Si and I went to the mall yesterday in search of a pair of bonafide walking shoes. He's had plenty of hand-me-down slippers and even a pretty sweet pair of Crocs, but this kid needed something he could run around in without tripping.
After a quick stop in Stride Rite, where I practically choked at the price of toddler shoes, we made a beeline for Payless. I plucked a pair of brown shoes from the top shelf, slipped them on his little feet, and he took off down the women's shoes aisle. He toddled through each corridor of the mall, and then he decided that he wanted to push the stroller, but I was not allowed to touch it. After a few rounds of bumping into people and walls, I quickly nixed that game.
Oh, the drama.
Carrying a kicking, screaming, flailing child through the mall for the first time felt a little bit like a rite of passage. I got a wink from a grandma and plenty of stares, and I just had to laugh.
Watching him become a real live talking boy has been fascinating. I love seeing him stop to trail his hand along the bumpy chain link fence, or drive his toy truck on the sidewalk. He giggles at the most random things, which of course, makes me giggle too. Yesterday, he very clearly said "thank you" and he is smarter than I ever realized a 15 month old could be. But I think we've got a stubborn one on our hands. It shouldn't surprise me-- he is, of course, a product of both Chris and me, and we are definitely not passive people. He's currently upstairs in his crib-- growling when he should be napping-- and I'm praying myself through the rest of the day, in which I'm sure we'll have plenty of more fits. I'm praying for more grace, more patience, and definitely more coffee.