You Get The Good With The Bad

Lest I leave you with the wrong impression, Will spends 99.9% of his time not being a poo-flinging imp. He’s the sweetest, most cuddly and wonderful little 1-year-old that I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. And, he’s cute, to boot (must get it from his mother…).
He is so well-behaved most of the time that incidents like this morning’s really stand out; for instance, my parents threw him a birthday party this past Saturday. My father’s three sisters, my brother and sister-in-law, my sister and her fiancee, and my youngest brother were all in attendance, as well as Andy (a friend from church), his 11 month old son A.J. and Aron, Heather and Gabe. We adults shared in cake, snacks, ice cream and other celebratory “adult” fare, while Will and Andy feasted upon lower-sugar cookies my wife made especially for the occasion. Will enjoyed himself and, though he was the recipient of many wonderful gifts, persisted in finding the helium-filled Mylar balloons to be the single most intriguing inventions in recent history. While the adults traded stories of their best and worst birthdays, favorite TV shows and all manner of entertaining conversation, Will went without a nap (far too stimulated, poor lad). We stayed around for dinner and ended up keeping Will out well past 10:00 PM (his normal bedtime is somewhere between 7:15 and 8:00) and heard not a peep in protest from him. He stayed energetic, happy (practically ebullient) and interactive the whole time, ensuring that he made fast friends of each and every aunt, uncle and great aunt alike.
I’m sure we’ll play this “parental karma” game throughout his life, but on balance, I’d challenge anyone to make the claim that he’s not worth it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to check on the sofa slipcover he spilled Earl Grey all over – I think its wash cycle is almost over.