's. Mark is responsible for teaching him to sumo wrestle, pillow fight, ride a bike with one hand, jump off the top bunk & play "Extreme Tickle War". I owe you one, man!

Don't ask me why, but if I was to sum up his 2nd year in one incident it would be this: I come into the dining room and a certain "Gene-ious" is sitting on the table, bowl of instant ramen in hand, psychotic look of glee on his face. My son is running around the table full speed, hair & fat little body wet with sweat & without a shirt.

"Gene, what are you doing to my son?"

"Shush, shush.....he's almost at 60......Come on Travster!!.....YES!! 60!!!"

Did he do it 100 times, I'm afraid he did.

The secret to keeping a guy like this busy? Changing it up! If it's a challenge, he's on it. If he can't do it yet, you're off scott-free for at least a 1/2 hr till he figures it out.

Is he just about the action? No way! He's bound to be anything & everything when he grows up. And I'm not about to tell him he can't. To name a few he's been:

- break dancer, cook, skateboarder, Lightning McQueen, bobsledder, baseball player, Michael Phelps, contemporary dancer, naked drummer, ballet dancer, Steve Mcnair, compulsive duster & sweeper, basketball player etc etc etc.....Truth be told, I was always a bit afraid of having a high action kid, I'd look at other parents with energetic kids & subconsciously think they were doing something wrong. And in case you look at me & think that, you're probably right! But, I'll never look at the "happy kid" in a family like that again. Honestly, If I tell you I'd take your hyperactive boy or crazy tomboy daughter for the weekend.......I do mean it! :)