The Babies Outside of Me - Andrew

Doesn't he look even older than one year old?

So I decided that, instead of just talking about my pregnancy, I should also include little updates of how my outside children are doing. Andrew's going first just because he's just had a birthday - and his recent milestones are fresher in my mind at the moment.

I'll start with a confession - when Andrew was born, it took me a bit to get used to his smell lol. I just had never had a baby that smelled like a boy before! Along with the fact that his reactions were so manly (yes, even at weeks old), and that my first baby had been so feminine, it kinda threw me off. I was stressed wondering if I'd ever really "get" him - if I'd really know how to raise a boy.

Today, I still don't always "get" him lol, but I do enjoy him! He's a lot of fun to be around, always giggling and playing games. And amazingly enough, his smell became so familiar to me that I actually craved it. When visiting my family alone in Brazil for a week, the only thing that calmed me from missing the kids was thinking of conversations with Melissa and - who would've known it - smelling Andrew. I so wanted to dive my nose behind his year in a hug and just inhale. Isn't it crazy that the thing that had thrown me off had become my soothing scent? :)

Well, now things are starting to change once again. His sweet baby aroma is becoming more of a boy on the run lol. He's still nice to cuddle with, but he's much more interested in exploring around. And while it's so much fun to watch, it definitely makes him more sweaty! I'm starting to get scared again - can I handle his little-boyhood? Is he still going to like me even though I don't share his same adventurous spirit?

Don't get me wrong, we still have great huggy and kissy moments. They just don't last as much as I'd like them too. And he's so manly and daring that often I really have no idea where he's coming from. Like, Melissa can get difficult, but I always know why she's throwing a tantrum. I see a lot of myself as a kid in her, so I can predict (or at least understand) her reactions pretty easily. Not always with Andrew, though. Sometimes he's mad at me and I have no idea why. Sometimes he starts laughing looking at me and I have no idea why either lol. He can lean over to kiss me, then bite me, and then decide he's done with me and just wants to crawl away. I need a manly toddler decoder! :)

Now, not that I mind his personality either - I do LOVE how low maintenance he is for some things, like being put down in his crib if he's tired enough. And today I didn't even have to take him up the stairs in my pregnant hips, because he crawled them up all by himself (with me behind, of course) - fast and determined, although he can't even walk yet! So yes, I do love having a rambunctious little boy. I just hope to be the parent he needs me to be so he can achieve his full strong and manly potential.