i am always overwhelmingly proud of my little boy when we’re out and about.  he is so pleasant and well-behaved and we are constantly surrounded by strangers who want to talk/flirt with him.  it makes me feel like we must be doing something right.  i thank God over and over and over for such bountiful blessings.  i am unworthy to be this boy’s mother but he looks at me with his bright blue eyes and lets me know that he wouldn’t have it any other way.

this afternoon, he got tired and cranky shortly before dinner time.  we had already decided to go out for dinner and as i was getting the boy dressed, he had his first full-blown tantrum meltdown.  i’m talking laying on his belly on his bedroom floor crying and flailing his legs and arms tantrum.  we ignored him while we continued to get ready to go out and i picked him up and calmed him just before leaving, not sure that going out was a good idea anymore.  we went to a restaurant we haven’t been to in a while and ended up waiting twenty minutes for a table.   and then it took forty-five minutes to get our food.  of course, this also put him past his bed time so he should have been a complete monster.  nope.  he played, sucked on ice, ate cheerios, and flirted with everyone seated around us.  not once did he grump.  he had no less than three tables full of strangers smiling and talking with him.  when we left, he made friends with people sitting outside waiting for tables.  seriously, his joy is infectious and people are just drawn to him.  it brings tears of pride and gratitude to my eyes every time.