Time for a Reminder

Every so often I forget that Patrick is just a baby. When he looks at me with those big blue eyes that look like he understands every word I say, I expect him to answer right back. I find myself expecting him to act and behave like an adult, or at least a kid in elementary school. I get frustrated at him for crying or whining over silly things, like being bored or tired. I do recognize he's a baby, but I'm afraid I expect too much out of him sometimes. That's why I need to do a reality check every so often and remind myself that he is just a baby and that he's a darn good baby at that.
I'm so lucky to have such a cute baby. I'm beginning to realize that maybe he is extraordinarily cute (although probably not as much so as I'd like to think). Just look at those huge blue eyes!
And Patrick is remarkably well-behaved. I can be proud to take him out in public because he doesn't embarrass me (even if I embarrass him by putting half-naked pictures of him on the Internet). Once or twice when he was younger, he would insist on crying the whole time we were out, but he hasn't done that in a long time. He only cries now when he has specific needs, like hunger or sleep.
He's also very predictable about when he must have those needs taken care of. I can tell by a quick glance at my watch whether he is hungry or tired, or on the rare occasion just bored. I'm lucky to have a kid who is as content having his life dictated by a schedule as I am.
I'm incredibly lucky with Patrick's sleeping patterns. Since he was a few months old, he has slept through the night almost every night. I can only recall about two nights when he's woken up crying without a specific need. The few times he wakes up hungry after he's been put to bed officially have all been before Matt and I have gone to bed, and he always goes right back to sleep after eating. For the past few months, Patrick has consistently slept about twelve hours a night. He also still takes a reasonable morning nap and a long afternoon nap, and sometimes even a short evening nap. I am proud to have such a good sleeper. I know how rarely that happens and I consider myself blessed that Patrick is so cooperative with sleeping.
And not only is Patrick himself quite well-behaved, but his hair is too. It naturally falls into that classic big boy haircut. I don't have to brush it that way; it dries like that no matter how it was left after his bath. It's so hard to imagine him having rebellious teenage years seeing him always look so prim and proper with that hair.
And I'm most lucky because Patrick is definitely a happy kid. He smiles for me regularly and will get into giggly moods where anything I say or do sets him off into a fit of laughter. I'm so lucky to get to hear big belly laughs and little giggles daily. There is nothing quite like that gorgeous smile to remind me how lucky I am.