words and (really cute) pictures.

The house was dark and quiet, aside from the glow of the computer screen and my occasional clicking. The time was 9:08, and I was thinking it was about time to turn in for the night. Until I heard the faint, but growing sound of a child crying. I knew pretty quickly that it was 19-month-old Z. He is one who normally goes down for naps and at bedtime without a fuss. He knows he's tired and doesn't fight it. But he did tonight, so I wasn't really surprised to hear him.
I hurried in to him, and removed him from his room. The last thing I need is for him to wake the other two, then I'd be in a real mess! I grabbed a blanket and his cup of water before finding a place for us to sit. He drank a bit but continued to fuss. I wasn't quite sure of what to do to calm him. Not much later I heard a knock. It was Mr. Boss. He suggested a teething remedy, which calmed him for a moment, but poor Z was still pretty distressed."Get him a snack," was the next suggestion.

So Z and I made our way to the kitchen. I grabbed a sleeve of graham crackers and we sat ourselves down and began to snack. After a few crackers I asked him if he was ready to go to bed. He responded by signing "please" for more crackers. We did that a couple of times before I realized there were only 2 sheets left, and we might as well finish them off.He didn't believe that they were gone, and grabbed the empty plastic with one hand and shoved the other inside, as if something would magically appear. But nothing did. I took him into the bathroom to clean his hands and we made faces into the mirror for a bit. I just love his wide mouth grin and his gaped baby teeth.

When I finally took him back to his room he expressed his disagreement, but quieted down once his head was on his pillow and he had a puppy secured in a tight head-lock. This boy is a prime example of one who is pleased with the simplest things: cuddles, a snack, a drink, a comfy place to lay, a squishy friend.I am so smitten by this little blondie. He is the biggest trouble maker, but he's also full of love and affection and cheesy grins. Yep, I just figured it out. He's my fire-cracker baby. Oh, how I love him.