Archie at 9 months

I was scared to have a boy.  I don't get boys.  Boys like dirt and dinosaurs and kill things with sticks. They run and scream and use kitchen utensils as weapons.  They're loud, and I know first hand that when they hit those years, they can be just as moody as the person to them.

I was scared to have a boy.

But then Archie came along, and I got boys a little more.  He was my boy, after all, a little piece of me now squirming around in the outside world, a piece that had my husband's eyes and a semblance of my dad's smile.

Him wiggling (now practically walking) around for these past 9 months has brought a pure and innocent joy (and many sleepless nights) into our lives.  That word, joy, first comes to mind when describing A.  I call him a little joyful tornado.  When he smiles, it consumes his entire face, and if he's feeling particularly happy, the smile will be so big and wide that he squints his eyes and then shakes his whole body as if he was going to get up and dance.  He does live up to the stereotype of being loud, that's for sure.  I'm not sure I've ever heard a more ear-piercing scream than I have from that kid.  He's either going to be a) the next Steven Tyler or b) a voice actor for horror films.  We'll see.

He eats everything, literally.  If we had a dog they would exchange loot from their travels around the floors.  Dust, crumbs, a piece of paper, caps, whatever he finds on the floor, he tastes.  The bright side to this is he's a good eater.  Grown up food, Gerber food, if you hand it to him, he'll eat it (even if it looks like he doesn't like it).

He bangs, he's rough, and rips the kitchen towels off the stove.  One of my favorite boyish things he does is he'll sometimes bite down on his pacifier real hard and then yank it out of his mouth as if it's a challenge.  It looks ridiculous, but hilarious.  His laugh is hearty and all boy and often yells at us while pointing his finger.

He's a cuddler, loves watching cars and being outside, and loves loves his big sister and little stuffed bear, Thad.

Being a parent to Archie feels like being a parent for the first time all over again.  He couldn't be more opposite of Ella.  Ella's already taken on the role of protective big sister and goes around shutting doors so he won't fall down stairs and picking up things so he won't choke.

I was scared to have a boy, but unnecessarily so, 'cause this boy has lit up our lives.  Him looking up at his big sister or me or his daddy with that contagious, joyful smile melts any fear or uncertainty I might have had away.

Photo cred: Francis and Louise