Being a proud parent

My sweet Latham started daycare yesterday. He'll be going on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I've been working all summer to get him ready. I moved him to one nap a day, and then made sure that nap happened after lunch. We've been practicing napping on a nap mat, eating neatly, playing nicely, obeying (as much as possible) adults, and much more.

All of this practice and worry (on my part), and the day ended up going fine. He napped very well, played well, ate well, and was happy. This good report and a solid night's sleep (he slept for 12 hours, and even then I had to wake him) made me rather reflective.

It wasn't anything that I did that made the day work. And, when he has a bad day in daycare (as will surely happen at some point), it won't be my fault. He's a toddler and he definitely shows his own personality all the time.

Latham is happy with life, and confident that he's loved and cared for. He's inquisitive. He laughs and dances and smiles all the time. He can also scream and yell like a maniac, and loves to ignore mom and/or make her chase him all over grocery stores, museums, etc. He's a little piece of perfection rolled up into a crazy ball of willfulness, covered in the most beautiful curls imaginable.

And it's okay to be proud and scared and everything. That's part of being a parent, I guess. But it's also important to realize that he's exploring his world in ways that I don't recognize. He's probably more laidback than I am (maybe he gets that from his daddy). But Latham is his own person. And, wow, that's weird to say. He was attached to my breast for the better part of a year. He needed (and got) cuddles from me or Adam every 3 hours or so...especially at night! I can read his expressions and I know what he's thinking (most of the time). But he's his own little person. Having experiences without me, not needing my attention as much (at least during the night!), and just generally showing me that he will live his own life. It's weird. It's unsettling. It's what happens.

But I'm proud of who my Latham is now, and I know I'll be even more proud of him as time goes on.

Sorry if this rambles....but, hey, at least I produced a blog post, right? Be happy with that, y'all!  :)